[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

[Raj Ho]

We will be moving to the broadway and Renfrew area in east vancouver in a few months and our 4 year old son with ASD will attend Kindergarten next september. I am trying to find out which schools would be suitable him. Here are the schools within 3 kms radius. Chief Maquinna, Maquinna annex, Matthew Begbie, Laura Secoed, Nootka, A R Lord, Girabaldi and Hastings. Also a couple of private schools St.Jude's and St. francis of Assisi. If anyone here has had any experience good or bad with any of the school mention, we would appreciate it if you could share that information with us. Our email address is husky99@shaw.ca. Thank you.

[Joanna Ng]

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
Martin Luther King

Indeed I have had great insights from the lecture in NorthShore on Monday by Jean Lewis. Thank you. How I wish every parent could be there to get the knowledge.

I have learned that in order to advocate for my child in the school system:
1. Priority:
I must be clear with my goals. And that is, to ensure that my child has equal rights to free education and that there is a well-trained-staff who knows what he/she is doing to help my child get the best out of school.

2. Focus and clear.
I need to be focused on my goals. There should be no, absolutely no negotiation when it comes to my child's rights as a human being to get access to education like every other child. As the parent, only I alone, have the right to advocate for my child. No one else can tell me what I should/could do or not do.

3. Persistent
I must have all the knowledge out there to help my child, and the best to date we have now is only "Hewko". [I'm actually amazed that more than 15 families have asked for Mike Hancock's presentation handouts on "Your Child's Legal Rights"…and that focuses on Hewko]. My child has ABA at home; and there will be no compromise for that in school. Also, there is no shortcuts. Be smart and know the law; but also never stop advocating for my child's rights.

**I wish I had all these qualities back then; for I would not have wasted 3 years of my child's life. Anyway, it is better late than never.

Unfortunately, there wasn't any handouts that night that I could share. But we did receive a 4-pages notes on 'Hewko'. If you'd like a copy, I could email you one when I've scanned it.

hana.takuya@yahoo.com

Happy Holidays!

[Joanna Ng]

Dear all,

There will be a meeting for parents residing in Burnaby to advocate for ABA in the school district for our children.

Details as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 22nd December 2010
Time: 6:30-8:45pm
Location:
Burnaby Public Library
McGill Branch
4595 Albert Street
Burnaby BC V5C 2G6
[meeting/conference room]

Hope to see you there.

hana.takuya@yahoo.com

[Super Dad]

North Shore ASBC Lecture Series

The North Shore ASBC Support Group proudly presents:

a presentation on
Advocacy in School
Survival in the Public School System

by
Jean Lewis
Parent and Advocate

at
7:00pm, Tues Dec 14

in the
Oak Room
in the South Building of the
Delbrook Recreation Centre

GUEST SPEAKER:
Jean Lewis is one of most prominent autism advocates in the history of Canada. She was previously a founding director of FEAT BC, plus a litigant and member of the legal steering committees for both Auton and Hewko. Jean is currently continuing the advocacy in multiple roles, including directorship of Medical for Autism Now.

TOPIC:
Jean will present her approach to advocacy in the public school system. This approach is based on the principle that there should be no compromise in the fight for a child’s human rights, and we should accept nothing less than a full implementation of the medically necessary support.

DIRECTIONS:
The Delbrook Recreation Centre is at 600 West Queens Road, North Vancouver:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=600+West+Queens+Road,+North+Vancouver,+British+Columbia

For those going north/west on Highway #1: take exit 17 for Westview Dr, turn right at Westview Dr, and then turn right at Queens Rd. For those going east on Highway #1: take exit 17 for Westview Dr, turn left at Westview Dr, and then turn right at Queens Rd.

Coffee/Tea and snacks provided. Donations are greatly appreciated.

Please RSVP to Carol at <colemanmoser@hotmail.com>.

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

[Camila Monzon]

Dear Fellow Parents:

If you're kid is currently in HOME BASED School or have experience in at Home School please share info.

I am planning to take out my son in his school(public) and start Home Based School instead.
Reason being is his classroom teacher is ill always absent,besides of no ABA skills. SEA is not full time and NON ABA experience. Sub teachers is not permanent different subs entering in his classroom, school doesn't care my son's situation.
Now he doesn't want to go to school because he is confused and bored.

Any suggestion where to go, information how to start would be much appreciated.
Please e-mail me @: smartaba@shaw.ca

[Dione Costanzo]

"Autism Therapists say payments 5 months late"

CBC News November 23, 2010

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/11/23/bc-autism-payments-delayed.html

Please go to this story, recommend it and comment. More comments and recommendations will push it to the top of the news.

THANKS and PASS IT ON

Dione

[Dione Costanzo]

Surrey, November 22, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MCFD Payment Policies put Autistic Children in Jeopardy

Over 100 autism treatment service providers have complained they have not received payment for services within 30 days of invoicing the Autism Funding Unit (AFU) within the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD). There is already a shortage of these service providers and those currently practicing are being forced to rethink their career choices. Families now risk losing current therapists and cannot attract new ones willing to put up with such financial uncertainty.

In September 2009 the Hon. Minister Mary Polak eliminated a Direct Funding option where parents could pay their service providers through a trust account. At that time, parents were assured that late payment problems would be dealt with. In the year that followed, these problems, in fact, worsened.

When contacted on October 4th, 2010 about the poorly managed AFU the Hon. Minister Mary Polak responded by saying "I know we've cleared the backlog and are continuing to work to solve other issues as they are raised by families and providers". However, featbc has confirmation that the problems are not resolved and service providers continue to not get paid within 30 days.

There are over 6,000 children in this province with Autism Spectrum Disorder who require therapy. Accessed through MCFD, this treatment will directly affect a child’s future. The difference between treatment and no treatment can also mean the difference between lifelong independence versus institutionalization.

Since autism treatment is not covered under Medicare, the amount of therapy a child receives depends directly on what families can afford to pay beyond the inadequate funding provided through MCFD. Despite its mandate to protect these children, current MCFD policies are actually interfering with access to treatment.

All attempts to communicate this to MCFD have fallen on deaf ears.

Last week British Columbians became painfully aware of what can happen to BC’s most vulnerable children when the Ministry for Child and Family Development drops the ball. MCFD indifference is allowing more of BC’s vulnerable children to fall through the cracks. Meanwhile, families trying to cope with the stress of autism are living nightmares every day as they struggle to keep therapists for their children.

-30-

(For further information contact Louise Witt at (604) 538-1370 or spokesperson@featbc.org)

[Dione Costanzo]

The ABA Support Network monthly meeting is this Thursday, November 25, 7:00-9:00 PM

Surrey Sport and Leisure Centre
16555 Fraser Hwy
Use Arena entrance and go up stairs to MP Room #2
Time: 7:00PM – 9:00PM
RSVP: dione@abasupportnetwork.com

(map available online http://www.abasupportnetwork.com/calendar.php)

Topic: Social and Friendship Skills
Guest Speakers: Michele Shilvock, M.Ed. and Bohdanna Popowycz Kvam, B.Sc.

This talk will focus on:

* Social skill development for school aged children.
* The ins and outs of how to work collaboratively with the school to build in generalization and growth of social skills for children of all skill levels.
* We will be addressing strategies for both elementary and high school settings.
* We will also focus on providing strategies and tips parents can leave and apply right away.

Bohdanna Popowycz Kvam, B.Sc. is a behavioural consultant specializing in Lovaas style ABA for children with autism. She trained and worked with a Lovaas Replication Site for 10 years and was involved in opening clinics in the United States and in the U.K. In September of 2007 Bohdanna and colleagues opened Harmony House Preschool, an inclusive preschool for children with autism and their peers.

Michele is a Behaviour Consultant who has worked in the field of autism for over 11 years. She is very dedicated to the training of individuals in the community and continues to work with families and school teams to assist in the facilitation of team oriented working relationships. Michele works closely with children in the home and school settings, working collaboratively with families and community members. She is also responsible for the development of Harmony House’s internship program and works closely supervising clinical staff. Michele graduated from UBC with a Masters in Special Education/Counseling and Psychology with emphasis in autism. She is now working towards her BCBA certification. In addition to running the internship program, Michele also maintains a caseload of children diagnosed with Autism, providing monthly supervision for their home-based treatment.

Please join us for refreshments, information and discussion!

ABA Support Network
http://www.abasupportnetwork.com

[Dione Costanzo]

Further to the Support Meeting information just posted:

For more information or to RSVP please contact:

Tracy Hewgill, BA
Family Support Worker
Ridge Meadows Association for Community Living
11641 224 Street, Maple Ridge BC
Phone 604 467 8700 ext 119
tracy.hewgill@rmacl.org

[Dione Costanzo]

A message from Ridge Meadows Association for Community Living:

SUPPORT MEETING
For Parents and Family Members Who Have a Child with Autism

Please join us for refreshments, information and conversation:

ABA in Schools….What it can look like

The presentation will include a brief history of ABA in the Surrey School District. There are currently more than 60 well trained ABA Support Workers working in an ABA supported environment in the Surrey School District. We will hear about the process that the district and parents went through to achieve this working relationship. Lots of examples (including video) of the design and implementation of ABA programs in classroom settings will be provided.

Presented by:
Sharon Baxter – Board Certified Behavior Consultant, and
Nancy Walton – Teacher and Parent

Tuesday November 30, 2010
6:00 – 8:00 pm

11641-224th Street, Maple Ridge
Downstairs Boardroom

Meetings are held the last Tuesday of Every Month
No meetings in July or August or December

[Author]

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