The Saskatchewan government has announced how it will spend an extra $2.5 million a year to help families dealing with autism.
The money will go toward a three-year pilot program to boost service for children, respite care to give parents some relief, and seasonal programming, such as summer camps, the Health Ministry said Monday.
In addition, $100,000 is being earmarked for the development of a certification program to train people who work with people who have autism or autism spectrum disorder.
It's planned the certification program will begin early next year.
Autism is a neurological condition that causes developmental disability and communication problems, with varied degrees of severity depending on the individual.
The $2.5 million, which was announced in the spring budget, is in addition to the $3 million for autism service that already exists in the health budget.
The Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region will receive $1.1 million per year to provide services in southern health regions, while the Saskatoon Health Region will receive $1.3 million to provide services in central and northern health regions.
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