[FEAT BC Admin]

This area is for discussions in general topics.

Topic

[Anna Aquino]

I watched the special as well and I'm glad that they showed
the different approaches. We are doing ABA with EAP too so
it was nice to see the Leger family and the progress
they are making. It is very hopeful…truly an inspiration for
teams like ours.

[Louise Watson]

Hi all, I watched the show last night too. It is nice to be able to put a face to a couple of people who visit this board. I too found the first hour a bit confusing. i have been running an aba program for a little over a year now and have seen wonderful results. Seeing the second type of therapy though made me question wether I was doing the right thing. It made me wonder if we werent playing enough in therapy or that we werent socializing my son enough, so i emailed my consultant and she too watched the show. Once again she put my mind at ease explaining how liam needed to work on his communication skills and his language skills or what good would it do for him to be social without these, so now once again i know i have made the right choice. i agree with tamara though that new parents watching would probably think that all three types of therapy shown are as good as each other,I am glad i have a good consultant who keeps me grounded.so far aba hasnt let us down so i am sticking with it, Louise(liams mum)

[Deleted User]

Clarification Required —

In last night's broadcast Pat Miranda mentioned a National Academy of Science 2001 study that was completed by a panel of "experts" over 2 years, with input from a variety of consultants, to look at treatment options and outcomes of children from 0-8years. She said that the study's finding could recommend no one treatment above another, but that they did recommend a set of "core principles" (that sounded like a description of ABA to me).

I was completely shocked: I thought Lovaas-ABA was the only science-based treatment. I have seen the incredible results myself on my own child and others that I know who are in ABA-Lovaas programs, and by observing the progress of those that have chosen a different path. I am particularly concerned of this misleading message for new parents entering "the spectrum" who may yet be undecided as to treatment preference.

Does anyone have the study reference or know more about this?

thanks,

tamara

[David Chan]

Hi Everyone,

Did anyone else see the "Special"- Autism the
road back. on Knowlege network last night
Any comments other than how
Mike and Tammara looked pretty good on TV.

I am very interested in what other people saw
in the special,what they thought about the
information given in the program and their
reaction to it.

I will wait and see how other people felt and
then I will post my thoughts

Dave,

Mr. P's Dad

[Diane T]

To add two cents to Avery's advice: If you can't find someone qualified and available nearby, consider looking further away.

It used to be that there weren't bona fide consultants who lived in B.C. Most of us brought in our consultant from elsewhere – usually south of the border.

This is still an option that anyone can consider – especially those of us who live outside the Lower Mainland, since we would be asking any Vancouver-based consultant to travel anyway. It is more expensive to have to fly in your consultant, but if you can join together with another family you can share airfare. The consultant can make one trip to see two families.

Having a consultant from away often involves a workshop model of consulting. Our consultant's original visit was three days in length. At the end of three days, we had a complete program, and our family and team were well prepared to deliver our program. After that, we usually saw our consultant for two days every three months. In between visits, we communicated regularly by e-mail, phone, and occasionally video.

Be creative. Just remember that it's really important that your consultant be qualified and experienced.

Diane
Parent
Fifth year, First Consultant, Also Loving Every Minute Of It

[Maureen St. Cyr]

When looking for consultants, try not to be scared off by
their waiting lists. The best and brightest will always have
waiting lists for obvious reasons. First of all, once you find
some names you respect, get on ALL of their waiting lists.
You can take the one that comes up first, and remember
you aren't MARRIED to your consultant. If it doesn't work
out to be best fit for your child, you can move on and no
bonafide consultant will do anything other than wish you
well. If you have a particular consultant you really want,
then go after them and waiting list be damned. Remember,
things change. They may have a child move out of town
tomorrow and suddenly have an opening. Or a new
consultant joins their group and suddenly they have room
to clear the waiting list. It happens. Call every couple of
weeks and see how things are going. SELL them your kid (I
kid you not). Consultants are human beings too — wouldn't
you rather work with a child who has parents you know are
motivated to do the best job possible, rather than, as
Shelley Davis once put it, parents who think Lovaas-ABA is
like skating lessons? Go for it. Instead of worrying about the
length of the waiting list, just get on it now. You'll probably
find it's the fastest route to success. Just remember lesson
number one — never panic and accept the "help" of one of
the government's pack of quacks…that kind of "treatment"
is worse than none at all.

Cheers,

Avery
Ariel's Dad
Sixth Year, Third Consultant, Loving Every Minute of It

[Deleted User]

We can totally relate to your situation as we are going through the same process ourselves. First it took months for a diagnosis to be completed – then a number of weeks more to research the various service providers in the Lower Mainland ( the majority of whom, in our opinion, are even lsess than so-so) only to find that the respected Lovaas ABA providers – backed by testimonials by other parents – all have waiting lists. I am still angry with the Ministry for not only steering us in the wrong direction, but actually WARNING us not to go anywhere near FEAT. Luckily, that piqued our curiosity and we logged on the next day only to discover a group of people who have no other agenda than to do what's best for their kids and who make a hell of alot more sense than just about any "professional" we have encountered on our adventure in the world of services for Autistic kids. Good luck and hang in there.

[David & Lori DiSanto]

Hi all,

I need some advice regarding service providers.
We have some friends who are desperately wanting to start a program but are finding people are all booked up.

We've been getting incredible supervision from EAP but EAPs wait list is too long for their liking. I have heard very good things about Rachel Russell but I've heard she is on maternity leave or something like that.

Who are some other excellent local people who do a great job supervising a Lovaas-based ABA program?

If you've personally had a good experience with a particular provider then I'd love to hear from you. If you've just heard that "so-and-so" is good then I'd still like to hear.

Anyways, please drop me a line back at dwd@sfu.ca

Thanks so much,
Dave.

[Hedy S. Ghiani]

URGENT MESSAGE FOR Debbie Reese Re: Therapist for her son FROM HEDY
Debbie, this is regarding the girl I found to help you on your son's therapy team. She has had her phone stolen and had it shut off, so if you have tried to contact her, she may have been out of service.She is worried you have tried to call her and want desperately to get in touch with you. she is so eager to work with your son. I have misplaced your phone number to give to her.. Please reply via email and give me your number so she can call you.
-hedy
Hedyxo@yahoo.com…phone number (604)374-1740

[Mike & Jean]

FEAT Meeting

Hi Everyone:

The next FEAT meeting is on Monday, October 20th at St. Francis in-the-Wood Anglican church in West Vancouver – 7:30pm – 9:30pm (map available to download from the FEAT web-page)

The topic is:

"How to set up an Lovaas-style home based A.B.A. program"

– where do I find a consultant?
– where do I find therapists?
– how do I manage a team?

See you there

Regards, Jean

[Author]

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