A Windsor woman has launched a petition calling on the Ontario government to step up funding and cut wait times for services catering to adult children with autism.
After receiving care for 16 years, Michelle Helou says her son Noah was cut off last September when he turned 18. Now she's tasked with trying to find respite services in a province where the wait lists are, in her words "disgusting."
Helou says she's asked Community Living, the Ministry of Social Services and Developmental Services Ontario how long she can expect her son to languish on a wait list and has been told "when the government allocates the funding."
"We as parents, we're aging. We're getting older also. We need these breaks," she says. "The ministry knew that these kids had had assessments and diagnosis -- there should be no gap."
Helou says she wants to keep her son at home with her, but hopes she never gets sick because her options are next to nil.
"I just knock on wood every day. I'm like, stay healthy. Fighting the cause and advocating for these things; I think that's what keeps me going," she says.
Helou doesn't know how many families are in a similar position, but says since launching a Facebook page; she's heard from parents across the province.
Her petition is at change.org.
