[FEAT BC Admin]

This area is for discussions in general topics.

Topic

[Don and Nicole Copeman]

Hi All,

I am looking into buying a communication device for my non-verbal son (cost US$7,000), and am wondering if there is any obscure government funding out there that would cover or at least partially cover this purchase. I already receive the regular funding for his therapy but am hoping there are some other funds out there available.

On another note, this new device I have just come across is AWESOME. It's called "Tango" and it looks like a larger version of the Sony PSP game. If anyone wants to check it out go to http://www.blink-twice.com/tango/videos.html?all=1 .

Nicole
ncopeman@gmail.com

[Jaswant Singh]

Thanks for the tax tips, Nancy and Milburn.

I've got a "dumb" question to ask anyone out there who may know. Is the $10,000 limit for child care expenses, PER CHILD or PER FAMILY?

In other words, in my case where I've got twin boys, is the child care expense limit $20,000 (i.e., $10,000 per son) or just $10,000 in total?

Many thanks!

Sincerely
Jaswant
cdranu@yahoo.com

[Super Dad]

Hello fellow FEAT parents:

I am thinking of taking my whole family to Zajac Ranch for a weekend. Would any of you please share any experience (good or bad) with this camp?

Thank you in advance.

Tony.Tamer@yahoo.com

[Milburn Drysdale]

It's Tax Time!

Yes, that wonderful time of the year is fast approaching.

For those of you still trying to get a grip on your taxes, visit my Autism Funding in BC website at http://asdfunding.com for a refresher on taxes and the world of autism.

The most common question I get asked is, which spouse should claim the different expenses. I've tried to simplify things by creating a table on my page http://asdfunding.com/whichspouse.aspx.

Good luck and if anyone spots any mistakes, please let me know.

Cheers
Milburn
Autism Funding in BC
http://asdfunding.com

[Milburn Drysdale]

New FEAT User Accounts

There has been considerable frustration for quite a while now as new User ID and passwords have not been given out to new parents and therapists. The previous parent responsible for handing out User Ids, simply became overwhelmed with everyday life (something I'm sure we can all understand) and fell behind.

A new parent (myself) has taken over this responsibility. There is a massive backlog of emails and I suspect it will take me a couple of weeks to get through them all.

Please bear with me, as I figure this out. If you haven't heard from me within a few weeks, send another email to FEAT Admin requesting a User ID and password.

Thanks for your patience.
FEAT Admin

[Nancy Walton]

$75 tax tip

If you have at least $100 in fitness receipts for your disabled child, you get to claim an extra $500 on the child fitness section (no reciepts needed, it's just a bonus). This gets you $75 back (15% of 500). I just used "U-file" and it calculated in the extra $500 automatically for my disabled child, so depending on your program, make sure it doesn't get counted twice.

Also, if your child was in a 4 week swim program for 2 consecutive months, you can count that as an 8 week program. Parks and Rec won't issue an official tax receipt for this because they don't know this is OK. I was told by CRA that it's OK. Someone else can double check if you like.

Remember to use the word "tutor" not "therapist" when claiming medical expenses. And claim as much as possible under daycare (up to $10,000 for disabled children) before using whats left for medical claim.

Happy filing,
Nancy

[Super Dad]

North Shore ASBC Lecture Series

The North Shore ASBC Support Group proudly presents:

Social Strategies and Inclusive Environments in School
by
Harmony House
at
7:00pm, April 21
in the North Building of the
Delbrook Recreation Centre in North Vancouver

We are very excited to have Bohdanna Popowycz Kvam and Michele Shilvock as our guest speakers. The objective of this lecture is to promote understanding of inclusion for children with autism and strategies to enhance social integration in the school setting.

Topics to be covered include:
– Social development and its role in inclusion;
– Identifying and defining the levels of friendship;
– Strategies for inclusion in the classroom setting and during social/recreational times;
– Facilitation of peer play;
– Getting buy-in from all stakeholders;
– Organizing a "lunch bunch."

This is a 2-hour version of the 1-day workshop previous provided at Harmony House.

DATE: Tuesday, April 21, 2009
TIME: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
LOCATION: Delbrook Recreation Centre (600 West Queens Road, North Vancouver), North Building

For those going north/west on Highway #1: take exit 17 for Westview Dr, turn right at Westview Dr, and then turn right at Queens Rd. For those going east on Highway #1: take exit 17 for Westview Dr, turn left at Westview Dr, and then turn right at Queens Rd.

Coffee/Tea and snacks provided.
Donations are greatly appreciated.

Please RSVP to Carol at colemanmoser@hotmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Carol and Tony
(Co-facilitators for ASBC North Shore Group)

[Super Dad]

There is one error worth mentioning in the Vancouver Magazine article. The article says:

"The program draws its inspiration from 19th-century Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, who taught his dogs to salivate on the cue of a rung bell, and from mid-20th-century U.S. psychologist B.F. Skinner, who gained fame for his work in behavioural conditioning via rigid reward/punishment routines."

The truth is that ABA has nothing to do with Pavlov, who invented classical conditioning. ABA is all about Skinner, who invented operant conditioning. I am pointing this out because people who are against ABA like to call it "teaching dogs to drool."

Operant conditioning is the systematic (not "rigid") use of reward and punishment, and is used in every aspect of life. You can find it in business textbooks on organizational behaviour. It is taught by parenting experts such as Glenn Latham and James Dobson. The same concepts are used in ABA, just more rigorously.

I should say that the above is a small error. Overall, the article is an example of good journalism. Peter Mansbridge should read it and learn something.

Tony

[Super Dad]

There is an excellent article in the April issue of Vancouver Magazine, titled "The Boy Who Wasn't There."

If you don't have the printed version, here is the web page:
http://www.vanmag.com/News_and_Features/The_Boy_Who_Wasnt_There

The printed version has a full-page photo Bev and Allison, with the caption "a mother's love." I am going to frame this one and hang it up in the therapy room.

Tony

[Mike & Jean]

The following article was published in today's North Shore News. If I lived in North Vancouver, I would be extremely concerned! "Clustering" is simply another name for SEGREGATION. I would also suggest that if the North Vancouver School District is successful in this venture…others are sure to follow….and soon.

________________________________________________

NVSD approves autism learning centre
Benjamin Alldritt, North Shore News
Published: Friday, March 20, 2009
North Vancouver school district is looking to improve its teaching of those with autism.

Trustees instructed staff March 10 to develop a "learning centre for students with autism and related disorders," essentially a room dedicated to the needs of the district's 133 autistic children.

The wording of the motion was left deliberately vague to allow staff a great deal of flexibility in implementing the idea. The plan builds on the concept of clustering, where students with comparable needs are concentrated at a particular school. However, staff told trustees that there are a wide range of needs within the term "autism."

While no schools are named in the motion, the staff report did suggest that two schools, Norgate and Seymour Heights, would provide the best coverage of the district.

© North Shore News 2009

[Author]

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