Not all families are able to adjust their lives to afford the care their autistic children need, says Jenny Purvey.

Her family has, but the financial costs and lifestyle changes have been significant.

The cost of educating Tristeen at home is hefty. Therapists specialising in this area cost between $40,000 and $50,000 a year. Consulting fees easily reach $10,000 a year. And there's no Government subsidy.

Brian Purvey is a school teacher at Mount Saint Agnes Academy and took on a second job at the school which enables them to live there. The family rent their home.

Mrs. Purvey said she and her husband fought with their insurance company, when they were denied any coverage for Tristeen's autism. Their pleas did not fall on deaf ears and the company has agreed to foot half the cost of the therapist, but so far just for one year.

Mrs. Purvey is convinced that intervention as early as possible will prove more cost effective for Government as it will drastically decrease the numbers of people who end up needing acute care.

She said a school or programmes to aid autistic children could also be used by children with other learning disabilities and even those with severe behavioural problems.

When a child is school aged in Bermuda, the Government provides them with a para-professional.

"But that person is not really there for the benefit of the child," Mrs. Purvey said. "They are there to ensure the physical safety of your child and so that the teacher does not get distracted by them.

"Autistic children learn differently they tend to be visual learners. If we show Tristeen a task then he is able to do it. He does not respond if we tell him verbally," she said.

This is the reason traditional method where a teacher stands at the front of the class and talks to the students, does not work.

"It's a waste of time" for autistic children, she said. "They will probably not learn anything."

In fact, Mrs. Purvey said traditional teaching methods could even hinder the development of autistic children. And she said it's not fair that Government does nothing about it.

"The Government's policy is that no child will be left behind but that's not really the case. These children are entitled to the same quality of education as their developing peers. Instead they are shoved into mainstream classrooms. This fulfils Government's obligation that they go to school, but is not in the best interest of the child," she said.

"The doctor at the Kennedy Krieger Institute said Bermuda is more than 30 years behind the US in providing programmes for autistic children," Mrs. Purvey said. "I think that's unacceptable when we look at how wealthy this little country is."

She advocates a special school or at least a Government subsidy in line with the cost of educating a child in Bermuda.

"It costs Government $18,000 to have a child in the public school system and then they are willing to pay for a paraprofessional on top of that. But when that system will not work for our children — we get nothing," she said.