[FEAT BC Admin]

This area is for discussions in general topics.

Topic

[Linda Cucek]

In regards to the anonymous posting:
By Anonymous on Saturday, August 24, 2002
I agree with what you are saying, my son James was diagnosed at 13 years old, so for all those years I had four wrong diagnosis until he turned 13, did I have any help, which was not much. I was put on long waiting lists, and I have been given many careworkers which are baby sitters because they are not professionally trained in ABA to know how to handle our autistic children.

Instead they end up hospitalizing them because they don't know how to handle watching the child or the doctors don't really know what medications to put them on. The government is so wrong to put an age limit on it, especially in my case when I only found out James had autism when he was 13 years old. That really sucks and is unfair and discriminatory to all autistic's.

Linda Cucek "James Mom"

[Linda Cucek]

In regards to the anonymous posting:
By Anonymous on Saturday, August 24, 2002
I agree with what you are saying, my son James was diagnosed at 13 years old, so for all those years I had four wrong diagnosis until he turned 13, did I have any help, which was not much. I was put on long waiting lists, and I have been given many careworkers which are baby sitters because they are not professionally trained in ABA to know how to handle our autistic children.

Instead they end up hospitalizing them because they don't know how to handle watching the child or the doctors don't really know what medications to put them on. The government is so wrong to put an age limit on it, especially in my case when I only found out James had autism when he was 13 years old. That really sucks and is unfair and discriminatory to all autistic's.

Linda Cucek "James Mom"

[Linda Cucek]

I can understand how expensive the conference is but the Laurel Group and Mainstream gave me permission to bring Fran and Kim Peek to the conference and they are paying for their expenses and of course he is coming here to lobby for my son James who was promised by the Premier Gordon Campbell, to get the Lovaas Treatment.

He was 15 years old when he was promised and the Premier has abolished the Children's Commission and disbanded the Human Rights Commission and replaced the Human Rights Commision with Human Rights Tribunal, and of course he did away with Legal Representation for all BC Families.

I have been waiting two years now to go before the Human Rights Commission, and No action has taken place. My son James keeps going in and out of the Royal Columbian Hospital, its like a roller coaster from hell, they never seem to get his medication right and he is very sensitive to medications in the first place.

I read in the paper in regards to Autism 2002, called Vi Woods, and asked her why older children are not included in this conference? I said this is called discrimination, she kindly told me to hold while she spoke to a few people and said that it so happened two people had cancelled and that Fran and Kim Peek, could come to the conference. I was so happy I cried, after all I have been trying to raise funds to bring them here myself. Younger children do turn into older children and Fran Peek and his son Kim Peek, are coming here to tell the government age difference should not come into the picture. It cost more money to institutionalize your child than to have the treatment and your son or daughter gets to be part of the family. Also, Kim and Fran Peek will be appearing at Port Moody Secondary High School, located at 300 Albert Street, Port Moody. Date:
September 27th, 2002 Time: 7:00 to 9:00 and their is a small cover charge. I made this possible so all autistic parents can afford to come and hear Fran and Kim Peek, based on an oscar winning movie "Rain man" which starred Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.

Fran and Kim Peek, requested us to have him speak at the High School to lobby for my son James and all the older children of BC.
Hope to see you there! Linda Cucek (James mom)

[Laurie Guerra]

Zane's mom,

Of course you attend the conference! Do you think that if you don't use the funds allocated for you to attend that the MCF will use it in a better way? Not likely.

The idea is to attend these things as informed as possible with lots of questions and informed, knowlegeable statements. It is a very refreshing thing when people who know what they are talking about actually challenge these people publicly.

I won't be attending because I won't pay out of pocket for this stuff and my son has reached the ripe old age of 7. You can be sure that I would if it were paid for me.

You posted, "What is a mother to do?"

GET THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD, HELP YOUR CHILD, AND SHOUT IT LIKE HE– FROM THE ROOF TOPS!

Wesley's mom, who is doing just that!

[Jovana Ivanovic]

Re: Anonymous on Saturday, August 24, 2002 – 02:51 pm

It may seem hard, but it's not impossible to obtain required documentation regarding the "Multi-disciplinary assessment and diagnosis." According the MCFD Guidelines revised on July 22, if your child has diagnosis of autism spectrum from a pediatrician or child psychiatrist (and I understand you have), then you need assessments from psychologist and SLP. These could take lots of time through the health system, but privately you can obtain them in a short time. It is an extra cost, but it's worth, in my opinion.

Best regards,
Jovana, Sofija's mom

[Pete Stelmaschuk]

I have a question in regards to the Conference.

Are we saying we shouldn't attend because the Laurel Group is involved? If we qualify for the subsidy, should we not make use of it?

I am against the age discrimination (of course) but maybe Linda Ried will attend and I can tell her myself.

What is a mother (desperate to learn more of autism treatment and care) with a five year old autistic boy to do?

Zane's Mom

[Deleted User]

the great debate…
long standing contract vs an individuals rights, the same rights afforded to other Canadians.

file a Human Rights Complaint

if it were me I would base it on " handicap" discrimination

if it were me I would claim discrimination as against other non handicaped individuals but more so as against other handicaped citizens.

read the definitions of the Code… handicap refers to something very particular.

if the person who posted re their child and Laurel group would like further information on this process pls contact me privately.

best
Norrah Whitney
pls include a subject line with ref to this, I skim through a great deal of mail
aba4u@earthlink.net
fight4aba@hotmail.com

[Deleted User]

Personally,

I think it stinks. My child isn't over the magical age of 7 but because a team didn't diagnose the child we don't qualify. I am going to say this very honestly, I think it's better to have no funding at all then go with the service providers from the MCFD. Paid babysitters is all they are (as in Laurel or whomever).

We pay taxes yet they have the say in who provides behavioural support to our children? I think that the government lackes have been trained in only one way, and that's the not the way it should be. MSP should fund whomever we choose whenever we choose it. Doctors are qualified to make medical treatment referrals, MCFD is not. I don't want anything the government has to offer.

[Deleted User]

Could someone please fill me in as to how the government determined that the magic number "7" was the cutoff age for individualized funding? Do our kids wake up on the morning of their 7th birthday magically cured? We have been trying to secure funding for our "over 7" child and have been told that Laurel Group and Gateway are our only two options. When we told the hierarchy of MCFD that we have tried both of these organizations with less than satisfactory results (to put it very diplomatically – and we have documented evidence of this) we were told that the government has global contracts with these service providers and that they can't break the contracts to provide us with individualized funding for therapies that do work.
Any comment?

[Elaine Gee]

Hi, Does anyone know a "discovery toy" agent? My autistic son loves the "jack in the box" toy from discovery toy company. We would like to purchase it. Please phone me at 604-2720078 or email me at elainegee@shaw.ca. Thanks.

[Author]

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