Local MPP launching COVID-19 coping webinar for families of kids with autism

By Mike Vlasveld

The MPP for Ottawa West–Nepean is hoping a series of webinars can give families of kids with autism a few more tools to use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some families have already reached what Jeremy Roberts refers to as 'crisis periods,' and he says the government needs to figure out how to address those issues, but for those not at that level yet, he's been searching for ways to help them figure out how to cope.

The Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services says there have been constant conversations on how to address these issues behind the scenes of provincial government, and he hopes the launching of these four webinars featuring mental health professionals, leads to greater initiatives.

The first webinar is set to go live on Tuesday, May 5, featuring Dr. Jonathan Weiss, an Associate Professor of Psychology at York University. He will be joined by autism advocate Teresa Hedley and her son Erik.

The other webinars will run on the following Tuesdays, and each will be posted on Roberts' social media pages after having gone live. Those videos will feature such speakers as Occupational Therapist Ellen Yack, a speech language therapist and a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst.

Roberts says families of kids with autism can also reach out to the educators of their children if they have questions or concerns about coping with COVID-19, and if families feel they have nowhere else to turn, they can always find help at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).

For more information on the webinars and how to register, visit Jeremy Roberts' Facebook page, or email his assistant at michael.pew@ontario.ca.

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