Cobourg mom Kristen Ellison holds her son, Carter, as he mugs for the camera. Carter is autistic and Kristen is fighting hard to change a proposal by the Ontario government to alter funding to parents of autistic children. Photo from Twitter.
Cobourg mom Kristen Ellison is an outspoken critic of a proposal from the Ontario government to fund 23,000 autistic children on waiting lists currently. Her eight-year-old son, Carter, already receives funding to help cover the approximately $90,000 annual costs for support services.
Families will be eligible for up to $20,000 a year for children under 6 — up to a lifetime maximum of $140,000. Children older than that can access up to $5,000 a year up to age 18, to a lifetime maximum of $55,000. The changes are slated to begin on April 1.
Ellison provides insight into the challenges she faces, similar to many families across Ontario. She explains the types of treatments available to her son and a typical day in their lives. In this extensive interview, Ellison will also share the frustration and anger driving parents like her to protest.
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