[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

[Dione Costanzo]

ABA in Schools Survey
brought to you by the ABA Support Network

If you haven't already filled out this very quick survey, please do so. So far, we've had 72 responses.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P37RTQM

It is difficult to make inferences about a district if less than 4 people respond. Below are districts with 4 or more responses:

Private School 5
Langley 4
Nanaimo 5
N.Vancouver 6
Qualicum 4
Surrey 19
Vancouver 7

One thing that is consistent across the districts, is there is a fairly high level of satisfaction with the teachers accepting ABA. And a low level of satisfaction with the integration/support teachers.

So far, Qualicum is the winner of the high satisfaction award. Surrey is close behind. All other districts are significantly lower in satisfaction. Clearly, there are some districts getting the right idea and others who are fighting tooth and nail to block ABA in the schools. By April, we would like to give district results to parents who would like to advocate in their district. We will also help families connect with other families in their district.

There will also be a talk on ABA in the School Setting, on April 13. We can share some of the results of the survey. Nancy Walton will talk about how Surrey came about it's success and Sharon Baxter will show, through video examples, what ABA can look like in the classroom setting when a child has a consultant writing programs and an aide who is well trained in ABA.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW who is doing home based ABA with their school age child.

[Sajjad Haidar]

Hello:

My daughter will be in grade 8, coming september. We are located in school district 36 (Tamanawis School). We would highly appreciate if anyone could share their experience about BASES program, that the school offer for special-need children.
My contact:
Haidar
email: s_haidar1965@yahoo.ca

Thanks

[walkerc]

Need some advice my son will be starting high school(grade8)in september. We are hopping that someone can share advice maybe what worked or didnt work for you? Please reply if you have advice even if your not in our school district. Our son is high functioning,shy,academicly below grade level struggles in reading. Brookswood in Langley is our catchment high school. Does anybody know what Langley offers at any of its highschools regarding specialneeds?
Reply to charsupermom@hotmail.com
Thanks Char

[Franca Pastro]

*****Looking for ABA Tutor for home and ABA-SEA for 2010-11 school year******

For fun loving 15 year old girl, who loves fashion, Michael Bubble and tea parties

Experience in Applied Behavioural Analysis preferred
Training by Sarah Pastrana under the supervision of Sharon Baxter
Implement home and community programs until July 2010 at $15-20/hr depending on experience
ABA-SEA position starting September 2010 at Oak Bay High, Victoria
Female
Psychology/Education majors preferred
More information provided upon request
Send resume to francapastro4@gmail.com

[Dione Costanzo]

Dear Parents,

Below is a link to a survey on ABA in BC Schools. Please complete this survey if you have a child in the school system who is involved in a home-based ABA program. If you have two or more children involved in ABA, you may fill out the survey for each child who is in school. Please do the survey only once per child, so that our results are accurate.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P37RTQM

The survey will allow us to see which districts have responded to the Hewko decision in 2004 (see the SCHOOL section in http://www.abasupportnetwork.com for more information). For this reason, we would like to use the survey results to determine what work still needs to be done to ensure that our children have access to quality ABA in school. This is your opportunity to send a message to your school district. It is possible that some districts are doing really well and others are not.

If you have any questions, please e-mail them to dione@abasupportnetwork.com.

The survey will only take a few minutes of your time, but might give you the tools to help your child, or help other children in BC.

Dione Costanzo
ABA Support Network

[Jaswant Singh]

Just to add to my earlier post …

I think we have to share our successes and failures publicly otherwise we're all left wandering through this maze in darkness alone. I think some people don't want to share as they fear that whatever gains that they have achieved will be jeopardized if a rush of other families start clamoring for the same support.

I think this is the wrong way to think as the more people there are making these demands to the right people, the more seriously school districts will consider this issue and our children's needs.

If I knew what I knew now, I would have approached the VSB in person 3 years ago before my boys entered the public school system … and certainly to a person of higher authority than the school principal who knew nothing except to say "collective bargaining constraints, collective bargaining constraints, collective bargaining constraints, …". Better late than never as they say …

Jaswant

PS. Perhaps we can setup a subsection on this website where we can offer school district specific guidance to families ??

[Jaswant Singh]

Hello All,

I wish to provide an update on a posting I made back on November 12 of last year regarding the difficulties I was (am) dealing with, at the Vancouver School District. First of all, I wish to thank Sue, Derek, Andrea, David, Nancy, Cathy, Stella, Tony, Rachel, Susan, and Elna for responding to my call for help. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time and energy to respond. Your support means a lot to my boys and I.

I have partial success to report. After meeting with senior staff at the VSB and presenting them with a detailed description of how my son has been "supported" at school (or the lack thereof), the VSB has retained the services of my lead therapist to work with my son as his SSW but for mornings only (i.e., 64% of the school week). The VSB thinks that my son's TX can develop a routine that could be modeled for the afternoon SSW. This is obviously not a solution that is consistent with the Hewko ruling where the provision of instructional control is the paramount requirement and where on-the-job training is no substitute for already possessing basic training. While very thankful for the 64% support, I have expressed my views on the inadequacy of the proposed solution to the VSB and am awaiting a response.

As I wait (for not too much longer), I can't help but think that this process could be a lot more effective if this case for instructional control was being made with more "numbers". Instead of having individual families approach the VSB for proper support, it would be great to have Lovaas ABA families in the Vancouver school district approach the VSB en masse for implementation of instructional control for their kids in school ("United we stand, Divided we fall" type of thing). I feel like a one-off, possibly temporary solution has been provided to my son when instead a systematic policy change needs to occur so that other families do not have to go through the stress that I and others have already gone through and are going through. How can this be done? Retain a lawyer and have them send a letter to the Board requesting / demanding implementation of the Hewko ruling? Or make a presentation to the Board? Other ideas? I understand that FEATBC has a committee working on this issue but I do not know how my individual efforts relate to what they are doing. I also emailed the Vancouver Parents for Successful Inclusion seeking help but did not hear back from them. I'm game if others are – let me know. Thanks again.

Sincerely,
Jaswant
cdranu@yahoo.com

[Joanna Ng]

Good morning.

My kid is a preschooler so I only have experience with preschools and would like to share a couple of words.

I recently heard that a toddler with autism has been kicked out [you didn't hear me wrong] from his preschool in South Burnaby. Reasons: the teachers demand that the child sits for the whole circle time but he couldn't; one of the two teachers openly expressed that he/she could NOT tolerate this child with autism.

I am truly sorry for this child and family. But being kicked out and seeking another preschool is not the only thing to do. Let's share the good news AND the bad news.

BTW, I was told that it is G.L.C. Preschool on Nelson Ave. Oh yeah, I know them. They called me before ¨C telling me that my son is on the very top of the waiting list and asked that I pay the registration fees to hold the spot. But after I told them his condition and that he needs an SEA, they gave me another call to say they DO NOT have a spot after all.

Also, from my personal experience, try to avoid the parents¡¯ participation preschools. Like its name, the PPP normally only has one teacher and the rest are parents-on-duty. Without my consent, the teacher whispered to another parent, ¡°Her son has autism.¡±

Before wasting my precious time predicting what¡¯s worse to come, I pulled him out that very night and I am glad I did.

Maybe it¡¯s time to ask the Ministry what¡¯s the exclusion about and the people who exercise them.

[Dione Costanzo]

Hi everyone,

Here is a message that is circulating via email from a Coquitlam parent who is looking for support at a School Board meeting on Feb. 23:

Friends, Family, Special Interest Groups and Supporters: Please forward this email to anyone else you think may benefit from reading it or be affected by it.

Dear parents, my name is Jana and I am the mother of an 8 year old son with Down Syndrome. I am writing this email with the hope you will take a few minutes to read it over, and join me in my effort to effect change in how School District #43 and the Union assign SEA’s(special education assistants) to our children. I have discovered over the past 4 years the process can be very disruptive and have a negative impact on our children, as well as the other children and teacher in that classroom.

Last year my son, Reid, had a total of 9 SEA’s in a 4 month period. This situation led me to wonder what kind of system or structure was in place that could lead to this happening. After speaking with Reid’s teachers, many SEA’s, a variety of administrators and other parents of children with special needs, I felt I needed to pursue the matter further to get the answers I was looking for.

I have spent the past few months trying to figure out and understand the process of placing an SEA with a child and have come to the conclusion there are some definite problems with the current system. After speaking with the Superintendant and Assistant Superintendant of SD 43, the Director of Student Services, two School Board Trustees, the President of the Coquitlam Teachers Association, the President of CUPE(the union that services the SEA’S), the Editor of the Tri-City News and speaking at the District Advisory Group last month, I now feel I must speak publicly at a School Board Meeting.

THIS IS WHERE I COULD USE YOUR SUPPORT. As the editor of the newspaper said “strength in numbers”. I know if I go to the Board meeting alone they will listen politely and maybe ask a few questions. BUT, if I show up at the meeting with 50 supporters standing behind me, they will be forced to pay attention. The CUPE contract is being re-negotiated this spring and my hope is that both sides(the School Board and the Union) listen to my 3 main concerns and have some real discussion around it, instead of just accepting the contract as it is currently exists.

I have asked to speak at the Tuesday February 23rd School Board Meeting(7:30pm) but won’t have confirmation until the week prior. If any of you are able to come to this meeting with me and just stand there in support I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. I only have five minutes to express my concerns, so your presence there would send a strong message.

I have attached the document I sent to the Board earlier this month outlining my three main concerns and some possible suggestions/solutions(at the request of the Board). I know you all have busy lives and to be honest taking up this cause requires a lot of time and energy I don’t necessarily have. If I don’t speak publicly now and advocate for my son and every other family in the tri-cities that has a child with special needs, I believe they may not receive the best possible support and education they deserve.

Please email me if you think you might be able to attend this meeting so I can start a list of supporters and send another email prior to the Board meeting to confirm the date and location. Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

Jana Demelo

jjdemelo@telus.net

[Stacey Parson]

I'm looking to get my oldest son into Kindergarten this year and would like to send him to the same school that I will eventually choose for my 3 year old son (who has ASD). Therefore, I need to do my research now! I'm hoping someone will have feedback on schools in Abbotsford.

I'm looking specifically at South Poplar Traditional, North Poplar Fine Arts, or Sandy Hill (which is on the complete opposite side of town but supposed to be good). If you have any information on these schools or others in the area please email me at jsparson@telus.net.

Thank you!!

[Author]

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