[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

[Brooks Patterson]

Hello,
 
My Name is Brooks Patterson and I have a 6 year old child with autism.
 
Last week our 6 year old child with autism was removed from class when his teachers walked off the job citing their right to refuse unsafe work. Yes you read that right….HE’S SIX! As a result the district (SD 35) has asked us to keep him out of school indefinitely.   They are claiming that it is WorkSafeBC that is compelling them to do so but my contacts there initially denied this was possible.
 
Obviously there are many details to my son’s case that would have to be considered to fully understand the situation, but to us the bottom line is that a 6 year old child with a disability is being denied an education.  We have met with district staff several times last week and they claim to be working on a solution, but to us we are in the dark with little information and little confidence that a resolution is imminent.  Further we have to explain to our son daily why he can’t be at school which is where he wants to be.  Yesterday they allowed him back in the class and he finished the day without incident.  Hunter has not had a full day of class since March 14th.  Prior to that he has been sent to the principals office almost every day.

Nevertheless we were contacted again by our Principal yesterday morning who told he was not permitted to attend class.

By 8 PM we learned WSBC is siding with the teachers.  Hunter can't return until conditions are met which the principal is claiming can't be done.

The WCBC investigating officer's name is Anita Cairney.
 
Kind Regards,
 
Brooks Patterson

[David Chan]

Well Janet,

One of the things that I've said for many years is that the first casualty of the Autism wars is innocence. I loathe it that I've become one of the most jaded people I've met.

Though it was many years ago, it has left me wounded. My experience has been, it's all great till it isn't. We'd love to have you and welcome. OH, you wanna what ? for your child… no, no, in our system……

The truth is, it would be so socially unacceptable shun special needs kids, that I doubt if anyone would outwardly exhibit this behavior. Again, this is me being incredibly jaded.

By the sound of things, with diminishing resources etc. systemic change will be a long time coming.

People often ask me if I'm a glass half full or half empty, when it comes to the progress in the Autism treatment/ school integration. I see some really cool stuff, but, there is such disparity from district to district. My answer is there is water in the glass, but there's also a hole in the cup.

The fight is to keep water in the cup.

I've always said that when it comes the Autism wars for your kid.
"it's all great, till it isn't"

I do firmly believe when it comes to treatment / integration.

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

That's why I always end by saying fight the good fight. As exhausting as it may sound, we parents will soldier on.

All the best,

Fight the good fight.

Mr. P's Dad

[Janet Toye]

Hi David(Chan),

I don’t agree with your comment about how special needs students in the building make students, teachers, and administrators uncomfortable. I am not familiar with the schools you have encountered but I have certainly have not seen this in my travels. People in elementary schools have come a long way in not only accepting special needs students but also learning from them. I have noticed that primary students are always open and excited about interacting with special needs students (even if the special needs student has no interest in interacting with them) but we do need to learn how to promote more positive interactions with the upper intermediates. All too often the special needs students’ best friend is their aide.

Integration/Segregation issue -There is no doubt that having a special needs student in a classroom benefits society and the other children in the classroom, but it is the immediate needs of the individual special needs student that takes priority in my mind.

[David Chan]

A short addendum,

As you all know, Chan very chinese, my people are fatalist, in other words, if you have a special needs kid, it's fate, and it sucks to be you.

So all this high falutin' integration just wouldn't and shouldn't happen, cuz it simply sucks to be you to have special needs kid.
and since it's fate, why do anything about it.

Being ESL, I try to gain some understanding of western values by reading some english literature.

When I came upon this line

"Ah,but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for ?"

Robert Browing

Since I now live in the west, I keep reaching.

Mr. P's dad

[David Chan]

Mr. Integration here,

I completely agree, one size fits all doesn't serve anyone, however, that said. Every effort has to made to INTEGRATE that student in the school community. This is a complicate piece. the object is to have the typical population interact with the student. Having them present in the building is not integration. Interaction is the key. It's time to think of kids as assets, not liabilities.

Please don't go down the functional level road either. We as a community have decided that we don't isolate and institutionalize people that have special needs, then, it's time to step up to the plate and accommodate. Talk is cheap. Time to step up.

Truth, having a special needs kid in the building is it' uncomfortable as hell, for students, teachers, administrators. We all have our comfort zones and prefer to stay there, and why shouldn't you. it's a universal law, things will travel one direction unless you exert an external force (thank you Isaac Newton). That external force is our will to do things differently, to overcome our discomfort in order to make a better community.

Integration is a pandora's box, a good box, but it challenges us to be better than ourselves. It's not cheap or easy, but we have to have the collective will to make it happen.

How else are the future adults, that's right all those little guys in elementary school they are the future adults of the planet going to learn to deal with differences if all the people that have differences are segregated. Not separate because of need, but expedience. No one denies that there will be times when the student will learn best in a separate setting, but one of the main goals of having the student at school is meaningful mutual interaction.

Let me illustrate this by a little observation I made last easter. Last easter, and old ( i mean long time) university friend of ours came to visit. She is a thalidomide survivor. Which is to say she has quite under developed arms. We're walking about as visitors will, and we couldn't help notice that people about 40 plus would stare, people that were younger would go about their business.

The conclusion we could only come to was that if you're 40 and under, you were exposed more to people with disabilities because of integration, and 40 plus, not so much.

Integration,as I see it, is constructive interaction with community. and when you are between the ages of 5 and 17, your community is your school, you're suppose to spend 6 hours there a day. then your family, your church etc.

Well that's my two cents.

Fight the good fight people.

Mr. P's Dad

[David Bridges]

Amen, Barbara (and others) who've spoken in favour of 'segregated' classrooms when necessary. Not all kids fit into the same mould, including ours.

[Barbara Rodrigues]

I too like Dave's(Collyer) idea about consultants being allowed into the school BUT I also think we need to first get all these kids their one on one's back – not sharing one – this needs to go back to what Paul Caune is trying to do for adults with disabilities -THE MONEY NEEDS TO FOLLOW/ATTACH TO THE CHILD/PERSON – so the school boards can't take from one child to help pay for this/that. Then the EAs -they need to be overhauled and the teaching program to train them needs to be overhauled – the cost of it up here is close to 3500,00 – they could certainly get in ABA training into it – would they be perfect therapists after -nope -but why not get them the basics – taking courses on ABA – and then as part of their 150 hour practicum make them work as therapists in an ABA program. Because no matter how great your consultant is as Dr. Richard Foxx said – he is 10% and your staff/therapists/aides are the 90% without them doing the work then it doesn't matter if you have Richard Foxx coming into the school – it won't work….so the EAs that whole situation needs help – okay plus we need more money for our kids – and yeah, okay there is none YET Victoria can find millions for all day kindergarten???? Our kids just aren't a priority.

And lastly Janet – I agree with you – some kids with autism would/do well being segregated – we have to stop thinking of it as a 'dirty' word – I don't mean warehoused in a room drooling and left neglected (which I know you weren't either) but in a well run room with one on ones dealing with specifics or areas the child needs extra help in – as they get older working on self help and community skills for the more severe and then integration where they can be successful/included. I am all for a well run ABA school and trust me if there was one run like Brigette Taylers in the US then my kid would have been in one and I think there should be choices/options available for parents. AGain I will bring up Dr. Richard Foxx (who as those of you know me is my idol ;-) said in one of his workshops – integration was not the best thing that happened to our kids (I am paraphrasing) Parents should have the choice of where they want their child with disabilities taught – be it a school – special school or at a home program – we should have the right to make that decision.

And lastly Janet I understand your pain – my lead therapist has been a teacher now for a few years in the school system and sees the things you do.

Barbara

[Janet Toye]

Dave (Collyer),

I love your idea of having qualified consultants come into the schools to train the staff, however, it is problematic on a number of fronts – turfism is only one. Our behaviour consultants are excellent, but they are also very costly, and there is also the cost of releasing the school staff so they can be trained. In the next few weeks, we will hear about where our school boards will be cutting and it will be ugly. (It is rumored that many schools will lose their vice-principals and some support staff who care for the most vulnerable.) In such an environment, new ideas about how to spend more money will not be welcomed. It is also bargaining year and the executive members on both sides will be busy with negotiations. Our association polled the teachers about important issues for bargaining in October and while more support for special needs students is usually at the top of the priority list, the idea of outsourcing behaviour consultants is not what anyone had in mind. There will need to be a major shift in thinking and change is generally very slow, especially in large school districts. Also, unless you have witnessed the results of a program designed by a board certified behaviour analyst, you really don’t understand how inadequate the programs in the schools are.

I had considered approaching our district staff about this very matter earlier in the school year and seeing your idea in print initially spurred me on to think that I could coordinate a delegation and present the idea to our district’s decision makers. But then reality set in. There is an $11.8 million shortfall. If I can’t even get counseling for my students, how do I expect to convince them to fund the costly venture of outsourcing consultants and releasing school staff so they can be trained? The only thing I can do now is plant the seed somewhere and water it when the sun comes out.

[Janet Toye]

Dave (Chan),

From where I am standing, I don’t see them forcing special needs students into segregated classes. However, I wonder if more parents will choose to have their child in a special needs class because of the deterioration of support in the regular classroom? Schools are grouping special needs children in the same class to save the cost of hiring more support workers. The theory is that a single support worker will be able to assist all the special needs children. However,often the reality is the neediest student who requires one to one support will get most of the assistance and the less needy will be neglected.

We have a couple classes in our school district specifically for children with autism but the parents must be in favour of having their child in such a program before they are enrolled in them. I have met the staff from one of these programs and I was amazed by their experience, knowledge and the commitment to children with autism – they really know what they are doing. Those of us in the regular stream suffer greatly in comparison. Our children with autism are like snowflakes and each of them have their individual needs. I don’t believe in the one size fits all model. In my opinion, most autistic children should be integrated into regular classrooms, but there are circumstances when I think our kids would achieve more progress in the special programs. I often wonder how effective it would be to have some of our kids in the special program for part of the day and in the regular program for the rest of the day. A program similar to this used to be in existence for ESL students many years ago, but it became too costly and it was axed.

[Dave Collyer]

Hi Janet,

One comment you made caught my attention: "We cannot be expected to be experts in all disabilities".

I applaud this statement. I think it is a call for change. A change that would see Districts and BCTF members reaching out to Community based consultants so as to work in partnership with them to develop and monitor IEP plans. It would be a major step forward to actively allow out side consultants to train Teaching staff and Teaching Assistants in implementation and data collection of IEP plans and to monitor and revise as needed. The expertise exists and BCTF members, as you note, do not have it. Time to let our consultants into the schools in a true, active and full partnership without the need to jump hurdles created by "turfism" and collective agreements. A good idea I think and nice to hear a BCTF member recognize that they do not posses the expertise and that the BCTF membership in general also does not possess it and, regardless of best intents, will likely never possess it. Out source contracting for effective student educational plans… I think it would work out well for our children and would bring up the level of expertise within the schools. A win win option (unless you are a BCTF negotiator and happen to put member's rights and contract clauses ahead of student outcomes).

I read a lot of the spec ed research when I'm bored. I found this interesting article and I wonder if you might find the strategies practical for your grey area kids and others… it covers embedded instruction within the school setting. See reference below. :

"The Efficacy of Embedded Instruction for Students with Developmental Disabilities Enrolled in Genera Education Classes" Jesse W. Johnson, John McDonnell, Valarie N. Holzwarth and Kimberly Hunter
Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions 2004 6: 214

From the abstract: "The results also indicate that both general education teachers and paraprofessionals were able to implement the procedure with a high degree of fidelity without disrupting the ongoing instructional activities of the general education classes. Teacher ratings of the acceptability and perceived effectiveness of the procedures suggested that teachers viewed embedded instruction as a practical, effective, and efficient strategy for teaching students with developmental disabilities in general education settings."

re. Funding for Spec Ed kids is not a simple $18000 rate and it varies… lvl 1 = 36000, lvl 2 = 18,300, lvl 3 = 9200

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