[FEAT BC Admin]

In this discussion area, please feel free to share your experience in implementing A.B.A. programs in the school system. We would particularly like to hear from those parents who converted their school teams to A.B.A. We’d like to hear the nightmares as well as the success stories.

Any insight that can be shared by school-based special education assistants to help parents would also be very meaningful.

Topic

[Nancy Walton]

Important information for all parents in SD36:

The ABA Advisory group will be meeting tomorrow, Tuesday April 17th. The new Student Support Services Administrator, who has taken over from Anne Turner, will be there to meet us. Her Name is Cory McLaughlin and is is very important that we have a large turnout as she is our go-to person in the district for the ABA Support Worker program in the Surrey school district.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 17th from 7-9PM in the new district offices in Surrey.

District ABA Advisory Meeting
April 17, 2012 7pm-9pm
School District No.36
14033 – 92 Avenue, Surrey
**Enter through the front door
(off 92nd Avenue).

Please try to attend this meeting and pass on this info to other Surrey parents you know, including those whose children will be entering Kindergarten in Sept.

Thank you!

[Bev Sharpe]

ATTENTION PARENTS of all school districts.

A recent posting correctly explained how the Surrey School District hires its own employees and requires 1000 hours of home based ABA experience in order for them to be ABA Support Workers for the Surrey School District.

As a FEAT BC Board member and Hewko Steering Committee member I must post information regarding the legal precedence (HEWKO -2006 Supreme Court of BC) pertaining to Special
Education Assistants hired for Autistic children in ABA home – based treatment programs.

First of all, while employees may apply for a position to work with your child, according to the HEWKO judgement, the following applies:

1. Before any decision is made regarding the placement of a child within the school system, the parents MUST be consulted.

2. The depth of consultation and the concomitant obligations for the parties to accommodate the requirements of the other will vary with the known need of a child's requirement for a modified curriculum.

3.The bottom line requirement for each side in meaningful consultation is to be able to demonstrate that the proposal put forward can produce instructional control of the child.

In short, you don't have to accept someone to work with your child who is not trained and can't show instructional control.

Alternatively parents, you must show due diligence and offer up a candidate from your home team, or talk to the school about YOUR child's requirement for a candidate who is willing to be trained by your Behaviour Consultant and Home treatment team.

While training on ABA home based teams adds to skill and knowledge levels of support workers, it is no substitute for someone who has child specific training in a child's behaviour protocol.

It is incumbent on school districts to meet their duty to accommodate autistic students. It is vital that parents exert their roles as advocates for their child, and their child's ABA treatment program.

Settling for an ABA support worker/Special Education Assistant who is unable to show instructional control, who has no ABA training, is NOT a viable option.

The data on Lovaas Applied Behaviour Analysis is clear. Consistency in application of the ABA principles specifically designed for your child by a qualified Behaviour Consultant is optimum. This is why Dr. Lovaas included parents and siblings to be educated in child specific behaviour protocols, and why he stressed the importance of consistency and training with anyone who worked or interacted with a child.

From a medical treatment view – yes, your child's ABA Treatment program is considered medically necessary treatment (See the Auton 2004 decision)
child specific training is a REQUIREMENT, not an option.

While a school district may use seniority as a union-based tool to slot employees into posted positions – this is an element that fuelled my
passion, and all of the other parents who funded and worked on the HEWKO (Nov. 2006 Supreme Court of BC decision) case. Seniority of an employee doesn't mean anything to a child who requires a worker who is child specifically trained in their ABA protocol.

The system that is in place in Surrey does not trump the judgements made by the Supreme Court of B.C.

Whenever a school district's system results in a situation where the child's needs are not met, this is not acceptable. Being wait-listed for a worker is not acceptable. Having seniority used as an element for an employee posted to your child's position is not acceptable. Being told by the school district who THEY have hired(without consultation) to be your child's worker is not acceptable.

Parents, educate yourselves. Read the Auton and Hewko decisions. These tools must be understood and used to ensure your child has access to an education. You are the stewards of your child's medically necessary treatment at home and at school.

Beverley Sharpe
Proud Parent of Miss A
FEATBC Director

[Nancy Walton]

Dear Parents;

There has recently been a number of posts asking for potential ABA Support Workers for the Surrey School District. On behalf of the ABA Advisory to the Surrey School District, I would like to remind parents that there is no guarantee that your ABA SW candidate will be working with your child. The district hires it’s own employees and then those employees have an opportunity to post to the positions of their choosing on a seniority basis from the ABA SW pool.

The district now has over 120 ABA SW (who have more than 1000 hours of home based ABA experience), and while that number increases each year, the district continues to be short ABA SWs so it is important that we continue to build capacity.

So in a nutshell:

If you BRING a new ABA SW to the district:

The best that can happen is that you will get that person with your child.

The worst that can happen is another ABA SW will take the position with your child, either way, you get someone with a lot of ABA training.

If you DO NOT bring an ABA SW to the district:

The best that can happen is another ABA SW will want a position with your child

The worst that can happen is you will get an SEA without ABA training and you can be waitlisted for an ABA SW.

If you are in the Surrey School District or will be next September, we strongly recommend you attend the next ABA Advisory meeting where you can meet the new District Principal of Student Support Services, Cory McLaughlin, who is our guest that evening and get more information.

District ABA Advisory Meeting
April 17, 2012 7pm-9pm
School District No.36
14033 – 92 Avenue, Surrey
**Enter through the front door
(off 92nd Avenue).

[Holly Korstad]

I'm wondering if anyone has had luck getting funding from supported child development (through the child development centre) in order to hire an ABA support worker from their home team for their child at preschool. I know that it's possible to do this and I was hoping someone would be able to tell me more about how they were able to do it.

Please email me at hkorstad@gmail.com
Thanks,
Holly

[Stacey Parson]

I'm looking for information … I heard today that there is a family in Abbotsford who have a half-day TA through the District and have worked out a deal to pay the additional hours themselves (so that the child gets full-time support in a public elementary school). If you know anything about this please email me at jsparson@telus.net. My son starts school in September and I'd love to get something like this set up with sd34! I realize the likelihood of full-time support being provided by the district is slim to none … Thank you!!

[Super Dad]

*** POSTPONED ***

Due to driving conditions in the Fraser Valley, the presenters are unable to travel to West Vancouver tonight.

The room, the refreshments and the facilitators will be available, for people to seek help or to connect with other parents. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

North Shore ASBC Lecture Series

The North Shore ASBC Support Group proudly presents:

a presentation on
ABA in the Classroom
What it should look like and how to get it

by
Nancy Walton, Teacher and Parent
Sharon Baxter, MA, BCBA

at
7:00pm, Tues Jan 17

in the
Welsh Hall
downstairs in the
West Vancouver Memorial Library

[Super Dad]

North Shore ASBC Lecture Series

The North Shore ASBC Support Group proudly presents:

a presentation on
ABA in the Classroom
What it should look like and how to get it

by
Nancy Walton, Teacher and Parent
Sharon Baxter, MA, BCBA

at
7:00pm, Tues Jan 17

in the
Welsh Hall
downstairs in the
West Vancouver Memorial Library

TOPIC:

Have you ever wished for ABA support for your child, and have been told by the school that it is impossible? We will show you examples of what can be done when a school district makes an honest effort to help.

GUEST SPEAKERS:

This presentation will include a brief history of ABA in the Surrey School District, presented by Nancy Walton. There are now 60 well trained ABA Support Workers working in an ABA supported environment in the Surrey District. She will explain the process that the district and parents went through to achieve this working relationship as well as give the details of the criteria established for hiring practices in Surrey.

Sharon Baxter, who has an MA in ABA and is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA), will present examples of the design and implementation of ABA programs in the classroom, including video examples. She will cover programming for academic literacy, communication, self-management (behaviour), social skills, and classroom management for students of varying ages and levels of independence.

DIRECTIONS:

The West Vancouver Memorial Library is at 1950 Marine Drive:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1950+Marine+Dr,+West+Vancouver,+BC+V7V+1J8

The library is easily accessible via Highway #1 Upper Levels, taking either the 15th Street or 20th St. exits.

Coffee/Tea and snacks provided. Donations are greatly appreciated (but not required).

Please RSVP to Dragos at <asbcnorthshore@yahoo.ca>.

Carol and Dragos
(Co-facilitators for ASBC North Shore Group)

[bsharpe]

Thank you to all the Burnaby parents who responded to my post.

Elections in our school district are just around the corner and I want to reach as many ABA parents as possible with some important info. about the stand on education for our autistic children, by the candidates. PLEASE CONTACT ME at nobullyingkids@gmail.com

[Bev Sharpe]

Hello everyone, I am posting on behalf of another parent.

ATTENTION BURNABY PARENTS
If you have children who attend, or are about to attend school in the Burnaby School District, please contact me ASAP for some very important information.
My email is: nobullyingkids@gmail.com

Regards, Kate Van Rose

[Claudette Varley]

Thank you Jenny Obando for your reply. I will definitely use your name at my next meeting. Ernie Janzen is now the superintendent and he is the one who was pushing POPARD on us. He has since changed his mind bit still wants to meet to discuss more Re; POPARD. He is also quite aware of our fantastic BC and that we have had home based ABA therapy for 2 years.

[Author]

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