[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

[Stella Li]

Phemie:

Try to get the teaching goal of learning matter from the grade 2 teacher, adapt the goal that can meet your child's needs. e.g. your child's goal may be more practical and functional – how does matter (solid liquid gas) relate to his daily life? If it's something that he can relate to, chances are he will be able to learn it to a certain extent.

Use daily examples and lots of visuals – as Dave said real objects will be great. i.e. real solid, real liquid, real gas. Do the experiment with your son at home. E.g. Boiling water (liquid) will turn into steam (gas). Let him see the water before boiling, when it's boiling and turning into steam. Name the liquid and the gas…etc. When it snows/rains…when you see morning dew…use the opportunity to teach… Other than real objects, you can use photos, videos and books with clear big pictures to illustrate.

Make up a "matter" book for him – that will interest him, with lots of colorful pictures and simple ideas, easy to understand language. The more 'concrete' it looks, the easier your child will understand…

Repetition – repeat the same or different experiments and concepts again and again

Practice – practice with him as often as you can, consistently

Do not give up – as Dave said, don't give up… your son can learn the concept with time.

Ask your consultant – (if you have one) as she should be able to provide some ideas to you.

Stella

[David Chan]

Dear Phemie,

Been there, done that, This is what worked with our kid. use DTT to teach nuts and bolts, then run with the nuts and bolts.

An example would be, use specifics to show concepts.

show a glass of water to show liquid, then run with all the liquids that are really concrete.

Always use real things to demonstrate concepts, all the other stuff is too abstract.

Don't give up, little by little, if you have the basics stuff down, then you can build on it. Don't worry so much about UNDERSTANDING, because unless you use it everyday, I doubt if any of us could show an understanding of Newtonian physics

In any case, don't ever go to the let them do something else, it's a slippery slope. even if it's not EXACTLY the same material as the other kids, it should be in the same area of study. Don't give up !

so keep up the good work, and just to give to an idea, we had to teach grade 10 human sexual reproduction for science 10, that's good times……oy, did more dodging and weaving than Steve Nash.

All the best,

Keep up the good work

Dave.

Mr. P's Dad

[Phemie Mayhew]

Does anybody have any ideas on how to teach or adapt grade 2 science for a moderately autistic child? The class is learning about matter…solids, gas & liquid. Or, maybe he'll be better off not doing it at all and working on something else? Thanks in advance.

[Mike & Jean]

Hello all,

Just a reminder to get your registrations in as soon as possible for the ASBC presentation of Dr. James Mulick on April 19th.

The info has been posted before but you simply go to the ASBC web-site at http://www.autismbc.ca and download the information brochure/registration form. The conference information is down near the bottom of the home-page.

Not that you need any further encouragement to attend this important and informative event but we are pleased to advise you that we have received confirmation that the registration fee is an acceptable expense within the parameters of your Autism Funding from MCFD.

Hopefully we will see you on April 19th.

Regards, Michael and Jean

[Luke’s mama]

Thank you all tremendously for those that have been supportive with your flood of emails to comfort and support me.

I am surprised by the amount of support from people I don't know yet walk the same walk I do every day. It should be like this.

No matter how busy we are we should not stop writing to each other and we should not stop connecting. It is always going to be busy….it will always be stressful so knowledge is power.

We will share together and we will stay united.

Once again thanks for so much support and virtual hugs and I feel rejuvenated and ready to march on.

It is a huge stress relief and being in Canada and being in a great free land we should be able to express our feelings. Some comments I read and take it to heart with joy and some I just ignore.

As I said, the FEAT board is something that we need so that is why it remains here still. I think we need to continue the emails and postings because we need to pay it forward.

Hope you all have a good spring break and it gets a little interesting with the little ones home but we love them anyways.

Regards,
LM

[Luke’s mama]

Dear all

does anyone have clips saved or could post on Youtube re: rally speeches

would love to see clips and hear the msg that was put out to the media and our government.

thx
LM

[Luke’s mama]

Danielle

Did I read that you have adopted a child and you are fighting for his rights to be in public school and get an education? Well good on ya mate.
I think you are great and a wonderful example to us all because you have put your life on hold for him and you know you are his ONLY advocate.

Good for you for reading and bookmarking all the stuff on Min. Ed's website policy. If you need help email me and I will give you a direct contact for the person responsible for initiating the special ed stuff working for The Ministry of Education.

She got my son in to school !

Let me know at :

abatherapy@live.com

keep fighting!! Never give up !!

[Luke’s mama]

While I do agree that special needs funding for early intervention is needed, the sadness is for my particular case, we were misdiagnosed…so even the chance for early intervention was robbed.

He was thought to have ADHD even when he was silent, non-verbal and non-responsive. I am having a rough time finding a lawyer to sue the professionals that still have a right to diagnose!

What's the problem you say? After ABA I don't have any money left for such luxuries.

I am frustrated because a lot of people are dreading to hear the news but in some cases it can be a blessing. For us we needed to get the school off my back from suggesting medication.

Until the diagnoses came through finally with the new team of medical professionals the school wanted us to put our child on ritalin, a stimulant at elementary???????
I thought coffee was bad.

Nonetheless it has been a difficult journey. I am just sad because if the early intervention was available to us (we never got it because the team that first came across him kept putting his file away INACTIVE. I wrote letters for 3.5 years and I saved every transcript of every phone call and all pertaining written documents. (Just like Sabrina Freeman shared in her Autism video).

I am as outraged of MSP not covering our ABA treatment as I am with the physcial process of actually getting diagnosis. It should NOT be so hard!!!

Like dangling a carrot in front of us only to find out it's plastic!

Even now, my home team is diminishing and I am forced put up with people that come to training and take off to go work for another school district….at my cost!!!

None of the aides my son is working with in the class have a clue what ABA is. The casual part time staff that worked there also had interest in psychology but never stayed past 10 months with each of their previous job (with NO ABA) in their work history. Yet they are hired by the school board to be an interventionist. Heck I could do a better job. The key ingredient is that I care.

** I am NOT putting down the aides that actually do have ABA training and actually do care about our kids. My applause and hats off to you fine people.

It's the one that go in to the school so that they have money to make rent each month but don't give a hoot about our kids I am upset at. What kind of standards do we have with the the hiring of these indivduals? ***********

If the government funded ABA we would surely have no shortage since everyone would be guaranteed a good paying job. I know we don't pay union wages but we also stand to lose good therapist and that kind of toll on our families and the inconsistency to our children is simply disgusting!

Everyone please keep your eyes and ears open for the information coming up for elections in our very near future. We need to keep the numbers showing at the poll.

Anyone knocking my door will get a simple question…are you in this for my son's autism or not? No autism funding no vote from me.

Thank you for letting me air out tonight. It has been extremely frustrating after the 3rd person has left our team and we just started.

LM

please share any suggestions or good stories please. virtual hugs accepted. pls leave a msg
here or email me privately at :

abatherapy@live.com

[Nancy Walton]

Along the line of this thread (lack of funding for special needs children), here is a petition you can all sign.

"Ensuring Rights and Entitlements for ALL Students"
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ldabc?e

[Danielle Cross]

our school district has the same ridiculous way of handling the first week. In our district, children who require a TA are asked to be kept home the first week of school as the TAs attend training that week and classes aren't sorted yet. Children with special needs who don't need a TA are encouraged to stay home also until classes are sorted.

[Author]

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