Fighting for kids with disabilities, parents group calls on Alberta gov’t to make change

Reduce wait times for FSCD services
Ensure resources keep pace with growing demand
Restore transparency so families understand wait times and know what to expect

“It’s incredibly frustrating,” says Hanson, who wrote an op-ed on this issue in February 2025. She says nothing has changed in all that time.

“It’s such a shame; I thought with there being another full budget cycle, this would be a temporary problem. Unfortunately, a year-and-a-half later, we’re in the same, if not worse, position for families that are still on the waitlist.”

Several years ago, Hanson’s older child went through FSCD, and at that time, she says, the wait time was no more than four months.

Hanson later applied for her younger boy, who has autism and more intense needs; they waited two-and-a-half years to be accepted, and have thankfully been in it for a year now.

FSCD, she explains, offers many supports, including but not limited to participation in extracurricular activities, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and regulation skills — and not just for autism.

Hanson says long wait times for FSCD defeat the purpose of the program.

“I know how the system works well, and I know how poorly it’s working right now,” she says.

“If you don’t get a diagnosis until your child is two- or three-years-old, and you’re waiting three or four years to get approved, you’ve really missed the entire early development window that every expert agrees is so important.”

For Hanson, the wait has meant undue stress in nearly every aspect of life.

Once she went public with her family’s story last year, people in her town came out of the woodwork to tell her they were in the same situation.

According to Hanson, at least 100 families, in Sylvan Lake alone, have contacted her to share that they are or were on the waitlist for FSCD.

Responding to a request from rdnewsNOW, the Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services notes Budget 2026 provides $271 million for FSCD, an increase of more than $74 million since 2019.

The ministry did not answer a question about how long the current wait times are, though Kids Can’t Wait lists waits as three years or longer on its website.

“Alberta’s growing population, along with the increasing prevalence of disabilities, has meant the demand for the Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) program remains high,” says Jonah Pickle, press secretary.

“In addition, the complexity of client needs is increasing, as well as the costs of the services required to support them. [The 2026] investment has allowed thousands more families to access the program, supporting a 25 per cent increase to program caseload since 2019. Assisted Living and Social Services is working hard to connect families to services as quickly as possible, and is reviewing the program to ensure effective support for families in need, now and into the future.”

Pickle adds that the review will involve engagement with families and subject matter experts from the disability services, health care, and education sectors, and includes working with other ministries to coordinate support for families and children with disabilities across the system.

He added that the ministry is aware that the challenges faced by the FSCD program are not unique to Alberta.

FSCD supports a staggering 19,000 children in Alberta, the ministry shared.

But for Hanson and Kids Can’t Wait Alberta, the issue is even bigger than it appears on the surface.

“Kids are going back to school, and unfortunately, if the services aren’t there at home, a lot of that pressure ends up back on schools, and we know teachers and educational assistants are already maxed out,” says Hanson.

“This program offers supports that are life-changing for families who are really desperate and need it.”

Earlier this year, Sylvan Lake town council approved a motion that it will present to the upcoming conference of Alberta Municipalities, Sept. 23-25 in Edmonton.

The resolution, which will be voted on by delegates from across Alberta, calls for vast improvements to FSCD. It will be seconded by the Town of Nanton.

Hanson and other impacted families will also be taking their concerns to Edmonton via a rally on the steps of the Legislature at 1 p.m. on Dec. 3.

by Josh Hall

Fighting for kids with disabilities, parents group calls on Alberta gov’t to make change

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