[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

[Peter Wong]

Dear all,

I have been informed that the school received the funding for my boy after the funding appeal process.

Lesson learned:
If you are thinking independent schools for your kid, you should prepare “recent” assessment(s) from professionals (such as Behavior Consultant, SLP, OT, etc).

I hope all the parents don’t need to go through the worries and troubles of the appeal process.

Cheers.

Peter

[Mike & Jean]

November 7, 2007

For Immediate Release

“Paralysis by Analysis”

Vancouver, BC – Canada’s no longer so new Conservative government has convened a so-called ‘National Autism Research Symposium’ in Toronto later this week. “For what purpose one wonders,” asks Jean Lewis, a founding director of FEAT-BC [Families for Early Autism Treatment of BC]. “Like the ‘Child Health Summit’ held in Ottawa last April, this is another invitation-only talk-fest. It is designed to produce photo-ops and sound-bites that assist the government in a cynical exercise aimed at manufacturing a societal consensus concerning an approach to autism treatment and its funding; one that suits its transparently manipulative agenda. The exercise is sure to fail.”

This month marks the third anniversary of the Auton decision by the Supreme Court of Canada, in which the jurists stated unequivocally that the question of funding for autism treatment was for parliament and the legislatures. “In three years, all that Canada’s myopic political class and their blinkered bureaucratic acolytes have produced has been delay, disingenuous news releases and, in the case of Ontario, outright mendacity,” states Dr. Sabrina Freeman, founder and executive director of FEAT-BC. “In three years, how many children have been diagnosed with this devastating condition? How many opportunities to provide substantive help, and to learn, have been lost? How many families have come asunder? How much needless suffering has been inflicted, all due to a lack of political will to do the right thing?”

While the federal government and its apologists parrot the public relations mantra that ‘more research is necessary’, Canadian courts found, over three years ago, that science-based, proven effective, treatment for autism is available. In 2006, the United States Congress voted unanimously to put $945 million into combating autism. Recently, the Australian national government has pledged $190 million to this cause. Why is our federal government out of step? Could it be because autistic children and their exhausted parents have to date been absent from the electoral battlefield? If so, that’s about to change, according to Lewis.

“The reckless disregard of this Conservative federal government with respect to these disabled children and their desperate, and often destitute, families verges on the criminal,” says Jean Lewis. “Their callousness is breath-taking and will, come the next federal election, be met with a perfect political storm. That’s not a threat, it’s a promise.”

-30-

For further information, contact: Jean Lewis at 604-925-4401 or 604-290-5737, and jean.lewis@telus.net .

[Louise Taylor]

*Notice to Parents in Surrey*

Parents in the Surrey school district (#16) who are running home-based Lovaas style ABA programs are asked to contact:

-Roxanne Black at bradrox@shaw.ca

and/or

-Louise Witt at taylorwitt@shaw.ca

Please leave us your phone number. We have some important information regarding this school district that we would like to share with you. Many thanks!

[walkerc]

Hi Did anybody attend the special education inquiry in Aldergrove last night. Just wondering how it went and what to expect. As I am planning on going to Mondays meeting at the George Preston arena. Thanks char super mom @hotmail.com (E mail with out the spaces)

[Michele Martinez]

Hi Dave,

Thank you very much for the information you gave me regarding the problem with my son's preschool. This is a great help for my son and my family. Thanks a lot….

Michele

[edgecombe]

This is a reminder of the Special Education Inquiry that the Langley Teachers Association will be holding over the next week.

If you have a child in the Langley School District, this will be a very important meeting for you to attend. This is our opportunity as parents / caregivers to make our concerns known. Langley Teachers are trying to obtain an increase in classroom support. If no one attends, this will tell the panel that we are happy with the support the Langley School District is currently providing for our children. We do not want to send them the wrong message.

Please consider attending one of these hearings. Even if you are not planning on presenting your concerns, just being there will show your support.

****************SPECIAL EDUCATION INQUIRY ~ Langley****************

Your input is essential to ensure students with special needs receive the support they require.

Parents, educators and community members are invited to make oral or written presentations to the Special Education Inquiry panel. A report with recommendations will be released when the hearings have concluded.

PANELISTS
Mike Suddaby, retired Superintendent of Schools, Maple Ridge
Nadine Guiltner, retired teacher and published author
Dr. Shirley McBride, former Director of Special Programs, Ministry of Education

Hearings will run from 3 – 5 PM and 7 – 9 PM each day:
Wednesday, October 24 – Aldergrove Legion, 26607 Fraser Highway
Thursday, October 25 – Fort Langley Community Hall, 9167 Glover Road
Monday, October 29 – George Preston Arena, 20699-42 Avenue

Please call 604-533-1618 or e-mail specialed@langleyteachers.com for more information or to reserve a time for your presentation.

Sponsored by the Langley Teachers’ Association, CUPE Local 1260 and the Langley District Parent Advisory Council with support from the BCTF.

[Dave Collyer]

Hello Michele,

With regard to SCD: I have been challenging MCFD funding levels and the various contracting agencies that administer SCD funds for a few years now. More needs to be done! Without knowing all of the particulars of your situation it sounds like your preschool is indicating that they are not receiving sufficient funds in order to ensure that your child is included in a meaningful and safe manner. One of the primary principles of inclusion ( see the matrix at http://www.specialinkcanada.org/home_en.html for one example ) is that all children have the right to access any given preschool (public school, private school, employment etc) for the same number of hours per day and days per week. Shortened days and shorter weeks are in violation of this foundational pillar of inclusion. In your situation I would consider…
1) Calling the SCD funding agency and request additional funds be put in place so that your child can be included in his preschool. I would argue that s/he has the same right to attend as any other child and also has the right to have his/her preschool educational needs met as his/her needs dictate. It is SCD's mandate to promote and ensure that inclusion occurs. They need to find the funds and delivery model to make this occur. In my opinion failure to provide equal access is a form of discrimination based on ability and crosses the line into the realm of a human rights violation. 2) If this fails I would request a meeting with the preschool admin AND the SCD coordinator(s). If you have a parent board at the preschool I would also bring this to their attention and request that a board member be present. As a team you might be able to find additional solutions.

I have a few other ideas… ///drcollyer123 at mac dot com///

Background: This site has a useful link to policy manual and contact info.: http://www.scdp.bc.ca/

And an overview of SCD (MCFD funds it). http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/early_childhood/scd.htm

D.

[Michele Martinez]

Our 4-yr old son with ASD is going back to pre-school, for three (3) days a week, after the civic strike here in Vancouver. We had a meeting with the school coordinator and we were informed that the budget for support child development was reduced and that our son will only have a support person for 2 days and not 3. Hence, we were told that our son will only be allowed to attend for the 2 days that he has a support person with him. Furthermore, we were also told that our son can not join other activities that his class will be having if he doesn't have a support person with him. In other words, no support person – no class.

Is there anybody out there who might have had the same problem that we are having and what you have done to address this? We have proposed that one of my son's interventionist can be his support person on the days that one can not be provided by the center for ability but she did not give us any answer regarding this. Can they really prevent our son from attending his school because he doesn't have a support person?

To anyone out there who can help us, thanks a lot.

Michele

[Peter Wong]

Here is the one we used as base:

http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/asd_instr_supp_plan_tool.pdf

Cheers.

Peter

[Peggy Boon]

Thanks Dave! That should keep my busy for a while. For those of you in the Delta School District, I found a couple of potential items of interest:
'The Kids in My Class' Booklet which appears to have a list of adaptations at the back in the appendices: http://web.deltasd.bc.ca/i/pdf/KidsInMyClass.pdf

and what I think is the latest IEP format (IEP central): http://web.deltasd.bc.ca/i/pdf/IEPCentralWebDemo.pdf

[Author]

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