MLA Michelle Stilwell speaking with parent Melanie Atwell following an all-party committee hearing in Nanaimo (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Helping hand

Calls made in Nanaimo to improve outlook for kids with developmental challenges

May 24, 2019 | 8:21 AM

NANAIMO — Frustrated parents and service providers made their case to enhance supports for the children in the province grappling with neurological challenges.

An all-party committee of MLA’s tasked with making recommendations to the B.C. government on the issue heard several powerful submissions at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo on Friday.

A tearful Holly Breingan of Nanaimo said the stress of raising a daughter with complex needs costs her heavily financially, physically and emotionally.

“I’m here to give a voice to the overwhelming issues of navigating the multiple systems. The lack of supports and the real issue of caregiver burnout. I’m tired and I don’t feel we support families.”_{Holly Breingan}

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Breingan is a single mother of two, including a 17-year-old autistic girl with Chrohn’s disease and a seizure disorder.

She questioned why the funding model for her daughter in a staffed residential care setting isn’t replicated in the comfort of her own home as the transition to adulthood approaches.

Holly Breingan addressing an all-party provincial committee examining supports for youth in B.C. with neurological challenges. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW0

Other speakers pointed to negative impacts of long wait times for autism assessments, while a call was made for funding to be linked to a child’s functional need, rather than a firm diagnosis.

Parksville-Qualicum MLA Michelle Stilwell, a mother herself of a 17-year-old autistic boy, is the deputy chair of the committee.

She said a clear theme formed during their tour around the province this week.

“There are many children who don’t fall into the autism category, or while they’re waiting for the assessment the length of time is far too long to access the funding that comes with an autism diagnosis,” Stilwell said.

She speculated a potential shift in how services are delivered for children with neurological deficits will be the biggest question the committee will discuss during summer deliberations.

“Can we do it in a better and more efficient way and make sure that those children without the official autism diagnosis are being captured and being supported to help them reach their full potential,” Stilwell said.

Stilwell anticipated the committee will hand over its recommendations to the Ministry of Children and Family Development in the fall.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes