Saskatchewan is the recipient of some extra funding as hundreds of thousands dollars are being allocated to support the families of children with autism.

Seven hundred thousand dollars in new funding was announced on Tuesday by the provincial government for Autism Spectrum Disorder, which will increase the annual funding for children under six years old by $4,000 to $6,000.

The funds are designed to ensure that families can accommodate extra costs that may be involved with raising a child with autism, such as mental health supports or being able to see speech therapists.

Deputy Premier of Saskatchewan Gordon Wyant said that while the funding was a start, there is a lot of work to still be done, including a possible change to age requirements.

"That was a policy decision that the government had made," Saskatchewan's Minister of Education stated. "Certainly there's an ongoing conversation within government about increasing that age limit, because we know there are parents that need those supports for children who are above six years old.

"My granddaughter is autistic. She's seven years old. It would be great if she got some support. We know exactly what the needs are for kids who are over six years old."

In regards to supports within school divisions for those with autism, Wyant also admitted that more work was needed in that regard. He said that their goal was to ensure that the most vulnerable children have the supports they need.

"There are people in this province that can't provide the supports to their kids on their own and need the support of the government."

According to Wyant, the government of Saskatchewan is in talks with school divisions across the province to bring professionals who can provide support for children with autism into rural areas.