[FEAT BC Admin]

In this topic area, discussion is on all issues relating to setting up and running a home-based intervention program. Please feel free to bring up any problems or suggestions. Parents can help each other greatly by sharing information and giving suggestions.

In addition to parents helping parents, A.B.A. professionals on in the Discussion Group can also help provide insight and guidance.

Topic

[Mike & Jean]

The following article was published in today's North Shore News. If I lived in North Vancouver, I would be extremely concerned! "Clustering" is simply another name for SEGREGATION. I would also suggest that if the North Vancouver School District is successful in this venture…others are sure to follow….and soon.

________________________________________________

NVSD approves autism learning centre
Benjamin Alldritt, North Shore News
Published: Friday, March 20, 2009
North Vancouver school district is looking to improve its teaching of those with autism.

Trustees instructed staff March 10 to develop a "learning centre for students with autism and related disorders," essentially a room dedicated to the needs of the district's 133 autistic children.

The wording of the motion was left deliberately vague to allow staff a great deal of flexibility in implementing the idea. The plan builds on the concept of clustering, where students with comparable needs are concentrated at a particular school. However, staff told trustees that there are a wide range of needs within the term "autism."

While no schools are named in the motion, the staff report did suggest that two schools, Norgate and Seymour Heights, would provide the best coverage of the district.

© North Shore News 2009

[Super Dad]

North Shore ASBC Lecture Series

The North Shore ASBC Support Group proudly presents:

Long Term Goal Planning: What Is It and Why Bother?
by
Sara White, PhD, BCBA
at
7:00pm, March 17
in the
Delbrook Recreation Centre

We are very excited to have Dr. Sara White as our guest speaker. Sara, a BCBA with a PhD in Clinical Psychology specializing in ABA, is one of the most brilliant behaviour consultants in the world.

Long term goal planning is an extremely beneficial clinical tool for behavioral and educational program planning for individuals with autism. In addition to allowing parents and educators to understand the relationship between current programs and more complex long-term goals, it also can assist practitioners in prioritizing targets for intervention. While similar to an individualized educational plan, long-term goal plans should ideally consider goals that are achievable over the next five to ten years. Ideally, these goal plans would be revisited with the individual’s instructional team at least once per year.

This presentation will be geared towards practitioners and parents and will be a discussion of a clinical tool rather than a description of original research. While there will be a brief discussion of theoretical research related to the topic, the presentation will largely focus on the clinical application of this technique.

Learning objectives for the presentation will be as follows:
– To describe the purpose and benefits of long term goal planning;
– To describe the relationship between long term and short term goals;
– To describe one format for presenting long term goals to instructional teams;
– To analyze one example long term goal and develop example short term goals based on that long term goal.

Please note that Sara has presented the same topic at the BC Association for Behavior Analysis conference on March 7.

DATE: Tuesday, March 17, 2009
TIME: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
LOCATION: Delbrook Recreation Centre (600 West Queens Road, North Vancouver)

For those going north/west on Highway #1: take exit 17 for Westview Dr, turn right at Westview Dr, and then turn right at Queens Rd. For those going east on Highway #1: take exit 17 for Westview Dr, turn left at Westview Dr, and then turn right at Queens Rd.

Coffee/Tea and snacks provided.
Donations are greatly appreciated.

Please RSVP to Carol at colemanmoser@hotmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Carol and Tony
(Co-facilitators for ASBC North Shore Group)

[Ursula Lee]

Hello fellow FEATers,

Recently I asked your opinion on the practice of consultants requesting that the programs be returned upon termination of your relationship with that service provider as I was faced with that problem. Thank you everyone for your response and feedback, which I greatly appreciated. The opinion was unanimous that programs should belong to the child/family. On the question of the regularity of this occurring it appeared to be rare (1 of about 30 that responded). I learned a few things from this experience and there have been some helpful suggestions and points made from the feedback I received, that I would like to share with you here for general information.

Disclaimer: I offer this as my own thoughts for general information only. It is not directed at any particular individual or group. It should not be viewed as a legal, authoritative or binding opinion.

1. Program ownership
Everyone who responded felt that the programs belong to the child/family. Here are at least 3 other good reasons why you must keep ALL your programs.
First, you could be audited by the Ministry, and the audit can occur many years after your expenditure. You must be able to justify how you spent their money. If you are claiming ABA as a medical expense on your tax return, you could be audited by CRA. You must be able to prove this expense. Having the data sheets alone might not be acceptable evidence.
Second, this is your child’s complete and permanent medical record. Consultants and therapists may come and go. The one constant is your treatment record. In developing current programs, your consultant may need to know what was previously tried, what worked, what didn’t work, what was the sd issued, what were the success/mastery criteria, how was data collected, etc etc. All of this information is crucial and contained in the program write up.
Third, if you are ever involved in legal proceedings, for example bringing a law suit against a school board (as in the Hewko case) you will need to bring ALL your treatment records into evidence.
For at least these reasons you must retain ALL of your programs.

Your service provider may be concerned that programs are used without their supervision. This is not your concern as long as you abide by the law in retaining your records and do not knowingly disseminate the programs for personal profit. If your next consultant is qualified and reputable, they will likely not be using the previous consultant’s programs anyway. If your next consultant is unqualified, then using someone else’s programs is the least of your concerns. If your contract indicates some things must be returned, clarify exactly what this means. You must find a way to reconcile this so that the completeness of your child’s medical record is not compromised. This is, after all, not only crucial, but also very personal and sensitive information.

2. Theft/Stealing
If items such as programs are removed from your home without your permission, you can bring charges of theft against the person who removed the programs and likely also whoever else is involved in this undertaking all the way to the top. For example if your service provider instructed someone else (like a lead therapist or intern) on the team to take something without your permission, and your service provider was in turn acting on the approval of his or her supervisor, then all could be named. If convicted, this would go into their Criminal Record.

3. Unprofessional behavior
If you are treated badly or your service provider behaves unethically (for example breach of confidentiality, malicious acts against your team members (such as malicious gossip, harassment of your therapists directly or indirectly), non-delivery of promised services, etc), you have recourse to complain to the Ministry via ACT (Autism Community Training), which maintains a Registry of approved service providers (RASP). If they receive multiple complaints against a specific service provider, a pattern will emerge. Depending on the severity of the complaint(s), the service provider could be removed from the RASP list. My understanding is that not being on the RASP list does not mean they cannot practice, it simply means they are not approved by ACT and the Ministry for payment under the Autism Funding program.
Here is a link to the ACT site and Complaint form.
http://www.actbc.ca/
http://www.actbc.ca/RASP/Complaints/Complaint_Form_RASP.pdf

You may also send a complaint or copy of the complaint to the Autism Society of BC as they are frequently asked about service providers.

Examine your contract. Clarify with your consultant. If you are considering hiring a new service provider, clarify this and other important issues first (for example, ownership of programs, qualifications of the service provider, role of supervisors, termination procedures, etc).
A regulatory body is badly needed to govern the conduct and quality of service providers. I’m sure this will eventually happen. But until that day, we will have to rely on our wits and each other. We can talk to each other, and this includes discussing experiences about consultants, both good and bad. We are allowed to do this. It is not a mistake to talk freely as long as you do not do this maliciously or untruthfully. Luckily, most qualified service providers are decent people.

You may contact me at:
ursulalee@telus.net

[Mike & Jean]

Please see the following invitation. For those who don't know, David has provided FEAT with strategic advice for the last three years. He is also one of the founding directors of Medicare for Autism Now! If elected, he will publicly advocate for legislation amending the provincial guidelines to have autism treatment covered under Medicare. I encourage you to attend this event, regardless of where you live.

Everyone who knows him wonders what took so long….but… we’re thrilled that our friend, neighbour, former lawyer, public affairs consultant, tireless community activist, powerful advocate for the voiceless……

David Marley is finally running for public office as an Independent Candidate for election as MLA for
West Vancouver – Capilano on May 12th.

Please join us in launching his campaign:

“Vote for a Voice – It’s Time to be Heard!”

Saturday, February 28th, 2009
2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Tamarack Room – Delbrook Recreation Centre
600 West Queens Rd.,
North Vancouver, BC

David would love to meet you. Come and find out who he is and why he wants to be your MLA. Hear speakers representing diverse groups describe how David’s expertise and commitment made a positive difference in their lives and organizations. This will be a fun and informal event! Talking and laughing are encouraged! Everyone, including children is welcome! Light refreshments will be available.

Due to space limitations and enormous interest – please RSVP •••.A.P. to vote4marley@gmail.com or call: 604-290-5737

We rely upon and respect your opinions. If you live in West Vancouver – Capilano, please click on: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=lh_2fZN5_2fBAO9qSPggA4_2fWpQ_3d_3d and complete our questionnaire. Thanks!

[Catherine Hui]

What is the optimal number of therapy hours/week for a preschool child?

Our son is 3.5yo and attends preschool 10hr/week. He currently receives an additional 20hr of home ABA therapy. I think that quite a lot for a 3 year old child–he never even get to watch TV! However, he has made great gains and I wonder rather he will benefit with more intensive therapy.

You experience and wisdom is greatly appreciated.

hui_catherine@hotmail.com

[Rina Srun]

Hi All,

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with WEIGHTED VEST? Your feed back/advise is very important to us as our school wanted to use on our 6 yrs old son.

Please let me by this email soktekcheng@telus.net

Many thanks,

Rina

[Ursula Lee]

Hello fellow FEATers,
I need some help or advice.
I am in the process of switching consultants. My current consultant, who has been with us for 4 years, since we started ABA when my son was 2, is insisting that all the program writeups must be removed and go back to her. My feeling is that all the writeups and data and documentation forming my son's treatment record belong to me. I will never use these programs again, but in the future, I may need to refer to what was previously done/tried. She insists, the programs will be removed even before the end of the month while we are still using them (will stop using at the end of Feb). I paid a lot of money for this service and have already paid till the end of Feb for her services.
I would like to get some opinions and also whether this is common practice for consultants to remove their programs when they leave. This is a very important issue for all families using consultants. I think you should clarify with your own consultant so you do not run into the same problem, and write it into your contract. This issue was not in my contract with my consultant.
I would appreciate feedback, opinions including a legal opinion if there is anyone out there who is a lawyer.
If you would like to contact me or find out who my consultant is, you may reach me at:
ursulalee@telus.net
tel: 604-374-5830
or 604-535-8082

thnx
Ursula

[Lisa Hruda]

Harmony House is holding a one day class based on the Lovaas-based Applied Behaviour Analysis and its application to the treatment of autism spectrum disorder. The class will address several topics that outline the basic foundation of a Lovaas-based treatment program and will include information on autism and general behaviour strategies. The main focus, however, will be on practical application with 50% hands-on approach in small groups, with the remaining time spent on larger group discussion and video reviews. The group will be facilitated by our two interns: Joanne Ma and Gabrielle Stigant.

Date: February 21, 2009
Time: 9:30am to 3:00pm
Location: Harmony House offices/school 2916 Mcbride Ave.
(corner of Mcbride and Sunshine Alley)
Cost: $40.00 (cash or cheque made out to Harmony House)
Contact us: hhschoolteam@gmail.com OR phone 604-542-1550

[Super Dad]

*** REMINDER ***

North Shore ASBC Lecture Series

The North Shore ASBC Support Group proudly presents:

An Evening with Dr. Davies
at
7:00pm, February 17
in the
West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre

We are very pleased to have Dr. Glen Davies of the ABLE Development Clinic as our guest speaker. Dr. Davies is by far the most respected child psychologist within the autism community, not only because of his work with autistic children, but also because of his advocacy for their rights.

Instead of a presentation, we will have a question-and-answer session, for topics such as:
* why autism treatment differs from those of other developmental disorders;
* why ABA works;
* in what ways does ABA help (aside from IQ);
* which children will benefit from ABA (e.g. age, functioning level);
* how ABA is relevant to the school classroom;
* evaluating current fads in autism treatment;
* using other treatments in conjunction with ABA (e.g. biomedical).

DATE: Tuesday, February 17, 2009
TIME: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
LOCATION: West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre (695 21st St, West Vancouver).

For those going north/west on Highway #1: take exit 10 (for 21st St/Westhill Dr) and then turn left at 21st St. For those going east on Highway #1: take exit 10 (for 22nd St), merge onto Orchard Way, turn right at 22nd St, turn left at Queens Ave and then turn right at 21st St.

Coffee/Tea provided.
Donations are greatly appreciated.

Please RSVP to Carol at colemanmoser@hotmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Carol and Tony

[Super Dad]

North Shore ASBC Lecture Series

The North Shore ASBC Support Group proudly presents:

An Evening with Dr. Davies
at
7:00pm, February 17
in the
West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre

We are very pleased to have Dr. Glen Davies of the ABLE Development Clinic as our guest speaker. Dr. Davies is by far the most respected child psychologist within the autism community, not only because of his work with autistic children, but also because of his advocacy for their rights.

Instead of a presentation, we will have a question-and-answer session, for topics such as:
* why autism treatment differs from those of other developmental disorders;
* why ABA works;
* in what ways does ABA help (aside from IQ);
* which children will benefit from ABA (e.g. age, functioning level);
* how ABA is relevant to the school classroom;
* evaluating current fads in autism treatment;
* using other treatments in conjunction with ABA (e.g. biomedical).

DATE: Tuesday, February 17, 2009
TIME: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
LOCATION: West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre (695 21st St, West Vancouver).

For those going north/west on Highway #1: take exit 10 (for 21st St/Westhill Dr) and then turn left at 21st St. For those going east on Highway #1: take exit 10 (for 22nd St), merge onto Orchard Way, turn right at 22nd St, turn left at Queens Ave and then turn right at 21st St.

Coffee/Tea provided.
Donations are greatly appreciated.

Please RSVP to Carol at colemanmoser@hotmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Carol and Tony

[Author]

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