But more than that, they're just hoping to hear from Ted Nebbeling.

Dan and Jenn Geddes's son, Jaiden, was diagnosed with autism in 2001. Autism is a biological disorder of brain development, usually identified between ages two and three, and affects approximately one in 2,000 people. There is no known cause or cure for the disease.

Children with autism exhibit marked deficits or excesses in communication, social interaction, interests and activities that can range from severe to mild. Without effective treatment, autistic people face a bleak prognosis of a life of isolation and often institutionalization.

"Autism is a life sentence," said Jenn. "It's like someone comes in and steals your baby's soul."

When Jaiden was diagnosed, he had no receptive language (to indicate what he understands) or expressive language and was indifferent to others, usually ignoring them as if they were not there.

But last spring, Jaiden started an intensive therapy program called Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA). The therapy, which takes place in the Geddes' home 35 hours a week, has led to major improvements in Jaiden's behaviour, according to Jenn.

"Ten months ago Jaiden was not able to understand any language," she said. "Now, he is able to identify hundreds of objects and actions, body parts, shapes, colours, familiar people and simple instructions.

"It's really helping. It's going slowly, but it's working."

The key to ABA's success is starting it while children are young (ideally before age five) and ensuring the therapy is intensive (35 to 40 hours a week). Nearly half of children in ABA therapy recover enough to interact relatively normally with other children.

In Jaiden's case, they hope to bring him into kindergarten this fall — something that wouldn't even have been possible a year ago. "We want him to be there to interact," said Jenn.

The cost of intensive ABA is staggering — up to $60,000 a year — and is currently only partially funded by the provincial government for children up to age five only.

In the Geddes' case, they're paying about $45,000 a year for the therapy, with about $20,000 covered by the provincial government.

Jenn works full-time and Dan owns his own business, but the cost of treatment has still forced them to cash in their retirement savings and seek help from their families. The couple is looking at selling their house next spring to continue the treatment.

When Jaiden turns six in November of this year, the government funding is cut off completely — yet he requires another three to four years of therapy, says Jenn.

But what has the Geddes most upset is what they call the Liberals' change of heart on funding from when they were in opposition and their MLA's silence.

Parents of autistic children filed a class action lawsuit, Auton et al., in August 1999 to force the then-NDP provincial government to fund ABA treatment. The B.C. Supreme Court ruled in the parents' favour in July 2000, but the government appealed to the B.C. Court of Appeals on the grounds that the courts should not determine government funding of programs.

At the time, Liberal opposition politicians, from soon-to-be premier Gordon Campbell to Colin Hansen, now Minister of Health Services, castigated the NDP for appealing the case.

West Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA Ted Nebbeling was also vocal on government funding for autism while in opposition. In 1998, he presented a petition signed by more than 8,000 parents to the Premier on behalf of Families for Early Autism Treatment (FEAT). At the time, the government provided no funding for ABA.

"I am appalled with the lack of government understanding of a program that has been proven to help these children," Nebbeling said at the time. "To deny children a quality of life otherwise unattainable, condemning them to a life sentence in an institution, this is a negligence which should be considered criminal.

"How can we deny a child our help, when we know a proven treatment method?"

Nebbeling later said in the Legislature that autism was a medical condition, not a social problem and praised the merits of ABA therapy.

"The key is that it shouldn't be an issue of whether it is worth the money or we can afford the money," he said. "The thing is that we know that there is not a cure, but there is a mechanism to make the quality of life so much better for patients with autism and for the families who live with them, and I think that's what we have to focus on."

Upon taking power in May 2001, however, the Liberals allowed the Auton appeal to continue. In October, the B.C. Court of Appeals unanimously ruled in the parents' favour that the government policy discriminates against children with autism and ordered the province to fund medically-necessary treatment for autistic children regardless of age.

On Nov. 29 of last year, the Liberals announced their intention to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada.

"The government is not taking issue with the funding for autism treatment generally," the Ministry of Attorney-General said in a news release on the appeal. "Rather, the government has decided to appeal the decision's broad implications for how government funds and delivers not only health-care services, but also social programs.

"The court decision affects government's ability to determine which services and programs it will fund. This expansion of constitutional principles constitutes a serious and unprecedented intrusion into government's policy and spending priorities."

Dan and Jenn Geddes say they have been trying to arrange a meeting with Nebbeling for more than a year to discuss their case, but they haven't heard from their MLA in person in the last year and a half, despite asking for a personal response through his office.

While they have received response letters from several ministers and Premier Gordon Campbell as well as front-line agencies and workers, they still want to hear from Nebbeling himself.

"Where is he?" asked Dan. "What's it take to phone back? The comfort for a citizen starts with somebody listening. I have to talk for Jaiden. He can't talk to Ted. Just like I have to represent Jaiden, Ted has to represent me and Jaiden to the government and represent the government.

"He's a conduit to the people. Where is he?"

Contacted by The Chief Monday, Nebbeling said that he has done all he can for his constituent.

Staff from Nebbeling's office have responded to all inquiries by the Geddes family and have encouraged them to take their case to Linda Reid, the Minister of State for Early Childhood Development, who is responsible for autism funding.

Nebbeling added he has spoken to Geddes personally "a couple of times in the past" as well.

"We have done so much on behalf of Mr. Geddes, but Mr. Geddes wants more and more," Nebbeling said. "We have responded to his letters, petitioned the minister…unfortunately for him, the program is finished at six [years] and other programs come into play then. It is not that these kids are abandoned at that point.

"He keeps writing back, but there is a point where we say there is nothing we can do…the bottom line is, he doesn't get the answer that he wants."

Nebbeling also denies the Liberals changed their position on autism funding. He said the Liberals supported the NDP's appeal in 2000 because they agreed that the courts should not decide which programs government should fund.

"That would be a horrible precedent," he said.

Nebbeling said he could not comment on the Auton case as it is before the courts.