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[Dione Costanzo]

Parent Information Meeting

Featuring Special Guests:

Louise Witt, Parent

Michele Shilvock, BCBA

Date: Tuesday, March 11
Time: 7-9pm
Location: Surrey Sports and Leisure Complex,
Downstairs boardroom on the arena side. 16555 Fraser Highway

Please rsvp to Tamara at tamara_desilva@hotmail.com

This meeting is for parents from all areas of the Lower Mainland.

Louise will talk about her journey as a parent, from having her beautiful son through diagnosis and the steps that she took to set up and maintain a quality therapy program for him and what that has done for her son and her family.

Michele will speak from the consultants point of view and will review the components of a quality program for children and youth with autism.

This will be a dynamic presentation will plenty of opportunity to ask questions and to network with other parents. Please join us.

[Debra Antifaev]

Hi Everyone!

After attending a few parent workshops, over the last year, it has come to my attention that some parents either have moved, or are moving, into the Surrey School District to access the ABA Support Worker program.

I have heard from parents that support for our kids, in some Districts, is dismal. I have also had a school board trustee tell me he does not feel it is necessary to follow the directives of "Hewko" as "there simply isn't the same demand for ABA trained workers" in his district. I have a hard time imagining this is the case.

I know that privacy is a large concern for many people but I would like to get an estimate of how many families have been forced to move (or are thinking of moving)to access proper support for their child.(and, perhaps, even an idea of how many are forced to stay in a particular area, but are not pleased with the service provided)

Could you please email me at: dmantifaev @ shaw . ca ?

I will only use the number and the district and will keep all other information completely confidential.

Thanks so much :-)

Deb

[Leah Mumford]

Hello there,

Posting on behalf of a family:

Can anyone recommend a good spelling program on the computer? There are many spelling review/testing games on-line, but we are looking specifically for a program to teach the spelling words that we can customize to match his spelling lists from school. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Please email to: leahmumford@gmail.com

Thanks,
Leah

[Dione Costanzo]

March ABA Support Network (and other) Meetings and Events:

If you need to reach out for support or information please do not hesitate to contact one of our network facilitators below who can connect you with other parents.

South Surrey/White Rock – abarocks@gmail.com
Coquitlam/Tri-Cities – jbtwickens@gmail.com
Surrey/Cloverdale/Langley – tamara_desilva@hotmail.com
All other locations – dione@abasupportnetwork.com

Please stay updated by following us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/abasupportnetwork and Twitter @aba_sn
and on our online calendar on our website – http://abasupportnetwork.com/calendar.php

EVENTS:

Autism Diagnosis? Parents Helping Parents Information Series

This is a monthly event for new parents – please help us spread the word by printing the flyer from our website and posting at your local dr office, pediatrician, clinic, library, rec center, etc…
http://abasupportnetwork.com/docs/Parent%20Info%20Series%20Flyer.pdf

Date: Tuesday, March 11
Time: 7:00-9:00pm
Location: Surrey Sport and Leisure Complex (Arena side, upstairs)

Topic: Special Presentation by Louise Witt, parent. Louise will talk about her journey from diagnosis, setting up and maintaining a quality treatment program. This is a great meeting to network with other parents and ask questions.

please rsvp to tamara_desilva@Hotmail.com

There will be plenty of opportunity for discussion, questions and networking with other parents.

Neighborhood Network Meeting – South Surrey/White Rock
There is no meeting planned for South Surrey due to Spring Break.

Neighborhood Network Meeting – Tri-Cities
There is no meeting planned for the Tri-Cities due to Spring Break.

ASD & Family Quality of Life Discussion Series hosted by SFU and the Laurel Foundation

Date: Saturday, March 8
Time: 1-4pm
Location: SFU Vancouver

Topic: Families and Mental Health- Saturday, March 8, 2014 starting at 1pm

This event is FREE and open to the public will take place in Room 7000 (Earl and Jennie Lohn Policy Room) at Simon Fraser University (Downtown Vancouver Campus).

Panelists will include:

Grace Iarocci, Associate Professor of Psychology, SFU
Emily Gardiner, Doctoral Candidate, Psychology, SFU
Vikram Dua, Psychiatrist, Clinical Associate Professor, UBC
Angela Clancy, Executive Director, Family Support Institute
Steve Cairns, Director of the F.O.R.C.E Society for Kids’ Mental Health
Member of the BC School Centered Mental Health Coalition
Tara Kimberly Torme, Office Worker, Community Living BC, Self-Advocate with Asperger Syndrome
Laurel Foundation
Louise Witt, BA Psych, BSW, MSW, Parent, Director of the ABA Support Network

BC-ABA 6th Annual Conference

Date: Key note Friday March 14, Conference Saturday March 15

Registration and conference information – https://bc-aba.org/events/

The ABA Support Network will be presenting during the conference on ABA in Schools and Parent Advocacy.

This conference is a great way to learn and network in the ABA community.

[Dione Costanzo]

The second annual ABA Support Network Pub Night for an “AU-SOME” Cause is coming up on this Saturday March 1.

Buy and print your tickets on line now – http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/pub-night-for-an-au-some-cause-tickets-10031784337

Last year’s event was a great time and some people walked away with incredible bargains from the silent auction, door prizes, games and raffles. This year there will be even more items to bid on including:

* Wine + Dine Board worth over $350
* Lots of beer packages, merchandise and a Beer Board (all good stuff)
* iPad mini
* Photography booth with the amazing talented Mr Chan
* Restaurant and casino gift certificates
* Olympic Hockey Jersey signed by Dan Hamhuis
* Canucks tickets
* Yoga gear
* Mary Kay makeup package
………………….and many more items

The same incredible band will be back for this year’s event.

If you want a fun evening and a chance to connect with some amazing people, this is an evening for you.

Cheers,
Dione

[Bev Sharpe]

This latest edition of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment is a must-read.

http://www.asatonline.org/pdf/winter2014.pdf

On page 18 of this newsletter there is a summary of the guidelines that will help parents differentiate good from poor consultants. From this newsletter you can download the entire consumer guidelines for consultants.

[Bev Sharpe]

The newest edition of the ASAT newsletter is here!

The Association for Science in Autism Treatment: ASAT is a not-for-profit organization of parents and professionals committed to improving the education, treatment, and care of people with autism. Since autism was first identified, there has been a long history of failed treatments and fads, levied on vulnerable individuals as well as on their families. From the scandal of the “refrigerator mother” theory, to the ongoing parade of “miracle cures” and “magical breakthroughs,” history has been dominated by improbable theories about causation and treatments.

Many of these treatments have been too quickly adopted by professionals, too readily sensationalized by the media, and too hastily embraced by hopeful consumers – well before supporting evidence or reasonable probability existed for their effectiveness or safety.

Since ASAT was established in 1998, it has been their goal to work toward adopting higher standards of accountability for the care, education and treatment of all individuals with autism.

http://www.asatonline.org/pdf/winter2014.pdf

This organization is not-for-profit and accepts donations to keep this organization running.

[Dione Costanzo]

MEDIA RELEASE

ABA Support Network
Surrey, BC
http://www.abasupportnetwork.com
Jodie Wickens, Media Contact
Phone: 604-837-5634
Email: jbtwickens@gmail.com

There can be hope for children with autism in BC schools

Parents want evidence-based learning programs and supports established in all B.C. school districts.

February 17 2014, Surrey, BC: Recent news stories such as the Seclusion and Restraint report and most recently the story of Susan DeBeck, a Vancouver teacher who claims she was fired for standing up for her students with special needs, shows the education system is in a state of crisis when it comes to providing appropriate supports for students with special needs.

A local non-profit autism support group is reaching out to the Minister of Education and district administration across BC to educate them about Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), which is the scientifically supported gold standard in teaching and behaviour management.

ABA is a structured teaching method in which functional skills are broken down and taught one step at a time. That means that children with autism can learn and flourish in all areas including language and communication, play and leisure, self help, life skills and academics.

Families of children with autism often put ABA teams together to work with their children at home. Dione Costanzo, director of the ABA Support Network says that the results are worth the emotional and financial stress.

However, once a child with autism enters school in a district that does not have supports for ABA programs, the results achieved at home can be severely compromised, says Costanzo. “All the successes achieved can grind to a halt and often the child regresses.”

ABA is widely considered to be the most effective, evidence-based learning approach for children with autism yet Surrey is the only school district in B.C. that has an established system for hiring ABA-trained teaching aides.

Costanzo says that the ABA Support Network and parents are on a mission to change this.

“Children have a right to an education and ABA is the best method to achieve this for children with autism,” says Costanzo. “Implementing these programs, and training and hiring more ABA teaching assistants is the right thing to do, and it's the law.”

According to the landmark Supreme Court of BC ruling – Hewko v. B.C., 2006 BCSC 1638 – what is required for children with autism to access an education is adherence to their established ABA programs, and the availability of teaching aides that are trained to carry it out. In most B.C. school districts, ABA programs are not accommodated nor do teaching aides have the proper training to support these programs.

Costanzo says that implementing the ABA programs is a cost-neutral exercise, it just requires the political will.

“Getting an appropriate education system for children with autism in place with ABA-trained teaching aides requires political will and leadership,” she says. “It will not increase costs but it will be utilizing existing funds more effectively.”

The ABA Support Network is a parent-led, non-profit organization whose mission is to improve access to ABA support and services for individuals with autism.

For information about the ABA Support Network contact Dione Costanzo at dione@abasupportnetwork.com or 604-817-1526. Anyone interested in learning more about autism and ABA in Schools can visit the ABA Support Network website at http://www.abasupportnetwork.com

[Mike & Jean]

What do children/adults with autism, people with physical disablilites, seniors or anyone who is vulnerable and subject to "government care" have in common? We live under the illusion that they share the same rights and protections as the "rest of us" or as I like to say, "the temporarily abled" Wrong! NO law exists which gives these vulnerable groups practical force and effect to the equality provisions of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Without such law, every service, including treatment funding, our kids/adults receive are completely discretionary and can be stopped tomorrow. That's why I encourage you to join us at Civil Rights Now! and find out what you can do to protect your kids and future generations.
You can begin by tuning into The Bill Good Show tomorrow morning at 9:30 to hear Ivan Sayers and former FEAT-BC, Medicare for Autism Now, and Civil Rights Now! director, Jean Lewis discuss why Civil Rights Now! exists and why it is having the Radical Rags fundraiser. Find out what it means for your family and all British Columbians with disabilities. The Bill Good Show can be heard on CKNW @980 AM. Call in to join the conversation and win free tickets. Order tickets and find out more about Civil Rights Now! @ http://www.civilrightsnow.ca

[Lisa Hruda]

This is to the parents on here.
I’m a 4th year Graphic Design for Marketing student at Kwantlen University (Richmond). I am also a parent with a 9 year old on the spectrum.
For my final major project, I have decided to do an awareness campaign with Medicare For Autism Now as the mock client.

I am wondering if any of you would be willing to share any video clips you may have showing actual ABA therapy sessions as I want to create a video commercial as part of my deliverables. (Any clips with ‘breakthroughs’ would be amazing – ie. first word.)

You can contact me at lisajh@shaw.ca. Thanks.

[Author]

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