[FEAT BC Admin]

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[Deleted User]

To Anon 5:38pm
"Yes, they are all the same, and the only difference is who gets caught and when they get caught"
While I agree 100% these people who have commited these crimes are dispicable, and should not be working with anyone anywhere, NOT ALL SERVICE PROVIDERS, GROUP HOMES, OR AGENCIES ARE THE SAME!!! There are many very good caregivers who are working with people because they genuinely care about them, and are fully trained!!!!
"There is are now some "locals" who actually know what they're doing" yes there are, in many different areas and with many different agencies. Speaking as a "local" who has completed every course I can, and who works with people I genuinely care about, I am so pleased with the Province for investigating and printing this series, now I hope there will be a swift and effective supervisory "body,"who will demand all employees are fully certified, (which the gov was talking about implimenting a year ago) and that this will make all the difference for anyone who is vulnerable in this provinces "services."

[Deleted User]

I seem to remember a story about Gateway getting caught chaining children to desks and leaving them unattended too. Or is that the same story?

Madam Justice Allan didn't tear strips off the government's choices of service provider for no reason at all, you know.

As for every agency having skeletons in the closet, we aren't talking about skeletons here. We aren't talking about isolated incidents. We're talking about people giving medical treatment without proper training, without proper supervision, without proper safeguards. I wonder how many incidents at Gateway and Laurel Group and CBI and Delta have been swept under the rug and didn't make it into the newspapers?

I'm sorry, but "Gateway" and "valuable services" do not belong in the same sentence…unless it's a jail sentence.

[Deleted User]

In response to David’s post. My attempt was by NO means to excuse the behaviour. I was only trying to express that this sort of thing happens everywhere. Parents should not be cautions of Gateway because they were featured in the province. Parents should be cautions of anyone providing service to their children. If society judged all organizations on the actions of a few, there would be NO ONE left to work with the kids. I have worked with many professional organizations while working with children who have Autism. I have never ran into an organization that hasn’t had some skeleton in their closet. Screening of employees isn’t perfect, and abuse does happen. You are free to make up your own mind about organizations like Gateway. I am sure you probably already have, and most likely that opinion has been solidified by this article. I on the other hand, I believe that media pretrial of incidents does bias the public, and therefore keep the belief that organizations like Gateway do provide some valuable services despite these skeletons.

As for the comment, “What else is that stuff inside your skull for, anyhow?” I say, that stuff is in there to use. And by use, I mean look at a situation with an open mind, consider ALL of the factors, be realistic, and come to a reasonable, logical and OPEN MINDED conclusion. NOT to use a closed mind and jump to irrational conclusions based on media portrayal. Tell me this. If the media came out with a story about a single feat parent abusing their child. Should we then assume that all feat parents abuse their children, and that all parents with Autism should stay away from FEAT. I THINK NOT!!!!

[David Bridges]

To the last anonymous posting:

All I really have to say to your comment is, "hogwash!"

Yes, you should judge this organization based on these events. What else is that stuff inside your skull for, anyhow?

Not only does Gateway have a history of similar incidents, but it has contracts with School Districts (or did, at least, when my child had the misfortune of being in the public system). The so-called 'expertise' and advice provided in my son's case was crap and not worth the dollars spent on it.

Gee, I'm sure glad to know the woman who spoke on Gateway's behalf was at least "interested" in putting an end to such abuse in their group homes. Maybe one day they might get around to doing something about it, eh?

And by the way, being overworked is no excuse for beating on people who most definitely ARE dependent on their caregivers. Sickening to see this pathetic attempt to excuse the low-life who did this.

Dave (my stomach's churning) Bridges

[Deleted User]

Yes, they are all the same, and the only difference is who gets caught and when they get caught. And the reason is simple — inadequate training, inadequate supervision. The only thing any of this bunch are good at is bellying up to the government trough to stick their snouts in and suck up the tax dollars.

There is are now some "locals" who actually know what they're doing, like the Early Autism Program. My advice is to steer as far away from people like Gateway and Laurel Group and CBI and that bunch in Delta as possible. I can tell you that they will get their mitts into my child's program when hell freezes over. No, actually not even then.

[Deleted User]

I wanted to respond to the recent posts about the article in the Province RE: Gateway Society. Incidents of abuse in group homes or any other environment are defiantly unacceptable. It is appalling that children who are in a sense helpless and dependent on those caring for them could be taken advantage of in such away. I believe that all members of this chat board would agree with that. I also believe that people should keep an open mind. Don’t judge an entire organization based on a few people’s behaviour. It is not appropriate to assume that this specific group home is run by a bad organization. Unfortunately, abuse happens in many institutions, group homes and homes throughout the world. In many instances this abuse even goes un-reported. I guess the point that I am trying to get to is that the only reason we are now concerned about this organization is because they were featured in the Province. What about the other group homes, etc? We really don’t know about abuse there until someone puts it in the news. Thus, I think statements like, “you don’t have to place your child here EVER, it’s a choice,” may be better phrased as, “carefully consider the place where you are placing your child, if you are placing your child in care (respite, permanent care, babysitting, etc.)”. I doubt that this organization is any different than other group homes out there. They just got caught!

[Deleted User]

The story here courtesy of the Province. Sorry the above link didn't work.

Group home learns bitter lesson in causes of abuse

Ann Rees
The Province

Wednesday, November 27, 2002

CREDIT: Wayne Leidenfrost, The Province

Jane Parlee of the Gateway Society says changes have been made to prevent any recurrence of abuse in Gateway's care homes. As things stand, however, other homes may also learn the hard way.

CREDIT: Wayne Leidenfrost, The Province

Holly House in Ladner used to be a group home for four severely autistic teenagers. It was closed down after several incidents of abuse.

ADVERTISEMENT

A six-month Province investigation into licensed community care facilities has uncovered serious flaws in the system of care for troubled or disabled youth and adults with mental disorders or physical and mental disabilities.

The investigation has also revealed the extraordinary difficulties faced by staff and managers trying to provide the best care for often extremely challenging residents. There is great stress and the constant danger of staff burnout.

In the final instalment of a four-part series, Province reporter Ann Rees looks at a home for autistic teenagers that learned a hard lesson following three cases of physical abuse by staff.

—

A Ladner group home for teenagers with autism failed "to protect the spirit, dignity, health and safety of its disabled young residents."

The children were physically abused by two staff members at Holly House, run by the Gateway Society for Autistic Children, which operates the home and two others.

The damning indictment was revealed in records obtained from the Fraser Health Authority under Freedom of Information legislation.

Following lengthy investigations last year, the authority's community care licensing branch informed the Gateway Society that it had contravened three fundamental sections of the Community Care Facilities Act:

– It failed to "only employ … persons of good character who meet the standards for employees."

– It failed to "operate the facility in a manner that will maintain the spirit, dignity and individuality of the persons being cared for."

– It failed to "operate the community care facility in a manner that will promote the health and safety of persons in care."

One of the abusers was fired. The other was suspended after abusing one resident and then resigned after abusing another.

The home has since been closed and the four teens moved to other homes operated by Gateway.

"I am interested in making sure this stuff never happens again," said Jane Parlee, the newly appointed executive director of the Gateway Society and a former member of the Children's Commission.

In addition to closing the home, the society introduced strict controls on the numbers of hours staff may work. In one of the cases, staff burnout due to doubling up on shifts was cited as a possible cause of the abuse.

While Gateway no longer allows staff to work extended hours, there is nothing to prevent staff at homes run by other agencies from working long shifts, often with extremely demanding clients.

The case of Holly House illustrates the disastrous result.

The four teenagers who lived at the home all had severe autism. The developmental disorder often causes poor social and communication skills.

"Communication deficits are one of the big challenges for autism," said Parlee. "Reasoning often is meaningless because individuals just don't understand."

People with autism are also hyper-sensitive to stimulation of sight, sound, taste and touch.

The first report of physical abuse at Holly House flowed from an incident in January 2001 that began as a heated mealtime argument between a staff member and the resident.

The caregiver became angry, "giving the resident two pushes across the kitchen floor [that resulted in] the resident stumbling down the stairs," according to a staff witness account.

Another member of staff who also witnessed the altercation described it as a "power struggle," and used the term "bullied" to describe [the employee's] "… interaction with the resident."

The same witness claimed to have seen the caregiver "push the resident on other occasions."

The abusive caregiver was fired following an investigation that included police. No charges were laid.

There was concern that other staff had not intervened and had waited days before filing a report of the abuse.

"The fact that a number of staff were aware of the incident and did not report it for several days is worrying," said a memo to community care licensing from an unidentified source.

The fired staff member had also been working shifts at other Gateway Society residences. There were no reports of physical abuse at the other homes last year.

But the Gateway Society did have problems at another home in the late '90s.

In 1998, Gateway House was placed under the management of a trustee appointed by the health minister. The trusteeship had ceased at the time of the incidents in early 2001.

Less than three months after the firing, Holly House in April reported the second case of physical abuse.

The incident also began over a dispute during a meal. The youth appeared to be upset about being fed by a particular male member of staff. The youth grabbed the worker's stomach and then his thigh.

Another employee who witnessed the incident said "it appeared to be an act of protest" by the youth.

The caregiver removed the youth's hand and "pushed it firmly back to [blank — name deleted] lap."

Another staff member offered to feed the upset youth. But the caregiver insisted, "I'll feed [blank]."

The upset youth began to bang his head on the table before attempting to grab the bowl of food from the caregiver.

A member of staff again reported that this appeared to have been done "in protest."

The caregiver attempted to settle the youth down, saying: "Let's try again," according to the witness.

But the youth grabbed the bowl and threw it across the table.

At this point, according to several other staff, the caregiver lost his temper.

He "abruptly grabbed [the youth] by the wrists. With a stern tone of voice [he] said, 'Snack is finished,' and … strongly pulled [blank] from the plastic chair."

The youth "fell to the floor in the kitchen with a bang. The plastic chair [the youth] was sitting on went flying."

The caregiver helped the youth to his feet, but the resident fell to the floor again.

"Out of the corner of my eye I saw [the youth] falling to the floor — face first on his hands and knees.

"[The youth) hit the floor and I heard a thud. At the same time [the youth) fell forward [the caregiver) was standing behind [him] and I heard [him] say in a forceful voice: "Go to couch."

The caregiver claimed the resident "slid out of [the] chair and was lying on the floor." After helping him up, the caregiver "sensed [the youth] was not happy."

He claimed he tried rough-housing with the youth to "brighten [his] spirits."

"I tried something that has worked many times in the past," he wrote. "As he got on to [his] feet, I put my left arm on [his] back and gave [him] a light shove. [The youth] moved a couple of steps into the living room, then dropped on to [his] knees with [his] hands upon the ground," the abuser wrote in a memo.

He then apologized to the youth.

The caregiver was suspended with pay pending the outcome of the licensing investigation.

Other staff told investigators they had "grave concerns about working with him … [he] was so choked [about being reported]" and that everyone was scared that he was returning to work.

During the investigation it came to light that the caregiver had been employed virtually full-time at two Gateway Residences — working "70 hours or more" with the extremely challenging young clients.

Licensing chastised Gateway and exacted a promise that it would develop a policy to "ensure that someone is not working at both facilities in excess of 35 hours" a week.

Licensing later discovered the caregiver also had a "private recreational contract with one of the youth."

Other staff at Holly House told licensing that they believed the worker was "burnt out" because of over-work.

Meanwhile, the autistic youth's father told investigators that he approved of the staff "rough-housing" with his son and did not believe the worker should be punished.

Gateway promised to notify licensing before allowing him to return to work.

It also promised that when he did return he would be monitored by a supervisor.

Gateway broke both promises.

He was allowed to return to work without supervision and before licensing had completed its investigation.

Less than a month after his first incident of physical abuse, the employee again used excessive physical force on a resident.

"On June 1, 2001, prior to the completion of the investigation of the [first] allegation, a second allegation regarding the same staff person was reported to licensing," said a memo from the South Fraser Health Region, which is now part of the Fraser Health Authority.

"The staff person was alleged to have pushed the resident's head into the ground, pushed the resident into a chair and held the resident's head between the resident's knees.

"The resident sustained a lump on [the] forehead."

This time the abuser was caught red-handed by the youth's father.

He had stopped by the home to pick up his son for a weekend visit. But since the boy was still eating dinner, he decided to run an errand and return in 10 minutes.

The boy did not understand that his father intended to return and was extremely upset to see him leave.

Another staff member wrote: "On two occasions [the youth] came towards me with tears in [his] eyes and appeared [to want] comforting. As best I could, I reassured [the youth] that [dad] was coming back…"

The youth kicked this worker in both legs.

Still agitated, the youth went into the living room, which has an outside patio. There he became involved with the staff member who had just returned from his suspension.

The witness reported that the youth screamed and the worker lifted him and threw him to the patio floor.

The youth landed on his "knees and the palms of [his] hands," said the witness.

None of the staff on duty saw how the youth got to his feet.

The next witness accounts say the youth was restrained in the chair by the red-faced and "angry" caregiver.

He "was restraining the resident in the chair, holding the resident's head," said one report.

Others said they saw him slam the boy's head into his knees.

The youth's father returned to find his distraught son in the chair with a bruise and swelling on the forehead. He filed a complaint with police. The employee was charged and recently convicted, said Parlee. No further details were available.

Parlee said the hard-learned lesson is that the stresses for staff of working with difficult residents cannot be ignored.

"Eight hours, maybe 10 on an extended night shift, that's enough," she said.

"The individuals we serve for the most part have very high needs and you need to take an emotional break at the end of the day."

© Copyright 2002 The Province

[Deleted User]

Here is a story in The Province that discusses Gateway Society. Keep in mind YOU DON'T have to place your child here EVER it's a choice.

Read on

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/story.asp?id={1B28BCC8-0C8D-4FD2-AB71-AE5F6F151DED}

[Mike & Jean]

Subject: Shelley Davis Workshop – Jan 18-19, 2003

Hi Everyone,

As promised, Shelley Davis, Behavioural Consultant is coming to SFU on Jan. 18-19, 2003

Shelley’s workshop will cover:
– A.B.A. programs for children over six
– A.B.A. basics from therapy room to the real world
– The “B” (behaviour) in A.B.A. How significant is it?
– The importance of ‘instructional control’
– Matching programming to the child
– Teaching ‘skills’ vs ‘concepts’
– School issues
– Plus much more

Who should come?

– Everyone; all parents – whether you have a program or not
– Therapists and consultants for home based ABA programs
– School aides, teachers, resource staff
– Speech pathologists, infant development specialists
– Students
– Health care professionals

Shelley’s workshops are always very informative, fun and packed – so register now! Download a registration form from the FEAT of BC web-site (go to featbc.org, then go to FEAT Events, it is the second downloadable form.)

See you there,
Jean Lewis

[Deleted User]

I know this isn't related to Lovaas, but it is a interesting story of how some parents felt when they were given their diagnosis of autism.

A story of misplaced blame
By Kevin Davis

In 1996, J.J. Hanley noticed that her 3-year-old son, Tim, was becoming increasingly withdrawn. He wouldn’t look his mother in the eye, was extremely sensitive to noise and didn’t speak. Hanley suspected something was terribly wrong and decided to take Tim to the doctor.

What the doctor told Hanley floored her. “He said I was an overanxious, overbearing mother and that I needed to leave my son alone and he would be fine,” says Hanley, a resident of Wilmette. “And this physician was known as a great diagnostician.”

Despite the emotional blow from the doctor’s stinging pronouncement, Hanley decided to follow his advice. But Tim got worse. After visits with several other specialists she finally found out why her son was behaving so unusually. He had autism.

Autism is a poorly understood neurological disorder that strikes one in every 500 children. It is a condition for which there is no cure and no known cause. Children often appear to be developing normally during their first few years but eventually experience mental isolation, speech difficulties and obsessive, repetitive behavior.

Hanley felt crushed that the doctor blamed her for her son’s problems. “I was in a deep period of grief. I felt so guilty,” she says. “I was trying to figure out what I did to make my son that way.”

As she began to research autism further, Hanley learned that other mothers were told the same thing. In fact, for decades, thousands of mothers of autistic children were led to believe that they were to blame for their children’s condition. It was only recently that autism was recognized as a neurological, rather than a psychological disorder.

Hanley’s experience and her growing interest in autism was the inspiration for the documentary, Refrigerator Mothers, a P.O.V. special airing on WTTW11 on July 16, 2002 at 10 pm. Last month the film won the Grand Jury Prize for best documentary feature at the Florida Film Festival.

Directed by Chicago filmmaker David E. Simpson, Refrigerator Mothers examines how mothers of autistic children during the 1950s and 1960s were told they were responsible for their children’s condition by failing to bond with them. This left many caring, loving mothers distraught, guilt-ridden and suicidal.

June Francis, one of the mothers profiled in the documentary, explains how a pediatrician told her she never connected or bonded with her son. “I could not see how that could have happened,” she says. “But here was someone with authority saying it had happened.”

The mother-is-to-blame theory, which was widely accepted in the medical community, was put forth by Bruno Bettelheim, a respected University of Chicago professor and child-development specialist.

A survivor of Nazi concentration camps, Bettelheim said he saw similarities in the behavior of prisoners and autistic children. His theory was that autistic children suffered psychological disturbances because of detached, or “frigid,” mothering, behavior similar to prisoners who felt they were treated coldly by guards. Thus, the name Refrigerator Mothers.

Bettelheim insisted that autistic children behaved abnormally as a form of retaliation against their rejecting mothers, who had traumatized the children by failing to provide enough love or attention.

The medical establishment bought into his theory. At the time Bettelheim espoused his views, Freudian theory was also gaining popularity, as many believed their behavioral and psychological problems stemmed from their relationships with their parents. Few people ever challenged their doctors. “You didn’t question the man in the white coat,” Simpson says.

Hanley’s experience was unusual because it happened so recently. She believes Tim’s doctor simply never learned much about autism and was among the few that still held on to an outdated theory. “It was a combination of arrogance and ignorance,” she says.

One of those to challenge Bettelheim’s theory was Bernard Rimland, a psychologist and father of an autistic child. In his landmark 1964 book, Infantile Autism: The Syndrome and Its Implications for a Neural Theory of Behavior, Rimland dismantled the psychoanalytic theory of autism. He argued for a neurological basis for autistic behavior and documented the similarities between brain-injured children and autistic children.

Yet it would take another 20 years before Bettelheim’s theory was widely discredited. He stood by his theory until his death in 1990, and never recanted or apologized for the pain he put so many mothers through. “That’s the real tragic thing about this story,” Hanley says.

Hanley, a former feature writer for Pioneer Press newspapers in suburban Chicago, felt there was a compelling story in this dark period in medical history. She thought film would be the best medium, largely because it is difficult to describe autism. “I needed people to see it,” she says.

She sought out Gordon Quinn, president of Kartemquin Educational Films in Chicago, which specializes in documentaries that address social issues. Quinn’s producing credits include the highly acclaimed Hoop Dreams. Quinn liked the idea and enlisted Simpson, who directed, edited and co-produced Refrigerator Mothers. “It was a good collaboration with J.J.,” Simpson says. “She had no experience as a filmmaker and I knew nothing about autism.”

Hanley, credited as producer, wrote grant proposals, did research and got in contact with other mothers of autistic children who agreed to share their stories in the film. The documentary follows the stories of several refrigerator mothers who recount their sadness, anger, guilt and self-doubt. Several of those profiled live in the Chicago area. “We made this as an homage to those mothers, to honor their struggle,” Simpson says.

Their stories are heartbreaking. Not only do we learn how difficult it is to raise an autistic child, but that these loving mothers for years lived with the guilt of believing they were the cause of the problem. “The mothers’ stories are so profound and poignant,” Hanley says.

Many of the mothers were reluctant to revisit those memories, hoping to put the past behind them. Hanley felt strongly that their stories mattered. “I wanted to raise awareness about this,” she says. “I think this film is taking a great and final step in discrediting Bettelheim’s theory. Parents have been subject to blame for too long. I hope this puts the nail in the coffin.”

Refrigerator Mothers, a P.O.V. documentary, airs on WTTW11 on Tuesday, July 16, 2002 at 10 pm.

[Author]

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