Parents file lawsuit against Quebec over delays in getting their child into speech therapy

The parents of a four-year-old child have filed a lawsuit against Quebec'sHealth Ministry, saying thewait time to get their daughter into speech therapy is too long and is damaging her well-being.

Christina Sara, 4, has childhood apraxia, a rare motor disorder that makes it difficult for her tomatch the movement of her lips, tongue and jaw to the words she's trying to say.

If left untreated, the disorder may hinder her learning and social skills in the long-term, her parents say.

"I was afraid that if she didn't start speech therapy,when she went to kindergarten with all these other five year olds that could speak, she wouldn't be able to keep up," saidChristina's mother,Stephanie Bates.

Christina underwent an assessment at the McGill University Health Centre in February, which recommended"speech and language intervention" at the MAB-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre,in theCte-des-NeigesNotre-Dame-de-Grceborough.

The centre is managed by the regional health authority, theCIUSSSof West-Central Montreal.

The CIUSSSsent a letter to the family on March 12, saying that services would start at the MackayCentre between January and March 2019.

"That's unacceptable," said Christina's father, FadiSara.

"It's a flagrant case of negligence on the government's part."

Family claiming $14,999

Sara filed a lawsuit in the small-claims division of Quebec Courton Aug. 3, accusing the Quebec government, includingthe Ministry of Health and Social Services andthe Justice Ministry,of negligence.

The government has failed to provide "healthcare for a condition that requires immediate intervention," the lawsuit alleges, and the situation has caused the family "extreme psychological distress."

"The stress is crushing," said Sara, who is claiming $14,999 in the lawsuit, plus interest and court fees.

Contacted by CBC News, the HealthMinistry said it couldn'tcomment"out of respect for the ongoing judicial procedure."

Neither the ministry, nor the CIUSSSof West-Central Montreal,said it would grant CBC News an interview about how health services for children with apraxiaare administered.

In a statement, the CIUSSS of West-Central Montreal saidcommenting "could have direct or indirect repercussions on the confidentiality of patients."

Delays not a surprise, says speech-language pathologist

Paul-Andr Gallant is a speech-language pathologist andthe president of the province's Order of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists.

He said he's not surprised by delays in the healthcare system.

"We have those wait lists that are unacceptable," Gallant said.

There are about 2,700 speech-language pathologists affiliated to the order, the most in Quebec's history, said Gallant.

Despite this, however, he said long wait times for therapy show there aren't enough specialiststo respond to people's needs.

He said recent research suggests that speech and language therapy should start within eight months of when a person is diagnosed with a condition, depending on the person's age and the severity of the case.

"If someone breaks their leg, we're not going to wait for years to do something," Gallant said.

One hour of therapy per week

Christina istaking hour-long, private speech-language therapy sessions with a specialist in Cte-des-Neiges every week. Herparentssaid she needs more than that,but it's all they can currently afford.

They receive a federal tax credit of about $230 per month, which covers about half of themonthly cost ofher therapy, Sara told CBCNews.

The rest of the week, Bates does daily exercises with Christina and the results have been "life-changing," Sara said.

"It was [like] night and day," he said.

"[Over] the course of a couple weeks," Bates said, "she went from saying words completely incorrectly, to being able to say words correctly, to stringing together a proper sentence, to telling stories she's never told before."

With files from CBC'sMatt D'Amours