[FEAT BC Admin]

In this topic area, discussion is about the fight to secure Government funding for your A.B.A. treatment program. It is also the place to talk about your thoughts and ideas about how to establish new Government programs specifically designed for autism treatment.

This is the place to hear input from parents who have fought for funding and won, as well as those who have fought for funding and would like to share their horror stories. There is a tendency to not share success stories once funding is secured. Please fight that tendency. By sharing our experience, we all become stronger.

 

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—-By FEAT BC (Freeman) on Saturday, January 3, 1998 – 03:16 pm:

-Hi everyone!

These are some things to think about in your dealings with government to help you to obtain support for your child’s Autism Treatment Program. These are my personal opinions and do not represent those of FEAT of BC or any other organization.

Many of these observations are based on my personal experiences (and I believe it poetic justice to help every parent avoid being systematically abused by their social worker the way I was).

Good luck to everyone! (Let’s all pull back the curtain on the Wizard of OZ).

Sabrina

 

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How To Fight for Funding for Autism Treatment and Appropriate School Placement

1. Establish a Paper Trail

Always take notes, documenting major points of all conversations with government and school officials.

This includes casual, in person conversations with social workers as well as ALL telephone conversations. All key points of discussion must be written down in your notes including the date and time of the discussion. This includes what was agreed upon, as well as what was not agreed upon.

Then the notes should be used to write a letter recapping the substance and content of the conversation. This letter must then be mailed or faxed to the person with whom you had the conversation. In addition, a copy must be kept in your file (see section on the icci game).

Why?

It is important to formalize the interaction between you and Government officials. In addition, everyone is put on notice that they must closely adhere to their responsibilities, regulations and laws., Furthermore, they must then consider the paper trail you have created. This lets everyone know that the interaction can become public and that any abuses of power and authority can be formally appealed and/or publicized.

In other words, they canit use discretion unfairly under the cloak of secrecy.

2. Submit all Requests in Writing

All your requests for your child must be submitted formally in writing with a copy included in your file and a copy, if necessary, sent to their immediate superiors.

3. Set Deadlines for Action

All formal requests for action must have a reasonable deadline set for that action. If no action or response is received by the deadline you have set (two weeks for example), then you will interpret the lack of response as a formal declination (a formal NO) of your requests.

Why Set Deadlines?

When bureaucrats do not want to do something, they will stall by ignoring you and your request. (As an aside, in the study of the bureaucracy, this is known as ithe power to do nothingi). They can string you along for years. When you have determined that the person you are interacting with is not inclined to help you or is not dealing in good faith, then you must take the initiative and formally label his/her behavior as obstructionist and de facto as a declination (a NO to your requests). This allows you to move to the next level of authority on your timetable to present your case. This takes the power to do nothing away from the bureaucrat with whom you are dealing. Simple stated, a bureaucrat who stalls and does nothing becomes irrelevant (use your invisible spray) and you move on to the next level of authority.

How to icci?

A cc. is a copy of your letter sent to someone other than the person you are writing. You put the cc. at the bottom left-hand corner of your letter followed by 2 spaces and the name of the person or people to whom you want to send a copy of the letter.

Who to icci to?

Sometimes it is best not to icci at all, especially in the early stages of the relationship (for example, your first letter to a social worker requesting assistance). This gives them the opportunity to do the right thing and does not present you as an overly combative person. When you start to run into problems, it is a good idea to send the icci to the 2 immediate superiors of the person you are having problems with. We do not recommend icciing all the way up the chain of command, since you want to give them a chance to solve the problem at the local level.

Why send a icci copy?

The reason for playing the icci game is that you want your interactions with the official to be known to his superior and possibly to other organizations so that 1) their action or inaction becomes a matter of record and 2) the individual knows he is being monitored. This helps minimize abuses of power and authority and helps encourage the official to meet their obligations and do the right thing.

What is the sequence of letters?

Find out the chain of command of the particular bureaucracy you are battling.

TOP

Minister
Deputy Minister
Children’s Ministry’s local region chain of command, all the way down to the District Supervisor
and Social Worker
Contacts can be found at the government directory: http://www.dir.gov.bc.ca/

BOTTOM

Start at the bottom and climb. At the Regional Operating Officer (ROO) level (once you have been declined) you have to decide whether to jump up to the top, threaten and then go to the media, or both. A word of wisdom: DO NOT BLUFF. If you are not willing to go all the way, they will ‘smell’ this. You must be prepared to take it right up to the Minister and beyond.

Documentation from Experts:

In your arsenal to fight for your child, it is wise to get his/her pediatrician and/or psychiatrist to write a letter on your childis behalf. In addition, any other experts who know your child and are sympathetic to what you are trying to do should become involved.

When to hire a lawyer?

If money is not an issue, you can hire a lawyer when you get to the area manager level. Make sure that you have a paper trail so the lawyer has something to work with. Also, have the lawyer give F.E.A.T. of B.C. a call, and we will send him/her information that will help.

If money is an issue (as it is for most of us running autism treatment programs), you might want to hire a lawyer once you have been turned down by the Minister.

How to hire a lawyer?

The type of lawyer needed is a litigator, or trial lawyer. S/he does not need to be an expert in autism, or special needs; s/he needs to be experienced in suing governments, and enjoys being in court. Word of mouth is a good way to find a lawyer.

Topic

[Andrew Kavchak]

I can think of a couple of other things I would like to ban too…Like "doctors" who suggest we should not do too much early screening because the system can't handle the consequences ("not currently feasible")! (See the two articles below – The Globe & Mail article again demonstrates the contrast between the US mentality and culture and that of Canada's "Medicare".)

_____________________
October 30, 2007

THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
PAGE: A10

Ban swimming with dolphins as autism treatment, groups urge

Mark Henderson, Citizen Special

Swimming with dolphins is promoted as one of the few treatments that can help children with disorders such as autism. But it should be banned because it is cruel to the animals and dangerous to patients, and there is no evidence that it actually works, a report from a leading conservation group says.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society said dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) was "expensive and potentially harmful," and the group's call to end it has been endorsed by the group Research Autism. Both say the techniques exploit vulnerable families and captive animals, and have no place in medicine.

The therapy places patients at serious risk of injury from their contact with dolphins, which are wild and can be aggressive or harm people inadvertently because of their strength, the society found. They have been known to bite, ram and slap swimmers, hold them underwater and engage in sexual activity.

The therapy also exposes people and animals to the risk of infection. Many dolphins carry bacteria that can infect human beings and some are infected with bacteria that cause brucellosis, which causes muscle pain.

DAT raises stress among captive animals and encourages the removal of dolphins from the wild.

All this costs the families of ill and disabled people thousands of dollars for therapeutic techniques that have never been found to be effective.

Cathy Williamson, the author of the report, said: "Having researched this industry, the only recommendation we can make is that there is a total ban on DAT. This therapy involves vulnerable people and also exploits the dolphins, which are forced to interact with people in conditions that are far from suitable for wild animals.

"We know that keeping dolphins in captivity has serious welfare implications for these animals, including a shorter life expectancy than in the wild, and we are saddened that the growing DAT industry is causing more and more animals to be subjected to a life in captivity." Richard Mills, of Research Autism, said: "We understand that parents will wish to do anything that might potentially help their child, but we would urge people to exercise caution when considering such an undertaking." The group's website gives the treatment three exclamation marks, indicating a therapy with very strong evidence of harmful effects.
_______________________
October 30, 2007
GLOBE AND MAIL
PAGE: A8

AUTISM

Autism groups support earlier screening
UNNATI GANDHI

Canadian autism groups are putting their weight behind an American call for universal screening for the disorder, but pediatricians here are wary of the realistic benefits of doing so.

The split comes as the American Academy of Pediatrics at its annual meeting in San Francisco yesterday made its strongest push to date to screen every child twice for autism by the age of 2, warning of symptoms such as failure to babble at nine months and one-year-olds who don't point to toys. The advice is meant to help both parents and doctors spot the disorder sooner. And while there is no cure, experts say that early therapy can lessen its severity.

"Absolutely, we need a screening procedure in place," said Margaret Spoelstra, executive director of Autism Ontario, adding there is currently no standard screening practice in place in Canada. "To screen means that we're simply casting the net more widely in order to determine who might have autism out there. For us, it's better to have some false positives than to miss kids."

But too many false positives is precisely where the problem lies in practice, according to a leading Montreal pediatrician, because that would overload a system that is already strained.

Going from a screening to therapy requires a multidisciplinary team of specialists who can properly diagnose the disorder, said Emmett Francoeur, director of the child development program at the Montreal Children's Hospital and former president of the Canadian Paediatric Society.

But the waiting list for such an evaluation is as long as a year in some parts of Canada.

"We know that the earlier you diagnose them, the better the outcome. That we're pretty sure of," he said last night. "Unfortunately, unlike a broken bone or pneumonia, where you can take an X-ray and come up with a diagnosis, it takes multiple observers looking at multiple aspects of a child's development to diagnose autism."

So, he said, if screening were to be increased, that would mean an increase in the number of evaluation teams and the amount of services for treatment – all of which are not currently feasible.

"Should all of this be done? I think so, if you're talking about the moral aspects of trying to help every possible child who has autism," Dr. Francoeur said. "Can it be done? It's a really tough question because the governments have to decide where to put all their money."

As for screening, Dr. Francoeur stressed that there are several methods that are used, but only a few are accurate enough to warrant widespread promotion.

The two American Academy of Pediatrics reports, which will appear in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics, list numerous warning signs, such as a four-month-old not smiling at the sound of mom or dad's voice, or the loss of language or social skills at any age.

The academy's renewed effort reflects growing awareness since its first autism guidelines in 2001. A 2006 policy statement urged autism screening for all children at their regular doctor visits at 18 months and 24 months.

The authors caution that not all children who display a few of these symptoms are autistic and they said parents shouldn't overreact to quirky behaviour.

The new reports say children with suspected autism should start treatment even before a formal diagnosis. They also warn parents about the special diets and alternative treatments endorsed by celebrities, saying there's no proof that those work.

[Andrew Kavchak]

This article is in today's (October 26, 2007) Toronto Sun, Ottawa Sun, Edmonton Sun, and Winnipeg Sun.

Autism foes rip feds

Groups 'disappointed' by failure to come up with nationwide strategy

ALAN FINDLAY, NATIONAL BUREAU

The federal government is facing criticism from autism support groups, frustrated parents and senators after rebuffing their calls to implement a national strategy to cope with the disorder.

WRITTEN RESPONSE

The Conservative government's position comes in its written response to a recent Senate committee report calling for a national approach to the disorder affecting approximately six in 1,000 children.

While it highlights several funding initiatives involving research and transfer payments to other governments, it suggests more study is needed to form a consensus on the spectrum of disorders under the autism rubric.

"Accordingly, governments do not yet know enough about ASD and its treatments to implement effective and well-informed strategies that would lead to meaningful outcomes," the 12-page response states.

Titled "Pay Now or Pay Later: Autism Families in Crisis," the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology called for a national strategy to address the drastically unequal public funding and treatment provided from province to province.

Sen. Jim Munson complimented the government on what it's doing, but said it needs take on more responsibility.

"The status quo is not good enough, and that's what this report is," said Munson. "Whatever it takes to alleviate this suffering sidesteps any jurisdictional concerns."

Various autism support organizations held a teleconference this week to discuss the government's latest remarks on the issue. The groups were not pleased.

'VERY DISCOURAGED'

"People are very discouraged they (the government) seem to have dodged the issue," said Marg Whelan, executive director of the Geneva Centre.

"There's definitely some disappointment," said Laurie Mawlam, executive director of Autism Canada. "We are of the view that this is a health crisis and we need more targeted programming and a comprehensive national autism strategy for individuals with autism spectrum disorders."
Autism Society Canada president Christine Dade said it was unfortunate the government response to the committee came out during Autism Awareness Month.

"We had hoped the government would pick it up (the report) and wave the flag," said Dade. "We were quite disappointed on it."

ILLUS: photo of JIM MUNSON No to status quo
______________________________________________

[Andrew Kavchak]

Debates of the Senate (Hansard)
2nd Session, 39th Parliament,
Volume 144, Issue 6
Thursday, October 25, 2007

Government Response to Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee Report on Funding for Treatment of Autism

Hon. Jim Munson: Honourable senators, we have received from the Minister of Health the government's response to the final report of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, Pay Now or Pay Later — Autism Families in Crisis.

That report brought to the government's attention the plight of Canadian families who have children with autism and are scrambling to obtain the care and treatment they need. As honourable senators know, families are trying to fend for themselves; they are making huge sacrifices to buy treatment and the stress is tremendous. Our report said it well; families are in crisis.

The Senate report made several recommendations. It called on the government to play a leadership role on behalf of autism families, in particular, leading a national autism strategy.

It was disheartening then to read the government's response and learn the primary role that the government sees for itself is that of "facilitator of enhanced evidence."

Honourable senators, families who have children with autism need help. If I am disappointed with the government's response, think how disappointed autism families are. Much of the 11-page report is devoted to explaining what the government is already doing — words like "ongoing support" and "continued collaboration" pepper the document.

Autism families already know how little the government is doing. Their bank books confirm it. They do not need a bureaucratic report to back this up. The bottom line is that the government thinks the status quo is good enough. We know it is not.

In the last election, the Prime Minister proposed a $100 monthly payment for families with children to help defray the cost of child care. At that time, he urged opposition parties to support the plan even though we know $100 a month is less than one tenth of what full-time child care actually costs. The Prime Minister said that this amount is better than the "status quo, which is zero."

Let us take a page from the government's playbook and call it an "autism allowance," perhaps providing $500 or $1000 a month to families with autistic children. Like a child care allowance, that is about one tenth of what they actually need. That will not even come close to covering the full cost of treatment, but it will sidestep any jurisdictional concerns. Using the Prime Minister's own words, funding will allow parents to choose the option that best suits their needs and will certainly be better than the status quo, which is zero.
Like the child care allowance, an autism allowance would be far from adequate, but it would be a start; at least a step toward acknowledging the hardship and stress that autism families live with every day. I remind honourable senators that this government posted an historic $14-billion surplus this year. Let us use it wisely and help autism families.

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

Surprise! Surprise!

Recently a State of California "Blue Ribbon" Commission studied the autism situation and referred to the growing number of kids being diagnosed with autism as a tsunami. It further recommended that there be appropriate and equitable health insurance coverage for children with autism. At the federal and state levels in the US there are strong disability rights legislation that requires autism treatment to be covered in health insurance. Now the US Autism Speaks organization is endorsing the report and urging swift legislative action to translate the recommendations into law in California. This is not surprising since the Autism Speaks organization in the US put a massive effort behind the federal "Combating Autism Act" which passed through Congress and which President Bush signed into law which put another $1 billion into treatment, research, diagnosis, etc.

Now compare that to the recent farce in Canada. We had a Senate Committee chaired by the former Minister of Defence and Mayor of Toronto (Eggleton) and including a world-class heart surgeon (Keon) – that's as close as we get to "blue ribbon" in Canada – study the whole question of funding for treatment of autism. During the hearings the head of the Autism Speaks organization in Canada appeared as a witness before the committee on the same panel as the former President of the Autism Society of Canada. I was in the Committee room when I heard Senator Jim Munson ask them both if they support legislative action to include autism treatment in Canada's public health insurance system (Medicare) and they both said "No". The ASC President's reasons were that addressing health issues would not simultaneous address education or social support issues. What a strage statement and approach to lobbying government on behalf of our community! Imagine a hungry beggar on the street being offered a loaf of bread by a baker and refusing to take it because he insists on being given the bakery. And what was the head of Autism Speaks Canada's reason for opposition to this proposal? It would get bogged down in Parliament. Oh dear! A speed bump on the road…better turn back! Right now not one province in Canada offers autism treatment (IBI/ABA) under any public health insurance program (Medicare – OHIP in Ontario) and these two Canadian autism organization heads were not helping to change that.

The difference between US and Canadian governments approaches to autism is striking, and only matched by the contrasting positions of autism organizations north and south of the border…even those that are supposedly affiliated! If our community continuously gets the short end of the stick it should come as no surprise.

Andrew Kavchak
Ottawa
___________________________________
News Released: October 25, 2007
SAN DIEGO AUTISM SPEAKS CHAPTER ENDORSES
CALIFORNIA BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION ON AUTISM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EQUITABLE INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA October 25, 2007 Non Profit News

(PRLEAP.COM) San Diego, Calif., October 25, 2007 – The San Diego Chapter of Autism Speaks today announced the organization’s endorsement of the California Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism’s recommendations to ensure appropriate and equitable health insurance coverage for children with autism. These recommendations were finalized and presented to the California State Legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Autism Speaks urges that these recommendations are swiftly translated into legislation to be introduced in the 2007-2008 Legislative Session.

Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States. One in 150 children are diagnosed with autism, which is more than the number of children diagnosed with AIDS, juvenile diabetes and cancer combined, yet many of their treatments and therapies are not covered by private or public health insurance. However, autism insurance reform fits well within the state’s practice of smart mandates, having minimal cost/premium impact and providing an essential and extraordinary benefit to the affected population.

“Autism Speaks commends the Commission and its staff for reaching out in countless ways to parents and advocates across California and for listening to our concerns about appropriate and equitable health care insurance for children with autism,” said Robert Blitz, Chapter Advocacy Chair, Autism Speaks San Diego. “We believe that all health plans and insurers should provide a full range of services for children with autism, including intensive behavioral treatment, such as Applied Behavioral Analysis, a highly effective, evidenced-based intensive behavior modification therapy.”

According to the report, coverage of health care, behavioral, and psychotherapeutic services for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is limited, inconsistent or excluded altogether. Health plans may deny services for ASD for reasons related to medical necessity that are at odds with medical science. Thus, the frequent denial of these services for ASD by some private health plans may be inconsistent both with current scientific evidence as well as with the standards and approaches that are applied to other illnesses and medical conditions. Finally, health plan denials of ASD services often do not acknowledge or reference the emerging standards of care and best practices that are being developed at autism centers of excellence.

“With a successful push to legislation, California will join twelve other states in addressing this crisis by implementing autism-specific insurance legislation,” added Albert Wang M.D., Internal Medical Physician, Blue Ribbon Commissioner, Parent and Founder of Friends of Children with Special Needs.

Autism Speaks also supports the Commission’s recommendations for early identification and intervention, improving access to services, preparing teachers and other school-based personnel and increasing awareness and knowledge of autism among law enforcement officers and first responders.

The Commission’s report can be viewed at http://senweb03.senate.ca.gov/autism/whatsnew.html.

About Autism
Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 150 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The diagnosis of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

About California Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism
The Blue Ribbon Commission, a joint legislative task force of health experts, business leaders, affected family members and academics, was formed in April 2005 by California Senate President pro Tem Don Perata and California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez.
Early on in their research, the Commissioners and staff identified three crucial yet insufficient areas of current health policies regarding people with autism. Based on these identifications, task forces were created to address the existing gaps in Early Identification & Intervention, Education & Professional Development and Transitional Services & Supports.

About Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism, and to advocating for the needs of affected families. It was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Vice Chairman, General Electric, and served as chief executive officer of NBC for more than twenty years. Autism Speaks has merged with both the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and Cure Autism Now (CAN), bringing together the nation’s three leading autism advocacy organizations. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit http://www.autismspeaks.org.

Contact Information
Robert Blitz
Autism Speaks
Email Autism Speaks
714-783-7295
PR Leap disclaims any content found in news releases. Issuers of news releases are solely responsible for the accuracy of their content.

[Andrew Kavchak]

Debates of the Senate (Hansard)
2nd Session, 39th Parliament,
Volume 144, Issue 5
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Autism Month

Hon. Wilbert J. Keon: Honourable senators, October is Autism Month, a time to raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorders. ASDs include five pervasive development disorders, the most commonly known of which are classic autism and Asperger's syndrome. As a spectrum disorder, the symptoms range from mild to severe but generally include difficulty with social skills; communication problems; behavioural issues, such as repetitive movements and restrictive interests; as well as difficulty with audio and visual processing. The ASD rate often cited for Canada is one in 166 and is found about four times more often in boys than in girls. This translates into 48,000 autistic children up to age 19 and 144,000 adults.

These individuals face many difficulties while still children. Those who are able to take part in the regular school stream are often victims of bullying. Combined with other social and academic struggles, it can be hard for them to do well in areas of strength. As adults they have a tendency toward impulsive and addictive behaviour resulting in strained relationships at home and in the workplace.

As honourable senators are aware, the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology recently completed a study on autism entitled Pay Now or Pay Later. We learned how difficult life can be for families whose lives are touched by autism in some way. Senator Munson has devoted a great deal of time to the families of autistic children and has done a great deal during the summer to heighten awareness.

The Government of Canada has been supportive of efforts to overcome ASD in a number of ways with a research chair focusing on the study of treatments and interventions. As well, the Canadian Research Chair Program has 10 chairs working on related research. There is ongoing research through the Canadian Institute for Health Research, CIHR, where $26 million has been spent since 2000. An ASD research symposium was held November 8 to 9, 2007, to provide up-to-date information and a website has been provided to the general public.

Indirectly, a number of programs are also supportive, such as the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Strategy and tax measures through the Department of Finance. As well, Human Resources and Social Development Canada has provided supportive efforts through the Social Development Partnerships Program. However, there are tremendous problems with the situation, a number of questions to be answered and a tremendous need for more research.
______________________________________

[Dave Collyer]

Hello all,

As many may already know today MCFD has made a rather significant and long anticipated announcement. I, for one, look forward to learning more of the details as this unfolds!

http://www.gov.bc.ca/mcf/

B.C. ANNOUNCES NATIONAL AUTISM RESEARCH CHAIR
VANCOUVER – A national Chair in Autism Intervention Research will be established at Simon Fraser University thanks to a $1-million provincial grant and a $1-million federal contribution, Children and Family Development Minister Tom Christensen announced today in honour of Autism Awareness Month.

Dave.

[Todd Dea]

I had not seen this posted yet.

I recieved this e-mail this morning for an ACT event that I am attending tomorrow. It says that there will be an important announcement made by Minsters Linda Reid and Tom Christensen with regard to Autism "support" by the B.C. Governement. I truely hope that the "announcement" really is an "important" one.

Here is the important part of the e-mail :

Dear Registrants for October 20th Focus on Research Event,

October 20th is shaping up to be a very exciting day. As some of you will know this important event, featuring Drs. Geraldine Dawson and Sally Rogers, has completely sold out in the Asia-Pacific Hall. Those of you who registered too late for the main hall, have already been made aware that you will be seated in the overflow room downstairs watching the presentation on a large screen.

The Ministry of Children and Family Development have asked ACT if they can use the Asia-Pacific Hall during the lunch break to make an important announcement to you regarding Autism Research & Intervention. I am not at liberty to give any details but I would urge you to have a quick lunch and to be back in your seats by 12:40 for an announcement that is of great importance to the Autism Community in BC.

Sincerely,

Deborah Pugh
Director Research & Training
ACT – Autism Community Training

[Andrew Kavchak]

Debates of the Senate (Hansard)
2nd Session, 39th Parliament,
Volume 144, Issue 2
Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Government Response to Report of Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee Tabled

Hon. Gerald J. Comeau (Deputy Leader of the Government): Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, pursuant to rule 28(3), the government's response to the twelfth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology tabled on March 1, 2007, during the Senate's previous session.

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

I was thinking some more about the federal Health Minister's statement, particularly the part where he said "…we still do not know what causes autism nor the most effective treatments and interventions."

The irony of it all is that if memory serves correctly, he was the Ontario provincial health minister in the Mike Harris government, which, among all the cutting and slashing that it developed a reputation for, actually created the Preschool Autism Program (now called the Autism Intervention Program) in 1999-2000. After all the hard work of advocates like Norrah Whitney of FEAT of Ontario and Brenda Deskin (whose "Deskin binder" was discussed by the judge in the 211 page decision of the Ontario Superior Court in the Deskin/Wynberg case as being a key document in convincing the Ontario government of the efficacy of IBI/ABA treatment for autism), the Ontario cabinet of which Clement himself was a member, decided that IBI/ABA was not only an effective treatment, and the best treatment for which there was valid evidence and support. Regrettably, he did not pick up the program under his provincial health department, but instead it was assigned to a department of social services.

Now, a few years later, the former Minister provincial minister of health is the federal Minister of Health. And what happened to the evidence that was good enough to warrant spending millions on a new program? Notwithstanding the further accummulation of evidence (e.g. the Sallows study) to demonstrate the efficacy of IBI/ABA, suddenly "…we still do not know what causes autism nor the most effective treatments and interventions".

Struggling for the creation of a National Autism Strategy involves encountering inconsistent and irrational opposition.

[Andrew Kavchak]

From the Health Canada website at:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/minist/health-sante/messages/2007_10_09_e.html

Please note the link at the bottom of the Minister's message is to another webpage at:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dc-ma/autism/index_e.html
where autism is listed under "Diseases and Conditions", notwithstanding the torment and convulsions this may cause those who violently oppose autism's characterization as such.

Cheers!
Andrew Kavchak (Ottawa)

________________________

Message from Tony Clement, Minister of Health
Autism Awareness Month, October 2007

October is Autism Awareness Month and this year’s theme is Reaching Your Potential. The aim of this month is to promote dialogue on autism and to increase Canadians' awareness and understanding of the disorder.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects individuals from all walks of life, as well as their families, friends and caregivers. ASD can be defined by certain behaviours which come in combinations and in degrees of intensity that vary in each child and adult. The symptoms often include difficulties with social interaction, communication, and behaviour. International studies suggest that autism affects six out of every 1,000 children.

Though much progress has been made through research, care and education, we still do not know what causes autism nor the most effective treatments and interventions. This is why Canada’s New Government continues to work with partners and stakeholders and invest in activities which support a stronger ASD evidence base to enhance our understanding of this condition.

Autism Awareness Month is coordinated by the Autism Society Canada, a national organization which provides advocacy, public education, information and referral services to individuals with ASD and their families.

Please join me this month in recognizing all those who care for or provide services to those affected by autism. Their dedicated work is benefiting Canadian families from coast to coast.

Tony Clement
Minister of Health
Government of Canada

More information on Autism Spectrum Disorder [there is a link on the webpage to another page, the URL of which is listed at the top of this post.]

[Author]

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