Parents of children with autism are calling for more balanced support for neurodiverse children following system changes announced before B.C.’s 2026 budget this week.
Niva Leung and her coworker, David Chen, say they are worried their kids might not be eligible for the newly announced provincial programs.
“I was at first shocked, disappointed, and felt a little bit attacked,” said Leung.
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On Feb. 11, the provincial government announced that the current autism funding program will be replaced with the B.C. Children and Youth Disability Benefit program and B.C. Children and Youth Disability Supplement.
Under the current system, families of children with autism have access to direct funding to purchase services, but the amount isn’t adjusted based on the needs of the child or the family’s income. That funding supported over 27,000 children in the 2024/2025 fiscal year.
Meanwhile, children with other diagnosed intellectual disabilities do not have direct access to the funding. Instead, approximately 2,782 families receive support through an ‘At Home Program.’
Through the new Disability Supplement system, the province estimates 33,000 children and youth in lower- and middle-income households will receive “income-tested supplements.”
Meanwhile, as many as 15,000 will receive direct funding through the new Disability Benefit with a focus on “children with the most complex support needs, based on functional impact rather than diagnosis alone.”
Leung and Chen worry that the families that do not meet the requirements will be left out of the benefit program.
Announced ahead of the budget, the change has already faced received mixed reaction.
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According to Chen, his income level does not meet the threshold to receive the supplement. Leung, who has a two-year-old son, also says she will not qualify for the supplement program.
For the benefit program, Chen says the concept of ‘need’ is too subjective.
“They’re switching to a three-level-need criteria, which is just as difficult to deal with as the current system based on diagnosis,” he said.
Chen and Leung say the expansion of services to children with other neurodiverse diagnoses can be beneficial, but might result in less support for those with autism.
“My youngest is two, and he’s able to tap into the $22,000 [funding]. So, we’ve just started. He got diagnosed in November… He’s nonverbal right now, so we’re hoping that, through therapy, he can learn to talk. But now, after next year, he’s going to get cut.”
When announcing the changes, the province promised it would not result in any child in B.C. losing access to support.
Jodie Wickens, the Minister of Children and Family Development, said the newly announced programs can expand “services to thousands more children in our province, and we will ensure that no child is left behind.”
“Children with autism, who have a functional need, will be eligible for direct funding support. There is a large group of children with autism who currently receive individualized funding, who are on the ‘At Home Program,’ who will be automatically admitted into the new Disability Benefit,” she explained.
That day, the B.C. Conservatives criticized the BC NDP government, claiming it broke a 2022 promise to maintain individualized funding for children.
“Premier Eby looked families in the eye and promised individualized autism funding would be maintained after 2025,” said Interim Conservative Leader Trevor Halford in a media release.
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The changes have received positive reactions from other neurodiverse communities.
Tamara Taggart, volunteer president of Down Syndrome BC, said the expanded funding is “long overdue, and it has the potential to make a real difference for children and families across the province.”
In a statement last week, Autism BC said it understands families’ “mixed reactions.”
“We celebrate today with many disability groups that have advocated tirelessly for decades to be included in this funding model,” the organization’s website said, adding that many people who rely on the current autism funding might be overwhelmed.
Despite having a complex range of needs, Leung says she has already been told her children don’t qualify for the benefit.
“They are able to function in certain ways. With the funding being cut, we wouldn’t be able to have access to that,” said Leung.
She says she is glad that more support will be given to other neurodiverse children, but says it should not come at the expense of children with autism.
“What they really need to do is invest more resources into the neurodivergent population so that we can all get the right supports.”
Under the current system, families of children with autism have access to direct funding to purchase services, but the amount isn’t adjusted based on the needs of the child or the family’s income. That funding supported over 27,000 children in the 2024/2025 fiscal year.
Meanwhile, children with other diagnosed intellectual disabilities do not have direct access to the funding. Instead, approximately 2,782 families receive support through an ‘At Home Program.’