Neurodiverse students need timelier support: board Community

JulieMacLellan jmaclellan@newwestrecord ca

NewWestminster school trustees want to make sure neurodiverse students can get the support they need more quickly.

Trustees voted at their June 20 board meeting to advocate to the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Child and Family Development and the Ministry of Education and Child Care to reduce wait times for students who have been identified as needing educational assessments

Trustee Danielle Connelly, who first brought the motion to the board’s education committee on June 6, noted the idea had been brought forward at the B C SchoolTrustees Association’s annual general meeting.

A background report pointed out the province’s current funding model for students with diverse needs is partly based on completed assessments but districts around the province have long internal wait lists for those assessments.

In B.C., as of Dec 23, 2022, the overall wait time for an autism spectrum disorder assessment was more than 80 weeks from the time of referral Some health regions report current wait times of at least two years (104 weeks).

Some families are choosing to get assessments done privately, but that means paying the costs out of pocket, and access to private assess- ments varies around the province

All of that, Connelly noted, means assessment wait times are a real equity issue

“More letters written can hopefully bring about the change that we’re all looking for,” she said.

Trustee Cheryl Sluis voiced her support for the motion during the education committee discussion.

“It’s something that I have heard about from parents in our community, and it’s really import- ant that we as a district are doing everything we can to make sure that kids are able to get these assessments in a timely way,” she said

Trustee Elliott Slinn agreed.

“It definitely impacts students and, I believe, can really affect their self-confidence and learning, so I think it’s important that they’re able to get the assessment so that they have the supports they need to be successful,” he said.

Mulberry PARC is hosting a garage sale! All proceeds will go to our annual Christmas hamper initiative, supporting seniors in need during the 2023 holiday season.

Come by to browse our wide selection of furniture and household goods available for purchase, enjoy popcorn and hotdogs, play some games, enter a prize draw, and meet the Mulberry team!

Any items not purchased will be donated to the Burnaby Hospice Thrift Store

Date & Time: Sunday, June 25, 10 am - 2 pm Location: Mulberry PARC, 7230 Acorn Ave, Burnaby

For details, call Terrie or Erin at 604.526.2248