Ottawa Citizen: Why some Ottawa families continue to face autism stigma, isolation

The Ottawa Citizen profiled Celeste Constantineau, a Kanata mother whose six-year-old daughter, Evelyn, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at age two. The article follows the planning and preparation that go into something as ordinary as an after-school event, and the moment Constantineau realized that while her daughter's school staff worked hard to be inclusive, some other parents did not.

It struck me how different the school staff treats us, versus the parents.

Constantineau, who is also on the autism spectrum, described a particular kind of social isolation that comes from avoiding events to protect her daughter from overstimulation, and from the judgmental glances other parents cast when her daughter played with her peers.

A lot of people push for inclusion until behaviours are overwhelming and inconvenient.

The article also features Emily Jenkinson, an educational assistant at Phoenix Private Academic in Ottawa who works with more than 40 students on the spectrum. She argued that exposure, not avoidance, is what changes attitudes.

When (neurotypical) kids are exposed to kids with special needs, then they learn how to interact with them. It's not a big thing, it's not a big deal.

End The Wait Ontario in the Story

The funding wait is woven through the family's story. Constantineau has had her daughter on the list for the Ontario Autism Program's core funding since she was under three, and expects another year-and-a-half to two years before it is released. To quantify the scale of that wait, the Ottawa Citizen cited End The Wait Ontario's March 2026 analysis.

It's like a full-time job to manage the schedules and appointments of someone with special needs.

Published by the Ottawa Citizen, June 21, 2026, by Abyssinia Abebe. Read the full article on ottawacitizen.com