[FEAT BC Admin]

This area is for discussions in general topics.

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[Sabrina Freeman]

When frivolous fringe autism therapies lose the humor http://www.autismpundit.com/files/66d3b1361865ee000fbcf6b4ff13ce21-134.html

Please share on your social networks.

[Hwei Siasc]

My email to the agency:

"Since everybody is busy, let me draw the workflow for you from the start to the point where the 1st team meeting was held (25 Jan 2012) based on the items billed to me from 5 Dec 2011 to 25 Jan 2012. Please see attached workflow in Word Document and two invoices for Dec 2011 & Jan 2012 and confirm the workflow correctly describing the process of how the behavior plan was developed. If it is not right, please correct it. I don't think it requires several hours to correct it. I just took 1 hour to create it."

The agency's reply:

"Thanks for your response. I am not in a position to comment on your workflow since I am not involved at that level of intervention. As I have stated, I do not see any benefit in having [Agency Name] staff spend time to create it, review it, or correct it as it serves no purpose in resolving the issues you have identified and it takes away from services we could be delivering to our community and families."

I even take my time and initiative to draw, and they give me such response. It definitely wrong with their process. That's why they refuse!

Post by Hwei

[Hwei Siasc]

Hi,

Sorry for not mentioning this in my previous post.

Stay clear/away from my child's speech language pathologist from the agency I mentioned before in case she left the agency. Her service was terrible. My child was 5 years at the time seeing her. He has mild autism. He can talk. She didn't assess his speech at all and didn't include speech in my child's intervention program. To find out her name or the names of whole team, please email johnsiasc@yahoo.com

Thanks,
Hwei

[Hwei Siasc]

For those whose service provider is an agency:

Below are my experiences:

1. Ask for the assessment tools they used to assess your child (standardized assessment such as ABLLRS, curriculum etc). Request a copy if possible. Go through it. In my case, I didn't ask at the beginning. By the time I sensed something wrong, it's already too late. They used EIBI curriculum, which I find not fit to my child's needs as my child has mild autism only. I would say, they developed a cookie cutter program for my child.

2. Make sure the person who do the assessments and develop the behavior plan (whether it's initial plan or final plan) is your behavior consultant level A or behavior consultant level b under supervision of the behavior consultant (they must be on the RASP list), not anyone else like associate behavior consultant or behavior interventionist (not on RASP list). In my case, it was done by the associate behavior consultant and behavior interventionist.

3. Interventions are based on the behavior plan developed in point 1.

4. Ask the agency to provide you two behavior interventionists, the 1st one will be working with your child regularly, the 2nd one will be covering the 1st one during her absence, unless you don't mind your child misses the session. In my case, my child missed 17 days of session (equivalent about 1 month) in 6 months of intervention. It will be more missed sessions if I didn't request and then they provided a subs for my child (but different person each time). Also ask what arrangement when the behavior consultant is away for long leave that will affect your child's intervention program.

5. Ask agency to give you a copy of session notes, observation notes etc as the intervention session going on, daily if possible, otherwise weekly. For my case, they can't even give me monthly progress review report after I requested 2-3 months later.

6. If your child can talk, they should design a program that gives more chance for your child to speak, not just "Touch your, Show me your, Where's your", but also teach your child to say the word(s).

7. If you have speech language pathologist in your team, make sure he/she assesses your child language as well as speech (unless your child can't talk at all).

8. If you have a team that not only has behavior consultant(BC) and behavior interventionist (BI), but also other professionals such as speech language pathologist(SLP) or occupational therapist(OT), ask them to update the progress data before atending your progress review meeting, instead of the whole team sitting at the meeting and updating the data. If you have BC, SLP & OT each at $120/hr, you have to pay $360/hr just to update the data. This task can be completed either by the BI alone, or the most need 2 persons, i.e. BC and BI, and you just need to pay about $150/hr.

9. Ask what is their intervention closure/termination policy.

Hope these are useful.

Hwei

[Hwei Siasc]

Hi everyone,

Anyone here who has child with mild autism. What are the interventions that your behavior consultant developed for your child's communication (speech and language)?
Any input is appreciated. Please email johnsiasc@yahoo.com

Thanks,
Hwei

[Hwei Siasc]

Hi everyone,

My service provider didn't even tell me the intervention process for its ABA program, and now I request for one, and the service provider replied is "I have no concerns about the transparency of the process by which [agency name] delivers its services (which is point 6 of your email), and we are very happy to discuss this process with you if there are questions or concerns. You are not the only family with lots of questions, its part of the process of getting an ABA program in place. I know its a lot to take in at first and can be very overwhelming. I have two sons on the autism spectrum (at the severe end unfortunately) and we have run two independent ABA programs out of our home for many years when our kids were young, so I can understand how you might be feeling. We are all are very lucky that there are now services available in the Lower Mainland. When we started our programs our consultant was in Los Angeles and we had to fly her out every month or two! We also had to select, hire, and train all our BIs ourself. Its come a long way in the last 15 years thankfully".

What does he mean "We are all very lucky that there are now services available in the Lower Mainland"? I have to accomodate and accept whatever they did even though the program and service quality are poor.

Please don't go for this agency for their ABA program. Anybody who likes to know which agency, I can be contacted at johnsiasc@yahoo.com

Thanks,
Hwei

[Marie and Dwight Anglehart]

Game recommendation for 10+

A new Lego game my son is enjoying is "Life of George". It's good for working on building skills. To play it, you need an iPhone/iPad/iPod(4th gen). You buy the boxed game (we got ours at the Lego store at Oakridge Mall), and then download the free Life of George app to play. Details here: http://shop.lego.com/en-CA/Life-of-George-21200/?CMP=KAC-SAHGOOGLECA&HQS=lego+life+of+george. It's rated as 14+, but I think most kids 10 & up who play with Lego would enjoy it.

Dwight

[Mike & Jean]

News from Medicare for Autism Now!

"Whose worthy of receiving healthcare in Canada? Why are kids with autism excluded? Why should Canadians not affected with autism care? What can be done? Jean Lewis,co-founder of Medicare for Autism Now! and co-producer of Medicare's Orphans discusses these questions and much more in this 40 minute in-depth interview."

This is the first episode in a series of 12 extended interviews with some of the participants in documentary film, Medicare's Orphans, which is now available on DVD.

Watch the documentary, watch episode one, sign the on-line petition, check-out the suggestions in the "agenda for action" page – and – take action! http://www.medicareforautismnow.org

The current controversy surrounding CLBC is another example of continuing ineptitude on the part of government in providing services to people with disabilities. It reinforces the central message of Medicare's Orphans, which is you are not a victim – you are a voter. Get involved, take action, make a difference.

[Sabrina Freeman]

Pennsylvania's Doctors Take Charge of Autism Treatment Standards

http://www.autismpundit.com/files/ab61f970b8bd3044e6da472a7a80879a-133.html

This is definitely the model that children in B.C. (and throughout Canada) would benefit from.
Please share!

[Hwei Siasc]

Hi,

I'm new to this discussion board. Just would like to know if anyone here engaged these agencies for their ABA program: Pivot Point Family Growth Centre, Reach Child and Youth Development Society, and Pacific ABA Academy. How is their program and service quality? My email is johnsiasc@yahoo.com

Thanks.

Hwei

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