A Lachute mother is calling on the Quebec government for help for her five-year-old son on the autism spectrum.

Blake was diagnosed with the developmental brain disorder at three years old. Tina Chapman paid privately for Applied Behaviour Analysis therapy and then at four, he became eligible for public funding.

The therapy made a big difference.

“He became easy, calm. He was cooperative. He was socializing with other kids in class, participating in activities and it gave me hope that in the future he is going to have an independent life,” she said.

That hope faded when he had to stop the therapy because he started kindergarten.

“He aged out,” she said. “He turned five years old and started school.”

As a single mom, Chapman can no longer afford to pay for the therapy, but without it, her son has changed for the worse.

“He became aggressive, lashing out by hitting and kicking and screaming and trying to take off from the building,” she said.

His school is doing all it can to help, and even assigned a full-time aide to Blake, but being in a classroom is proving to be too much for him.

“He's going four days a week just for the morning and barely making it through the morning,” said Chapman.        

She applied for a new Quebec grant for children with disabilities, planning to use the money to pay for therapy, but was denied.

“I was fuming. You're telling me my child doesn't have enough life habit issues that impact him every day?” she said.

While she's appealing that decision, Chapman is also appealing to the government to make good on its promise to help families dealing with ASD.

“I'm tired of seeing him struggle,” she said. “That's all I've seen him do since he was three years old is struggle every single day to live in a world that's meant to work against him.”

The government has said it's working on an action plan based on priorities that were raisedat a forum a year ago.

While they won't say when the plan will be unveiled a spokesperson said it will be sooner than later.

Chapman, however, is tired of words and said she wants to see action immediately.

“He's hyper aware of his difference. There are days where he'll say, ‘I'm sorry Mom. I'm so sorry, Mom. It’s all my fault. It's all my fault. I'm different,’” she said. “And that is like a knife to my heart.”