[FEAT BC Admin]

This area is for discussions in general topics.

Topic

[Timothy Ralphs]

A friend of mine from Maple Ridge is up against the daunting prospect of choosing a service provider and starting up a program for her child. Are there any support groups in that part of town? Or someone who has recently gone down that road and can steer her in the right direction? My experience is based on what was available two years ago, so I'm probably not up to date with the latest problems (ie: waiting lists) and solutions.

Thanks.

[Mayfawny Goertzen]

TURNING 7

My child isn't turning 7 until June. Sorry, I guess you mis-understood my question? I thought that it was already extended, I thought that the March 31 dead line was no longer in affect. HMMMM.

Anyway, my original question was … if it is extended … what happens when my child turns 7? The contract says they only fund up to the age of 7.

Thank you for your quick reply Sooke and Happy Valentine's Day to you too.
concerned parent

[David Zunker]

Our contract ends March 31. I have talked to someone at the Ministry and asked about having it extended until Oct. 31. I was told they are having a meeting next week, and it is likely all contracts will be extended. This is probably because the gov't has to comply with the B.C. Appeal Court ruling of last Oct. until their case is heard in the Federal Supreme Court. So, talk to your social worker in a week or so about having your contract extended. If they foot-drag, remind them of the Justice Marion Allan decision which stated that the B.C. government may not discriminate funding decisions due to a child's age. You may also want to remind them that "the Court of Appeal has indicated it is prepared, if necessary, to find individual government civil servants in contempt of court" to enforce its ruling.
Happy Valentine's Day
from Sooke

[Deleted User]

AFTER AGE 7

My child will be turning 7 soon. From what I understand the government funding runs out then…is this true. If so, does this mean that the world and gives up at this age? What's with that? I don't know where else to go, so anyone with information. Please reply to this.
Thank you
A concerned parent

[Courtney Mapson]

Hi,
I'm looking for a Visual Timer, one that is normally ordered through the Different Roads to Learning. Wondering if anyone is selling theirs or knows of another distributor in Canada/BC or of another place that has it or who has similar ones. Can email me at cpaigemapson@hotmail.com if you know of someone who sells them here. Thanks.
Courtney

[Courtney Mapson]

Hi,
I'm looking for a Visual Timer, one that is normally ordered through the Different Roads to Learning. Wondering if anyone is selling theirs or knows of another distributor in Canada/BC or of another place that has it or who has similar ones. Can email me at cpaigemapson@hotmail.com, if you know of someone who sells them here. Thanks.
Courtney

[Deleted User]

NOTE*** although this conference is in Ontario because of the content I thought it may be of interest to some in BC
best wishes,
norrah whitney
*********************************************

We are pleased to announce our 4th Annual New Haven Conference entitled:

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA):
A Life-long Solution to the Challenges of Autism

Join us on Friday, April 4th, 2003
9:00 am – 4:45 pm

at Manulife Financial
200 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario

Our panel of expert Speakers in the field of ABA and Autism include:
– Bridget A. Taylor, Psy.D. BCBA, Alpine Learning Group
– David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA, Private Consultant
– Joanne Gerenser, M.A., Speech and Hearing Sciences, Eden II
– Randy Horowitz, M.S.Ed., S.A.S. – Eden II
– Jessica Brian, Ph.D., C. Psych., Hospital For Sick Children
– Kevin S. Cauley, B.A., BCABA., Step by Step Learning Group
– Len Levin, Ph.D., New Haven Learning Centre
– Audrey Meissner, M.Ed., New Haven Learning Centre

Topics include:
– Addressing Social Behaviour Across the Life Span (Keynote)
– Teaching Individuals with Autism to Cope with Crises and Dangers in the
Community
– Beyond Skill Acquisition: Strategies to Promote Generalization and
Maintenance
– Promoting Speech and Language in Children with Autism: Moving Beyond the
Basics
– Augmentative Communication and Autism
– Preparing and Supporting Students with Autism in the Community
– Understanding ABA with your Child: What Should You Expect
– Designing Interventions for Infants and Toddlers with Early Signs of
Autism Spectrum Disorders
– Enhancing Learning for Children with Autism using Precision Teaching
– Implementing Independent Activity Schedules

Parent or Student: $125.00
Professional: $150.00

Must pre-register to attend. Space is limited.
For more information or to register, please call (416) 259-4445
or email us at NHLearning@aol.com

I look forward to seeing you there.

Regards,

Len Levin, Ph.D.
Executive Director
New Haven Learning Centre

[Deleted User]

New Method Finds Gene Cause of Some Autism -Study
Fri Feb 7, 3:10 PM ET

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Using a new method that separates patients by their symptoms, U.S. researchers said on Friday they found a new genetic link to autism and suggested the approach might be used to pinpoint the genetic causes of other diseases as well.

The research also suggests that several different causes may be behind autism, a disturbing and increasingly common behavioral disorder that baffles parents and doctors alike. The new study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, links certain types of autism to a place on chromosome 15 linked with several other disorders.

It had been suspected in autism for some time, but researchers had been unable to show that people with certain versions of genes on chromosome 15 were more likely to have autism. The team at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina and at the University of South Carolina decided to separate out autistic children by their actual behaviors. Autism, which affects one in 1,000 children in the United States, is defined by a wide range of symptoms, many of which are just an exaggeration of normal childhood behavior. "All kids with autism by definition have some form of repetitive behavior," Duke child psychologist Michael Cuccaro, who helped lead the study, said in a telephone interview. "One kind of a classical autism feature … may be a child doing something with his hands and arms. He might be flapping them, might be waving them in front of the eyes." Cuccaro's team focused on children with other, more prominent symptoms. "These are kids who if you changed the furniture in the room, they become extremely upset and have difficulty with that. If they normally went to bed at 7:30 and before they did that they took a bath and put pajamas on, if you changed that they would have great difficulty with that."

SIMILAR MUTATIONS

When those particular children and teen-agers were separated out, the researchers were able to find a series of mutations on chromosome 15 that seemed to be similar, said Dr. Margaret Pericak-Vance, a Duke geneticist who led the study. They used a statistical trick, but they double-checked and the association was clear, Pericak-Vance said. Both she and Cuccaro say that supports what many researchers have said — that autism is a complex disease and may not be caused by the same thing in every patient. "It's like any complex disease — there are a number of underlying causes for it and they manifest similarly," she said. "The next thing is to look at possible interactions between the genes in this region. This region seems to be involved in a lot of different disorders."
Pericak-Vance said her team was already trying the new approach to separate out different kinds of Alzheimer's disease (news – web sites). Alzheimer's has different forms — some are seen earlier in life than others, and Pericak-Vance hopes the method might find a genetic difference among them.
The gene on chromosome 15 that seems to be affected in the autism patients controls a neurotransmitter called GABA. That message-carrying chemical acts to turn off brain cells. As the behavior seen in these children seems to be an extreme version of what every child does at one time or another, it could be that these particular symptoms are caused by the brain's failure to turn off a signal. In other words, it does not know when to stop — thus the obsessive behavior.

The research did little to answer questions about whether environmental causes may be behind autism, Cuccaro said. One group of parents believes childhood vaccines may be a cause, although several studies aimed at finding out if that is true have shown no link. "What we are coming to find about vaccines now is that there is not a lot of support for a link between the vaccine and autism," said Cuccaro.
The study may help scientists find a way to treat autism, which is now incurable. If a precise genetic cause of one behavior is found, it might be possible to design a drug that will correct it.

That would not be a cure — autism is too complex for that — but it may be possible to moderate some of the symptoms, Cuccaro said.

[Deleted User]

Hi! I am an ABA therapist on two teams, with almost two years of experience as a line therapist. I have a degree in Psychology, and I am also a certified Elementary Teacher. I am moving to the Okanagan, and unfortunately I have to leave the teams I am on. I would love to continue with ABA if possible, and was wondering if there are any families in the North Okanagan region who would be looking for a therapist now, or in the future. I can be reached at turtle_one@hotmail.com, or post to this chat board. Thank you!

Thank you!

[Deleted User]

we use Dr Larson in Abbotsford. He's a "special needs" dentist with Children's Hospital privileges for if we need work done. He's absolutely awesome and we're very very happy. My son is 8 and will actually let Dr Larson brush his teeth and look in his mouth (yes!!!)

[Author]

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