[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

[Dave Collyer]

Hi Iris,

Apparent disconnect between the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and MCFD?

MCFD website says "Parents who wish to purchase a private diagnostic assessment for their child may do so. These assessments must meet the same standards and guidelines as BCAAN assessments." (found here: http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/autism/assess_diagnosis.htm ).

They (MCFD) then reference this document from the Provincial Health Authority website: "Standards and Guidelines for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in British Columbia" http://www.phsa.ca/NR/rdonlyres/C89133D0-D87B-4871-AB63-153CEFFA8DA0/0/asd_standards_0318.pdf

****In section 7.3.1 of this document the CARS is noted as an approved schedule to use****

Clear? Right? Use BCCA0-PHSA approved schedules… and the CARS is one of them. Got it. Good to go?? Uh… hold on… not so fast…

The Ministry of Education in it's wisdom seems to have dropped the CARS as acceptable documentation even though the PHSA-BCCAN seems to accept it as part of the diagnostic toolkit. (see here and note that MEd only seems to note the ADI-R and the ADOS – http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/special_ed_policy_manual.pdf#page=47 ).

Further mudding the water the MCFD form for Non-BCCAN assessments only notes the ADOS and ADI-R ( http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/autism/pdf/cf_0904.pdf ). Regardless it appears that the MCFD accepted "just" the CARS when you applied for funding… so they have acknowledged it as valid even though it is not on their own form.

So… I think there seems to be a bit of a disconnect. MCFD and the MEd say to use BCCAN as a measure of good practice and reference the "Standards and Guidelines for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in British Columbia" documents which says CARS is OK… then they leave the CARS out??? Odd… well… not really. It is government. Likely an oversight or perhaps they have failed to update the diagnostic standards documentation. Either way… You would think that you wold be accepted under a simple "grandfathering"…. I mean your child qualified "yesterday" for funding… what has changed today?

I'll do some more digging… I like mysteries.

[Iris Wu]

Dear Parents,

We have a problem regarding reassessment needed in order to get the school funding in independence school :

My son will attend Kindergarten this September in an independent school (Richmond). In fact, he has been in that school preschool class for 2 years with an aide. Now the school told me that they didn't get the funding from the government since he was privately assessed 2.5 years ago when testing criteria CARS was used instead of ADOS. The school asks for some kind of reassessment / update. The school said that if my child had gone through Sunnyhill (BCAAN), it would have been automatically corrected.

Does anyone out there come across this kind of problem and how did you cope with the school and the government regarding this ? Please share with me.

I can be reached pm1013@gmail.com

[Joanna Ng]

Dear Feat readers,

Burnaby parents' group will be meeting again. Our focus is to start a support group to help our children have a better and more supportive environment in school.

Venue: Bob-Prittie {Metrotown Public Library]
6100 Willingdon Ave. [meeting room]
Date: Friday, August 13th
Time: 6:30-8:00pm

Hope to see you there!

hana.takuya@yahoo.com

[Joanna Ng]

Dear Feat users,
Can anyone recommend any preschool which is more open to family having their own 1:1 support?

Thanks.
hana.takuya@yahoo.com

[Joanna Ng]

Dear Dave and Julia,

Congratulations to both of you. I'm sure you are so proud of him and definitely of yourselves. Mr. P has achieved this far because he has a pair of caring, loving and hardworking parents who never give up on hope.

You are all our pride.

And thank you for always sharing your success here …gives us hope!

Cheers.

[Barbara Rodrigues]

Congratulations! to all of you – I know you went through a lot back in the day and to get where Mr. P is now – great work! You all must be so very proud.

Barbara

[David Chan]

Mr. P just wrote his English 12 provincial exam today 3 hours of hard graft. Now that, that part is complete,he is officially a high school graduate. how about that.

Dave and Julia

Mr. P's dad and mum

[Joanna Ng]

Dear Heidi,

Problem with the schools is not just Langley alone. I believe it's a huge problem that we are facing but should not be facing in every school district in BC [correct me if I've mistaken].

Among all, only Surrey is achieving success.

Probably no one has tried to respond to your posting because we do not have 'the' answer. In fact, we don't even have 'an' answer.

This problem is actually what we are trying to work on with the meeting of Burnaby parents' group.

Regardless of any answer to the solution, we only know that we, the parents, need to form a group. We need to have numbers to show the schools that 'we are serious'.

Being a parent of the 'autism world' officially for a year now, I've attended a series of workshops, trainings, seminars. From attending seminars to hiring consultants, therapists, OTs, SLPs, etc…we work alone.

But with the school, we can't. Writing them letters, hiring lawyers and sending our blood pressure high up after talking to them – all means nothing and have little effect on what we'd like to change.

Only by coming together in a bigger group, can we proof ourselves 'worthy to be seen and heard' by the school districts.

Just a few months ago, I thought I wouldn't have this problem because I've decided to send my child to a semi-private school. I thought my problem [with schools] will be solved if only I'd spend few thousand dollars extra per year for that. Until when another parent shared how such school is pressuring more on families [to have a series of lab tests done] even though the child already has a diagnosis.
So, going semi-private is no solution at all. If the economy gets worse, more hells will break loose.

Seriously, I've sent a dozen of emails out hoping to find more families to come and work together. But none has responded. Well, I should be happy [to have no response] because probably they have all found a quick solution to the 'school problem' and I truly wish so.

[Deleted User]

Some people may feel uncomfortable responding publicly to my post.

I just wanted to send an email address for you to contact me privately with any responses.

hjjensen@shaw.ca

Thanks again.

[Deleted User]

Having problems with schools in Langley?

We have a high functioning 11 year old who does not have a school placement for next year. We were told that either he attends Middle School or we have to home school him. As parents, we do not feel he is ready for Middle school due to the current school's violation of the School Act.

We have only received a "temporary" IEP 2 weeks ago. This should have been completed at beginning of the school year. As a result, we had countless meetings since last year with the school and they would not include our input. In our experience, they also failed to have instructional control of our child and he has spend over 90% of the time in the 'planning center'. Isn't the whole purpose of having an SEA supposed to be geared toward teaching our son appropriate model behaviors to allow him to focus on academics. Our son is absolutely brilliant, and he has been achieving C's, when we know he is capable of at least B's. He has been labeled as a "problem" in the school and is automatically kicked out of the class room.

Besides writing a letter to the school board, and consulting with our MLA, are we supposed to put a second mortgage on our home just to hire a lawyer?

The problem in BC is, that no one in the school system seems to be accountable for ensuring that the government's $18,000 per year is spent appropriately on the child is it provided for.

We are at our wit's end and don't know what else to do. Our son deserves to be in a school next year just like any other child.

We feel we are being discriminated against and have had nothing but problems with the school.

If anyone has any advice as to what to do next, we would appreciate your help.

Thanks

[Author]

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