[FEAT BC Admin]

This area is for discussions in general topics.

Topic

[Nancy Walton]

Important information for all parents in SD36:

The ABA Advisory group will be meeting tomorrow, Tuesday April 17th. The new Student Support Services Administrator, who has taken over from Anne Turner, will be there to meet us. Her Name is Cory McLaughlin and is is very important that we have a large turnout as she is our go-to person in the district for the ABA Support Worker program in the Surrey school district.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 17th from 7-9PM in the new district offices in Surrey.

District ABA Advisory Meeting
April 17, 2012 7pm-9pm
School District No.36
14033 – 92 Avenue, Surrey
**Enter through the front door
(off 92nd Avenue).

Please try to attend this meeting and pass on this info to other Surrey parents you know, including those whose children will be entering Kindergarten in Sept.

Thank you!

[Bev Sharpe]

ATTENTION PARENTS of all school districts.

A recent posting correctly explained how the Surrey School District hires its own employees and requires 1000 hours of home based ABA experience in order for them to be ABA Support Workers for the Surrey School District.

As a FEAT BC Board member and Hewko Steering Committee member I must post information regarding the legal precedence (HEWKO -2006 Supreme Court of BC) pertaining to Special
Education Assistants hired for Autistic children in ABA home – based treatment programs.

First of all, while employees may apply for a position to work with your child, according to the HEWKO judgement, the following applies:

1. Before any decision is made regarding the placement of a child within the school system, the parents MUST be consulted.

2. The depth of consultation and the concomitant obligations for the parties to accommodate the requirements of the other will vary with the known need of a child's requirement for a modified curriculum.

3.The bottom line requirement for each side in meaningful consultation is to be able to demonstrate that the proposal put forward can produce instructional control of the child.

In short, you don't have to accept someone to work with your child who is not trained and can't show instructional control.

Alternatively parents, you must show due diligence and offer up a candidate from your home team, or talk to the school about YOUR child's requirement for a candidate who is willing to be trained by your Behaviour Consultant and Home treatment team.

While training on ABA home based teams adds to skill and knowledge levels of support workers, it is no substitute for someone who has child specific training in a child's behaviour protocol.

It is incumbent on school districts to meet their duty to accommodate autistic students. It is vital that parents exert their roles as advocates for their child, and their child's ABA treatment program.

Settling for an ABA support worker/Special Education Assistant who is unable to show instructional control, who has no ABA training, is NOT a viable option.

The data on Lovaas Applied Behaviour Analysis is clear. Consistency in application of the ABA principles specifically designed for your child by a qualified Behaviour Consultant is optimum. This is why Dr. Lovaas included parents and siblings to be educated in child specific behaviour protocols, and why he stressed the importance of consistency and training with anyone who worked or interacted with a child.

From a medical treatment view – yes, your child's ABA Treatment program is considered medically necessary treatment (See the Auton 2004 decision)
child specific training is a REQUIREMENT, not an option.

While a school district may use seniority as a union-based tool to slot employees into posted positions – this is an element that fuelled my
passion, and all of the other parents who funded and worked on the HEWKO (Nov. 2006 Supreme Court of BC decision) case. Seniority of an employee doesn't mean anything to a child who requires a worker who is child specifically trained in their ABA protocol.

The system that is in place in Surrey does not trump the judgements made by the Supreme Court of B.C.

Whenever a school district's system results in a situation where the child's needs are not met, this is not acceptable. Being wait-listed for a worker is not acceptable. Having seniority used as an element for an employee posted to your child's position is not acceptable. Being told by the school district who THEY have hired(without consultation) to be your child's worker is not acceptable.

Parents, educate yourselves. Read the Auton and Hewko decisions. These tools must be understood and used to ensure your child has access to an education. You are the stewards of your child's medically necessary treatment at home and at school.

Beverley Sharpe
Proud Parent of Miss A
FEATBC Director

[Sabrina Freeman]

Does Floortime Therapy Work? We're still waiting for the evidence. http://www.autismpundit.com If it hlps folks in your social networks, feel free to share!

[Sabrina Freeman]

An Autism Treatment Mirage Arrives from the Desert
http://www.autismpundit.com/

Just when you thought you'd heard it all! Enjoy.

[Leah Palsson]

Hello All…

My 3 year old daughter has just got a diagnosis of Rett Syndrome, and with this comes many questions… My husband and I have suspected for some time that this was indeed what she had, so a little of the shock has wore off….However we now need to plan for her future and give her the best chance at life that we can.. So we need some help from all of you..

First we would love to speak to anyone who has worked with a girl or has a child with Rett Syndrome, as it is quite rare… But our bigger questions have to do with her ABA therapy. She has been doing ABA for almost a year now, as she got an ASD diagnosis at 2 years old. She has made some gains, but her progress is slow, and now due to her Rett diagnosis we understand why her fine and gross motor has been regressing. So another question is how we can encorporate ABA with OT??? We have a great Consultant that has taylor made her program to her needs, which is why I think she had retained some of her hand function..We have an OT through the Child Development centre, but her visits are so rare and they overprompt her. So we need someone who will come in and be an addition to our ABA team and not hinder her progress.

We have many other questions, but this is a start, any information anyone can forward please do. Thank you for your consideration..

Leah Palsson
mavis67@gmail.com

[Sabrina Freeman]

Memo to Huffington Post: autism treatment is about kids, not parents http://www.autismpundit.com Enjoy! Feel free to share on any and all social media!

[Sabrina Freeman]

News flash! Mom's of autistic kids make less money! http://www.autismpundit.com

[Sabrina Freeman]

Canada needs YOU … unless your kid has autism. http://www.autismpundit.com

Send to your friends!

[Sabrina Freeman]

Groundhog Day the Movie, Extended Autism Edition http://www.autismpundit.com I'm sure many of you feel exactly the same way. Enjoy!

[Dione Costanzo]

Hi everyone

is anyone in Williams Lake or the area? Looking to connect a new family.

Thanks
Dione

dionec@shaw.ca

ps – THANKS to everyone for responding to my previous post re/Options!!

[Author]

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