Social Workers in Canadaコミュの自閉症とサポートのギャップ

People should not use the case of a father who murdered his autistic son, then killed himself, to push for more government funding or services, says the head of a charity that helps people with developmental disabilities.

"This isn't about the services," said Bruce Uditsky, executive officer of the Alberta Association for Community Living. "It's natural for people to assume that, and services do need to be improved. There's no question about that....But many families don't kill their children or themselves because they get a little less from government than they would like, for example, or because the schools send them home early because of behavioural issues."

On Sunday, a 39-year-old father and his 11-year-old son were found dead in their north Edmonton home. Police confirm it was a murder-suicide, though they won't release the names or the causes of death.

The mother believes the deaths are the result of a buildup of stress and feelings of abandonment due to lack of resources and help, said family friend Karen Phillips, program director of the Autism Society of Edmonton Area.

NDP critic Rachel Notley also questioned the care the family received through the province and wrote letters to the chairman of the fatality review board and Justice Minister Alison Redford on Wednesday to request a public fatality inquiry.

"The government has an obligation to care for seriously ill children and adults, regardless of whether they live in an institution or in the community," Notley said. "This tragedy raises serious questions about whether the government has fulfilled its duty."

But Uditsky said the boy was receiving support, living in a home with 24-hour care on weekdays, then going home to live with his parents on the weekend, which was their choice.

He said such cases are much more complex and can involve issues of mental health, anxiety, marital struggles or financial problems.

"When this happens, it's much deeper than the issue of support or disability," Uditsky said. "There are tens of thousands of families raising kids with disabilities with struggles and challenges, and we don't kill our kids because we have an issue of support. Families, when they have a child with cancer and they struggle with health care, they don't kill their kids. They fight more tenaciously. So something else drives you to do those things."

Terri Duncan, chief executive officer of Children's Autism Services of Edmonton, expressed similar sentiments.

"Services are never perfect," said Duncan, whose agency didn't work with the family involved. "This is not an appropriate response whether there are gaps or not....There are thousands of families living with children with autism, and despite the incredible challenges, they manage."

Uditsky, who wouldn't speak in detail about the father, helped the family find a place for their son to live when the 11-year-old was released from the psychiatric unit at Royal Alexandra Hospital. The government wasn't always co-operative with the options, but there was a resolution, he said.

"People want an explanation for what is not understandable, so naturally, if you have a child with disability, that must be the driving factor," Uditsky said. "These horrible things happen in ways we can't fully understand. Why one copes and another doesn't has to do with things that are part of their internal makeup. Obviously, this was a tortured soul in ways that some of us didn't see or understand, and that was probably true irrespective of being a parent of a child with disabilities.

"Using this tragedy to address some of the limitations to the services we have is misrepresenting the situation," Uditsky said.

jsinnema@thejournal.canwest.com
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