Improved federal disability tax credits, supportive housing, employment programs, public awareness and research are among the measures Ottawa can take immediately as part of a national co-ordinated approach, says the National Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance in a blueprint released Monday. Senator Jim Munson issued a call Monday for “every national political party to put a national autism strategy in their campaign platform.” ( Toronto Star file photo )“Autism is not just a provincial responsibility or a federal responsibility — it is a Canadian responsibility,” Sen. Jim Munson said Monday at an Ottawa news conference. Munson, an honorary member of the alliance, spearheaded a 2007 Senate report, “Pay Now or Pay Later: Autism Families in Crisis” that urged Ottawa to act more than a decade ago. The alliance is calling for a national strategy, anchored in federal legislation, to be developed in partnership with the provinces and territories, Canadians with autism, their families, experts and clinicians serving the community. “As an independent senator, I, too, along with many senators, are calling for every national political party to put a national autism strategy in their campaign platform,” Munson said.

Source: thestar April 01, 2019 16:52 UTC