One small town on Canada鈥檚 east coast is leading the way in accommodating people with autism, one sensory calming room at a time.
Channel-Port aux Basques, a Newfoundland town of fewer than 5,000 residents, is home to a community group called . Co-founders Joan Chaisson and April Billard launched the group after Chaisson, a retired special-ed teacher, started coaching Billard鈥檚 son who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
鈥淚 fell in love with the child and the world of autism,鈥� Chaisson told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Wednesday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so nice to try and figure out what makes them successful.鈥�
Each child is different, she says, to the point where the work is like a 鈥減uzzle.鈥� And with AIM, Chaisson and Billard have launched simple, low-cost methods for communities to help make solving the puzzle easier. They provide parents with a library of resources, they offer training for local businesses, and they even helped turn a local hotel into an autism-friendly environment complete with a sensory calming room, quiet rooms for eating and specialized bedrooms.
The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that one in 57 kids between the ages of five and 17 have autism in Newfoundland and Labrador. The rate isn鈥檛 much lower across the country -- about one in 66 -- but Chaisson鈥檚 town has faced particular challenges. Of the 300 children in elementary school there, 14 have been diagnosed with autism.
Chaisson and Billard鈥檚 efforts have drawn national attention. On World Autism Day in April, Today鈥檚 Parent magazine named Channel-Port aux Basques 鈥�.鈥� The title has caught on, and Chaisson hopes AIM鈥檚 initiatives spread across the country.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that doesn鈥檛 cost a lot of money. You have to go out and meet with the people face to face,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very easy to bring it across the country.鈥�
