An Open Letter to BC Educators
An Open Letter to BC Educators
Autism funding
is education
funding.
When the Ministry phases out individualized Autism funding in March 2027, the impact won't stop at the family — it will land in every BC classroom.
Educators: your voice is needed.
Click next to see why →
What's changing
By March 2027,
individualized Autism funding
in BC will be phased out.
20,000+
Autistic children in BC currently rely on this funding for speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavioural support, and AAC devices.
The Ministry says schools won't be affected.
This is demonstrably false.
The Ripple Effect
When private therapy disappears,
the need
doesn't.
It moves…
- Regression, dysregulation & school avoidance
- Loss of early intervention before age six
- Increased mental-health strain on staff
- Sensory & AAC equipment gaps in classrooms
- Heavier load on EAs and teachers
- Year-long+ waitlists for school-based SLPs
01 In the Classroom
Regression.
Dysregulation.
School avoidance.
Therapies funded individually, speech-language, OT, behavioural support, mental health are foundational.
They're how many Autistic children communicate, regulate, and stay engaged in school.
Remove the supports, and the need shows up as anxiety, dysregulation, and absenteeism.
Schools become the frontline for crisis response.
02 Early Intervention
The window
closes early.
Before age
6
the highest window for developmental progress in communication, social skills & emotional regulation.
Without robust early intervention, thousands of children will arrive at Kindergarten already behind their peers, and stay behind.
03 Mental Health
The emotional burden
doesn't disappear…
it shifts to staff.
- Autistic children are significantly more likely to experience school distress and co-occurring anxiety or depression when their environment isn't properly supported.
Without private therapeutic support, that burden lands on educators, fueling burnout and turning classrooms into crisis-management zones rather than spaces for learning.
04 SLP Waitlists
School SLPs
are already
stretched thin.
1+ year
Existing waitlists for school-based SLP assessments in many BC districts.
Today, individualized funding lets families see private SLPs, easing pressure on schools. Without it, thousands more children rely on a system already at capacity.
Waitlists become insurmountable.
Children lose their critical years.
05 Classroom Reality
Schools can't replace
specialized clinical care.
EA Shortages
Districts are already short-staffed. Reduced therapy means more clinical needs landing on the EAs and teachers we still have.
Equipment Gaps
Sensory tools and AAC communication devices are currently purchased through individualized funding. Without it, kids arrive at school without the tools to communicate or regulate.
Fewer Designations
With no incentive for private diagnosis, public waitlists grow. Delayed diagnoses mean less designation funding for the EAs and supports schools depend on.
Why your voice
Teachers and EAs
weren't consulted.
The provincial budget is being finalized now. The legislature breaks for summer at the end of May.
It's not fair to ask educators to absorb the fallout of a social-service cut. Decision-makers need data, straight from the people who see what happens in classrooms when therapy is pulled.
That's why we built A Teacher's Voice — an anonymous survey for BC educators.
Take the Survey
A Teacher's
Voice.
Anonymous · 5–10 minutes · BC educators only
Tell us how the loss of individualized Autism funding is going to affect your students, your classroom, and your work. Your answers will be used in formal advocacy to the Ministry, opposition critics, and union leadership.
Take the Survey
fairfundingbc.ca/survey-a-teachers-voice
Share & Support
More ways
to stand with
our kids.
Take the Survey
Sign the Petition
'Exclusion is not Inclusion' link in bio and at fairfundingbc.ca
Write to your Union
Ask your local to send a formal letter to Minister Wickens (the Ministry of Children and Family Development) and Minister Beare (Education)
Share this Post
Tag your school district, BCTF local, or PAC
Autism funding is education funding.
