[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

[Alan Campbell]

Christine;

We live in Langley and our daughter is 4 and a half and has been in her ABA program since the beginning of January. Having seen the strides she's made in various programs we have decided to hold her back from Kindergarten. We feel, as her parents, that it is more beneficial for her to recieve her 6 hours of ABA per day at home then to fight with the school board to encorporate her therapy into the system with the therapists that we have hired. We have this certain amount of funding until she is six and we want every cent to be spent on her ABA (and then some). We will not let conventional time tables tell us when she should be in pre-school or Kindergarten. These six hours a day she is recieving are priceless & just for her and we do not want them interrupted. The 'fog' she is cleared from only helps us to know we are on the right track.
This is only my opinion, and if you would like to get some parents together to discuss this further, I would be happy to be there.

Sincerely,
Cindy Campbell
alanandcindy@shaw.ca

Sincerely,

[Stella Li]

Hi Christine,

I agreed with what Michelle had said. Follow your consultant's advice. One year of intensive therapy at home will make a big difference in developing a child's language, communication, play skills, and social skills to prepare her to enter pre-school.

I wish I had put my son in the home program earlier because his first year of pre-school was wasted. What a difference after we implemented our home program in the summer before his second year in preschool. His second year of preschool was a success (we started to put him in 1x/week and increased to 2x/week when he was ready) because we had a tutor going with him and he learned his skills at home for the school setting. He is now ready for kindergarten in September.

Feel free to call me. We may come out for coffee or lunch with the other parents.

Hope everything works out and you'll have a smooth start of the ABA program!!

Stella

[Deleted User]

Hi Christine,

Regarding preschool, that is really a consultant call. THat decision is best made by someone who can assess your child's skills and strengths and determine whether they are ready for school.

That said, my advice is, your child is still very young and likely does not yet have the skill set that would make preschool advantageous. While I have not met your child, it is likely that a year of intensive treatment at home, perhaps with some weekly activities accompanied by an instructor/therapist/tutor or yourself would be most beneficial. A year of home therapy might provide your daughter with an excellent skill set that would allow her to be more prepared for preschool the following year. I don't think that 2 years of preschool provides any child, including an nt child, with an advantage over a child who attends for one year. Having worked in preschool settings accompanying clients, I have not noticed a significant difference in social skills among those who attended for an extra year vs. those who are attending for their first year.

Preschool will only benefit your daughter when she is ready and if she is not ready now, could actually prove to be a) a waste of time and money or worse b) a negative experience that actually causes harm that has to be worked through in ABA sessions.

And think of it this year, the extra year will give you time to find a trained ABA tutor to attend with your daughter, a chance to research preschools and find a welcoming school that will support your ABA program, as well as a chance to build up your daughter's social skills, language skills/communication skills and play skills.

Feel free to email me if you have additional questions
Michelle_Karren@hotmail.com
hope this helps!

[Christine Hung]

Need Advice on Preschool

Hi everyone,

We are new immagrants just moved to N. Burnaby. My daughter was disgnosed with ASD at 2 1/2, and she is gonna turn 3 1/2 in August.
We are in debate now as to whether we should send her to preschool. SHe is going to start her ABA program in either Aug or Sep, and we really need to make a decision quick….
Any advice?

Christine

[Karen Whittome]

Lisa Moody (Special Ed Assistant), I invite you to please contact me via hisgrace@uniserve.com.

Thank you.

[Karen Whittome]

I am still in pursuit of information re LUNCH BUNCH programs. If you are you a parent or an SEA who could provide examples of strategies/ games/ structures used to implement this type of school program, I would be most grateful for willingness to share your experience and expertise. I can be reached at hisgrace@uniserve.com. Thank you!

[Karen Whittome]

Rachel Russell:

Could you possibly connect me with an SEA or parent of a child who is involved in a Lunch Bunch group? I have received numerous inquiries from those who are also wanting to set up a group, but very little information on how to proceed with my own endeavor.

Thank you very much.

I can be reached at hisgrace@uniserve.com

[Karen Whittome]

The books from Amazon.com recommended last fall by Rachel Russell for Lunch Bunch activities are:

1) The Ultimate Playground & Recess Game Book

2) Children's Games in Street and Playground

Also recommended are books by Dr. Pamela Wolfberg who describes her "Integrated Playgroup" model for socializing developmentally delayed and typical kids.

[Jean Tsang]

My son will be starting kindergarten this fall in the Vancouver school district. I would be grateful if you would share your thoughts and experiences on schools. I need to know what to expect and prepare a back-up plan should things unravel.

As I work through the barriers in implementing a behaviour plan for my son in his preschool, I realize that VSB is even more of a monolith to deal with (despite their assurances), that hope for my son's recovery lies in the home program and not the school. Right now I feel that the only use for my son attending school is for socializing, and I'm not sure if this would even be handled effectively. It's somewhat a waste of time.

Putting my frustrations aside, I have these questions:
1. The school informed me that he will be eligible for a half-time SSW, but stressed to me that the SSW is assigned to the class, not the individual student. How adequate is the support being provided?
2. Does the school support attempts at coordination between school and home programs? For example, if a child has behaviour problems in class that cannot be resolved by the school, can the parent ask the school to take ABC data for use by the family's behaviour consultant? Can the behaviour consultant make observations in school? Will the school implement behaviour plans set up by the family? Is there a "our people-their people" mentality? Are there many hurdles to jump to achieve coordination?
3. What strategies work best in dealing with the school?
4. Are there differences between schools within the same district? Between school districts?
5. Which schools/districts are more accommodating than others?
6. Are private schools more responsive given that the parents would fund a portion of the aide's salary?
7. Are there suitable non-religious private schools in the Lower Mainland I can consider?

Thanks for your help. Please post on the chat board or e-mail me at jptsang@uniserve.com.

Jean

[Karen Whittome]

Last October, I read a notice from Rachel Russell re Lunch Bunch
programs for the purpose of "organizing groups of kids into specific
activities to help our clients get socially involved at recess and
lunch." I noted the names of game books she recommended. Thanks,
Rachel!

Now I need more info on the programs and how they are set up. I am an
SEA who would like to facilitate peer play (mostly turn-taking games at this point) between children on the
Autism spectrum and those who are more "typical." I will soon be
meeting with my vice principal to discuss this relative to setting up
a Lunch Bunch program.

If anyone could provide information in this regard(including contact
info with those who are involved), I'd be most grateful. I can be
reached at hisgrace@uniserve.com. Thank you very much!

Karen Whittome

[Author]

Replies