What is Oscars for Autism?

Many great business people, artists, athletes, and politicians have their roots in New Brunswick. What impressive contributions they have made to the life of our city, our province, Canada and the world!

Be part of an unforgettable black-tie celebration of their accomplishments in front of peers, admirers and friends. Don’t miss all the glitz of the Oscars, including a red carpet, the flashing bulbs of the paparazzi and the latest fashions. Enjoy a great night of food, wine and laughs, all in support of programs and services for people affected by autism.

Autism takes many forms but in all its varieties it affects over 1500 individuals in New Brunswick and over 150,000 people across Canada. It also has enormous impact on parents, on siblings, on the extended family, and, of course, the whole community. This is a biologically-based, developmental disorder that affects communication skills, play skills, cognitive skills, but most of all, at the heart of the disorder, it affects social skills. The “umbrella” term used in the diagnostic manuals is Pervasive Developmental Disorder. That term tells us that it is “pervasive” meaning it affects almost every aspect of the individual’s functioning. Without appropriate intervention children born with this condition will fail to develop normally and will gradually develop challenging behaviours, often severe, that make living their lives very difficult for them and all those around them.

As little as ten years ago, if a family received a diagnosis, it was bleak outlook. There were no treatment programmes, little in the way of professional intervention, no curriculum designed for children with autism in the schools, no parent training, and no way for parents to seek support from other parents or knowledgeable professionals

Fortunately, much research in the past 30 years has documented that effective interventions exist and there is every reason to know that we can alter that developmental path in very significant ways and provide all of these families a much better quality of life.

In New Brunswick, over the past 5 years we have achieved a provincial treatment programme that is second to none in Canada. Look what we have achieved!


In 2003, we implemented province-wide treatment using the latest evidence-based interventions.

• We recognized the importance of early intervention as an aspect of effective treatment.


• Every preschool child became entitled to 20 hours per week of Intensive Behavioural Therapy. This programme is administered by the Department of Social development.


• Currently, we have over 400 preschool children enrolled in intensive behaviour therapy each year.


• We established 6 private agencies to deliver the treatments to preschoolers (Bathurst, Edmundston, Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John, Woodstock). The 6 agencies combined employ over 300 individuals.


• We saw the need to transition children smoothly from professional preschool treatment programmes to compatible school–based professionals and curriculum.


• We recognized the need for ongoing, province-wide, training in these intervention techniques for both therapists and educators.


• We established an award-winning autism training programme at the University of New Brunswick


• In 2003, there were fewer than 10 people in New Brunswick capable of delivering these treatments in a competent manner – as of this year, we have trained over 700 front-line therapists, Clinical Supervisors, Teaching Assistants, and Resource teachers.


• For the past five years, the Department of Education has supported training of a large number of Resource Teachers and Teaching Assistants so there could be continuity of treatment from the preschool programmes through the school system.


• We have an excellent system that allows quick access to treatment services for all children in New Brunswick that is the envy of all other provinces


• We have created a network of Autism Resource Centres (such as Autism Connections Fredericton) around the province so all parents can easily attain literature, teaching materials, training and support. The Department of Health has supported this programme.


• Treatment services and training programmes are provided in both official languages


• We have successfully coordinated training, treatment, education and parent support in our provincial model from the preschool programmes to the school programmes. At present, no other province can lay claim to such a comprehensive autism strategy


• The advent of effective treatment has resulted in many families returning to New Brunswick to access services not available elsewhere and, as well, we have attracted a number of skilled professionals to the province who now work with our children.


• Most important of all, we have invested in a positive manner in our children and in their families. The dividends will be children with more skills in all areas, parents will see their children realizing their potential, and the tax payers of NB will see savings resulting from diminished costs for future care. This is evidence of what an intelligent and humane society we enjoy in NB.

These outstanding achievements demonstrate that New Brunswick is a “have” province when it comes to services for autism and these are the reasons why, today, we need to award our politicians, our parents and our professionals an Oscar.