[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

[Deleted User]

Nancy,

It may have been necessary to start with a segregated school to show the world what can be done ? There may have been other considerations, too…

Once the world has a working model to visit and to learn from the future can be designed more along the lines that you are describing, I hope.

George

[Nancy Walton]

I have been thinking about Michelle Weis' post about specialized schools. Michelle is very ABA wise and experienced and everyone should pay attention when she contributes to our community. Thanks for sharing your new life with us.

I have been thinking about one component of Michelle's post, which is the specialized school for ABA. There are many other apsects of the post that point out how BC is third world…the fact that the school is year around, has extended hours, has fully qualified staff and is available to the age of 21 (and probably can start at age 3).

But it is the segregatedness of the school that has been bothering me. It is true that such a school definetly benefits the autistic child in terms of learning, behavior etc. Here is what is bothering me:

I have been teaching in schools for 17 years. When I first started teaching, there were no developmentally disabled (or physically disabled) children in the school. When the special needs kids first started to be integrated, at the high school level, children made fun of them, because they had never seen them before. Teachers and principals were even miffed at having them in the school.

However, now we are at a point where the high school children were raised with disabled children in their schools. Now, typical students do not bat an eye when an autistic child bahaves strangley. It amazes me how accepting and even helpful they are because they have known these kids since they were in Kindergarden.

As I raise my son in a regular school and go to regular swim classes and regular camps, the community of children are getting to know and love him. As he gets older, even though he probably won't ever be alone, I feel like there is a safety net of peers surrounding him in the community. This would not happen if he attended a special school and attended special camps etc.

I have even been thinking about having some schools specialize in autism, but then we are only getting 1/5 of the community exposed to our children.

So, this is a tough one. I'm not saying we shouldn't segregate. I just want the autism community to think about what will happen to our larger community if we do it.

[Jenny Obando]

Is there someone going to the meeting in Surrey this Thursday who would like to car pool?. I am in Maple Ridge, even if we can meet at one place and go together from there?
Jenny Obando
divedoc@telus.net

[Barbara Rodrigues]

Hey, Michelle:

Sorry to post this on-list – Nice to hear from you!! Glad Brad is doing so well! We sure need to do some tree shaking up here – I also think we need to look into private autism schools – integration is great but there are many many kids like mine who would have benefited from an awesome school like those you attend or the one run by Brigette Taylor, Joanne Gersener, Bobby Newman. Too bad that can't be a reality up here. That's my dream if I win the lotto.

Thanks also for posting the communication device – looks pretty neat.

Email me privately if you get a chance – have some BIG (not autism related) news I want to share with you privately.

westernad@hotmail.com

Barbara

[Michelle Weis]

Hi again…

Sorry. I see that I made an error in the talking device my son uses. The site is http://www.prentrom.com .

Take Care
Michelle

[Michelle Weis]

Hi All

I wanted to provide un update on my situaion here in NY.

We ran a program in Canada for Brad from the age of 4-11. While making good progress he was still aggressive, non verbal and VERY OCD. We were at the point that if we didn't do soemthing drastic we would lose him. Schools were failing and therapy was draining us financially.

We moved to Grand Island NY (near Buffalo) almost 2 years. Brad attends a school called Summit Educational ( http://www.summiteducational.org ). Summit has changed my sons life and ours as a family, forever. He has made more gains in the first few months than he did in years in a program at home. I attribute this to full-time qualified staff and year around schooling.

The first 3 weeks of school were the last 3 weeks we had ever seen an aggressive behaviour. Although still non verbal he has a communication device provided by the school which goes wherever he goes – in and out of school. The device he has is truly amazing and life changing. ( http://www.pentrom.com )

He learned how to use it at school and then the staff came to my home to show us how to use it. When his teachers walked in the door Brad had a HUGE smile on his face. She pulled out his spring board and he immediately started talking. With the touch screen he said "can I have a cookie please?". I was shocked. After that he hasn't stopped. At dinner he says, "I don't like green beans", and so on. He now can speak to me!!!!!!!!!

Summit provides, a behavioral consultant, aides, teacher, OT, PT, Speech therapist, Etc. He has all these services at his fingertips without issues of budget. It is all about what HE needs. They have a brand new school with over 1000 kids that attend from all over. And when you walk in the school, there are NO screaming tantruming children! BELIEVE IT OR NOT! Summit has a work out room, a place to learn trades, cooking, cleaning, making beds….etc. They have all ammenities we could ever ask for. And Brad can attend till he's 21. They will help him learn the bus system and they have connections for job placement.

I could talk all day about it, but my point is that there are models that Canada can learn from that exist and are effective. Moving across the country was a hard choice to swallow, but the results are earth shattering. It is so sad that Canada does not put forth an effort to give these children a decent shot at life. That they are so far behind in their thoughts and feelings about autism. The US is stomping on Canada in autsim education. When I came here and saw what Brad gets FOR FREE…I almost look at Canada as a Thrid World Counrty in autism education.

They need to step up to the plate!

[Michelle Weis]

Hi All

I wanted to provide un update on my situaion here in NY.

We ran a program in Canada for Brad from the age of 4-11. While making good progress he was still aggressive, non verbal and VERY OCD. We were at the point that if we didn't do soemthing drastic we would lose him. Schools were failing and therapy was draining us financially.

We moved to Grand Island NY (near Buffalo) almost 2 years. Brad attends a school called Summit Educational ( http://www.summiteducational.org ). Summit has changed my sons life and ours as a family, forever. He has made more gains in the first few months than he did in years in a program at home. I attribute this to full-time qualified staff and year around schooling.

The first 3 weeks of school were the last 3 weeks we had ever seen an aggressive behaviour. Although still non verbal he has a communication device provided by the school which goes wherever he goes – in and out of school. The device he has is truly amazing and life changing. ( http://www.pentrom.com )

He learned how to use it at school and then the staff came to my home to show us how to use it. When his teachers walked in the door Brad had a HUGE smile on his face. She pulled out his spring board and he immediately started talking. With the touch screen he said "can I have a cookie please?". I was shocked. After that he hasn't stopped. At dinner he says, "I don't like green beans", and so on. He now can speak to me!!!!!!!!!

Summit provides, a behavioral consultant, aides, teacher, OT, PT, Speech therapist, Etc. He has all these services at his fingertips without issues of budget. It is all about what HE needs. They have a brand new school with over 1000 kids that attend from all over. And when you walk in the school, there are NO screaming tantruming children! BELIEVE IT OR NOT! Summit has a work out room, a place to learn trades, cooking, cleaning, making beds….etc. They have all ammenities we could ever ask for. And Brad can attend till he's 21. They will help him learn the bus system and they have connections for job placement.

I could talk all day about it, but my point is that there are models that Canada can learn from that exist and are effective. Moving across the country was a hard choice to swallow, but the results are earth shattering. It is so sad that Canada does not put forth an effort to give these children a decent shot at life. That they are so far behind in their thoughts and feelings about autism. The US is stomping on Canada in autsim education. When I came here and saw what Brad gets FOR FREE…I almost look at Canada as a Thrid World Counrty in autism education.

They need to step up to the plate!

[Adam and Shannah]

Hi Kandy et all,

I did a little searching re 1 in 98 and I went to this web page http://www.bbbautism.com/autism_rates_1999.htm it gives a listing of every state in 1999 re:school age autistic children. Very scary!

[Kandi Kilgour]

Hi everyone

I just saw this on msn online. It is a story about Oregon and their rates of autism being 1 in 98.

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=ebb19310-c3e1-4b0b-ba10-4a16d15a7a0a&t=s2&f=06/64&p

copy it and paste it to your browser or go to msn.com and check out video highlights

Kandi

[Alan Campbell]

Sabrina;

Could you please e-mail me with some contact information for you, as I have a couple of important questions I would like to ask you in regards to enrollment into School District 35 for my 5 year old daughter.
You can e-mail me at alanandcindy@shaw.ca directly.

Thank-you so much,
Cindy Campbell

[Author]

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