[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

[Nancy Walton]

ATTENTION SURREY SCHOOL DISTRICT PARENTS
(non-Surrey parents also welcome)

Rick Ryan and Rick Fabbro of the Surrey School District have been working on initiatives to place highly experienced ABA tutors with our children in the schools. They would like to meet with parents to explain the initiatives and to answer any questions.

Since it was important to meet as soon as possible, I thought it best to combine the South Fraser ASBC meeting, featuring Michelle Weis, with the Surrey School initiatives meeting. Rick Ryan and Rick Fabbro will speak and answer questions from 6pm to 7pm. Then Michelle Weis will speak and answer question from 7pm to 9pm. Feel free to come at either 6pm or 7 pm, depending on your interest.

The meeting is Thursday, July 20 at the Semiahmoo House Society, 15306 24th Ave.

Refreshments will be provided and donations gladly accepted for the latter part of the meeting.

Please RSVP with Eleanore at elledubois@shaw.ca

Nancy Walton

[Mike & Jean]

Trina,

Thankyou very much for sharing your story, and for publically thanking Roxanne Black. Roxanne, like many other F.E.A.T. parents and supporters, has become a tireless advocate for all our kids. Thankyou Trina, for taking the time to recognize her, and thankyou Roxanne for your work on behalf of the greater good!

"Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowlege that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too."
– Frederick Buechner –

Thankyou all,
Jean

[Tina]

Hello all,
Hope you all have a great day celebrating Canada Day which I did with my son.
I really want to borrow this website to express my thanks to Roxanne Black,she's my dearest friend and advocator, and Michele Shilvock, my son's very professional behavioral consultant .Thank you so much for your help. You all have been very supportive and important to us.
Especial thanks to Roxanne who had been very involved in helping my 6 1/2 year-old child in getting full time support for the coming school year.
Being a single mom and have to take care of an autistic child plus running ABA program for over 3 years has never been easy for me. My son has just finished Kindergarten and before he finished, I was told that his full time support would be cut to 60-75%. How that news frightened and upset me, I bet you understand if you and your consultant know the child can not do well without 100% support… I had tried to explain this to his principal, but it was helpless.
His teacher and school aid have been very supportive and open. But from their view , he seemed to do well at school. As a mother, I noticed a lot of time that he doesn't aware of dangerousness and strangers; that's why it was so stressful for me when I couldn't convince the principle to believe that he needs full time support.
Under that desperate circumtance, Roxanne had come to us. She had devoted her time and efforts to help me get through every steps to approach to the principle with documentation that needed to prove that my son requires full time support. We got it!!! I finally got that great news at my son's last day of Kindergarten.
Roxanne, I am thinking of you gratefully every moment and typing up these words in tears. Your hard work did pay off. I will keep on doing whatever I can, for my dearest child, on the long run. You have done a very meaningful job that helps changing a child's school life.
I also want to express my thanks to my son's home team therapists,who have always been his wonderful teachers. Some have left and some have stayed for a very long time. You've done your best to help him improve and I can tell from his progress. I am so proud of all of you.
Thank you very very much to every one I have mentioned above. Without all of you, life would be much tougher.
Also thanks to you , who have spent time to read my story.

Trinh

[Courtney Mapson]

Fantastic CAREER OPPORTUNITY:

A fantastic opportunity is available to work in a school setting as an ABA trained Special Education Assistant, commencing September 2006.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work on an ABA team under the supervision of Rachel Russell. This is also a great opportunity to work with a highly motivated and committed family.

The school is located on the North Shore – training for this position would take place at the family’s house on the North Shore, and would begin immediately.

Interested applicants must be willing to make a 2-year commitment and be willing to attend home team meetings and home consultations. Optional therapy shifts outside of school hours are available.

This school is a highly unique school – they are 100% supportive of all behavior plans and interventions.

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by!

Send your resume to: cpaigemapson@hotmail.com

[Earl Friesen]

Our 9 year old is not meeting the academic requirements for Grade 3. This is due to the behaviors, not the level of cognizance.
We are at a point to decide if our child should repeat Grade 3.
We are interested in other parents experiences who have had to make this choice.

Please post here or email us at Earl_Friesen@telus.net

[Stella Li]

I'm touched by your post Dave. Congratulations to Mr P and your entire family and ABA team at home and at school!!

It gives us parents with younger kids hope to move on. Yes, it's possible. Given the right therapy and support our kid will succeed not only at home but at school and in the community!!

[David Chan]

It's been a long time, but someone go light a candle, burn some incense, what the heck to thank the Supreme being. Yes, Grade 8 is one for the books. Today was the last day of school for Grade 8 students at Mr. P's school.

What do you know, Mr P. won the award for the hardest working kid in Grade 8. There are about 100 grade 8's at his school. He was given the award because he was the kid that showed the most effort. Not the Autistic kid, Not the kid on an IEP, just one of many students that attend the school. He accepted the award in front of the entire student body, faculty and parents.

We are so proud of him. It's hasn't been an easy year, with lots of effort put in by Mr. P, his ABA trained aide, and his home team, We are DONE grade 8. Amen and alleluia

Let you all in on a little secret. When we left our school district lo those many years ago. The principal at the school we left–Mr P. was in the grade 2 at the time. He had this admonition for us." Julia, you will never find the right school, the right teacher, and right kids, that school doesn't exsist"

Well Mr. Principal, Mr. P is winning awards that that non-exisitent school. So and having lunch with those non-existant kids, and getting congratulated and praised by those non-exsistant teachers.

It's never ever the kids that you have to worry about, It's the grown ups.

Again Way to go Mr. P, one year down and four to go.

We Love you Kid, and I know that the whole FEAT community is rooting for you too.

Dave
Mr. P's Dad

[Pam Browne]

If you are a parent in the Langley school district with a child in an ABA program could you please contact me pammybrowne@hotmail.com. Please leave a contact phone number.
Thanks

[Dave Collyer]

Hi again folks…

For those of you who are interested…. ACT BC seems to be hosting the new L2 criteria and ASD Needs Determination matrix as of this late afternoon. So… if I have not yet responded to your email re sending you a copy you can now download it at ACT BC. All three documents appear to be on the ACT site. Spread the word… http://actbc.ca/newsreleases_moe_asd_funding.htm (front page info @ http://actbc.ca/ )

Dave

[Dave Collyer]

Hi folks,

A couple of quick bits of information:

1) Regarding Bill33. There are a number of very active groups that have expressed concern and dismay regarding this legislation. The groups that have formally adopted a position calling for review and revision of B33 includeVCPAC, BCCPAC, VACL, BCACL, Canadian Down Syndrome Society, BCCPE, ASBC (ML has posted re this issue in the forums), and many others. I think one of the lower mainland coalitions for special education (a large umbrella group) is meeting in the second week of June to continue planning around this legislation…. I understand that several legal opinions are being looked into by various groups… there is much to be done re this issue but beyond hooking up with your MLA to voice concern, letters to the editor and the usual things it may serve a purpose to reach out to other groups to co-ordinate efforts…. and to get involved with your local PACs and School Planning Councils. Visiting your local School Board or addressing school board trustees is also a good idea (I know of a few boards who have written to the Minister to express reservations re Bill 33). I wonder when some of the large US based advocacy groups will become aware of how backward BC is on this specific issue and will shine a light on the issue (to the effect of "BC takes giant step backwards in school inclusion and rights of the special needs student".).

2) VERY INTERESTING promising development within the Ministry of Education. It appears that the Ministry of Ed has changed the definitions for funding. In the past L2 funding (16,000.00) was partially a function of the narrow diagnosis of "Autism" (or "Autism Disorder"). Other students who had a diagnosis within the ASD spectrum (ie PDD-NOS) other then Autism did not "qualify" unless they had significant physical or cognitive challenges. Now the ENTIRE ASD spectrum will qualify for L2 funding… Effective July 1 2006. Of course the issue that the funds are not "targeted" or "tied" to the student continues… more work to be done. IMO the change and widening of the defintion to include the entire ASD spectrum may be significant for some parents and students. It is possible that some children had been excluded in the past from L2 funding formulas due to the fact that they lacked the key diagnostic label (ie Autism Disorder). Now, perhaps with the wider criteria, these children will be abke to access more appropriate supports (but likely still short of what is needed). Beyond the L2 criteria changes a new "Needs Determination" matrix has been developed. It may be important for parents to review this document. If anyone would like a copy let me know and I will pass it on.

As an aside these changes have been in the public domain for about a week and were shared with our BC Autism Council members last week. I was curious if others had heard of these changes from council members or if the council is disconnected from the average parent of an ASD child… how does information go from the council membership to the average end user of services?

Dave.

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