[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

[Andrew Kavchak]

Hi Folks,

Yesterday on CBC radio I caught the tale end of an interview with a young lady who apparently made a documentary about her younger sister who has autism. I did not get the full story, but it sounded like the lady said that her parents were told at the time of the diagnosis that her younger sister would never go anywhere in life, etc…Well, apparently the younger lady is now a high school graduate with two part-time jobs, etc…. and the older sister wanted to tell her story.

This moring on CBC radio I heard that the documentary will air at 11:45am today (Thursday) in case you are interested.

Happy New Year!

Cheers!
Andrew

[Dubravka Skrijelj]

Hi Monika,

Thank you for your explanation regarding supported child care service, but I am wondering for how long this opportunity will be given to us?
Please take a look at gov't web-site: http://www.sccp.bc.ca/SCC%20Refocus.htm

"The Ministry has directed regions to proceed with moving the responsibility for the delivery of SCD services from government to community agencies by February 28, 2005."

At this moment, the ministry would pay to you directly to hire a person for supported child care; the question is would those community agencies allow parents to choose the same option, child's therapist as a care giver in the future?

[Monika Lange]

Supported childcare money is separate from respite funding.

[Phemie Mayhew]

I think we should be careful what we say what the respite money is used for. I was under the impression that they don't want respite money to be used for therapy…however, what they do while babysitting is another story.

[Monika Lange]

Good point Tony. I have advice regarding paying for therapist hours. If you are a single working parent, you are eligible for supported childcare. I paid my therapists $10/hr and of that amount, the government paid the first $6. The government gave me this money to pay for glorified babysitting; I put it towards medically necessary treatment for my son. Since the money currently given to families ($20k or $6K) is for out of school hours, you may use supported childcare money for in-school hours to complement. Considering all the stress autism and its associated financial burden places on a family, the government shouldn't be that surprised if married couples "separate" en masse, if you know what I mean.

[Laurie Guerra]

I'll try to make this short as I know you are all busy and if you're like me have a hard time reading extremely long posts………

I want to tell you facts that I know first hand that anger me most. When we first got our autism diagnosis (with absolutely no hope whatsoever from anyone at Sunnyhill) we nearly lost our minds. Completely devastated, we called the Autism Society in hopes that we would get whatever help we could. I spoke directly to Deborah Pugh, acting executive director, who although sounded pleasant enough, told me nothing! I was sent a package the size of a novel with many different "options" I could take. Not ever did she or Claire Schuman, who both supposedly had autistic children,let me know of ABA or science based treatment. Not even after years of being an ASBC parent group facilitator, of which Claire Schuman was the overseer, did I get any info. about ABA.

Tell me, if the 2 most senior, paid staff members at the Autism Society of BC withhold information about the best treatment available, or worse yet don't know the best treatment available, who is supposed to inform you??

I want to say thank God for Sabrina Freeman and Jean Lewis who told me how to get help for my son. They didn't refer me to a manual that told me nothing.

My son started on an ABA program at the age of 6 and a half years old and now at the age of 9 he is nearly recoverred.

I am a board member at the ASBC and as long as I am I will encourage families to use Science-based treatment and to date ABA is the only one. Not a form of it, not based on it but "IT"-Lovaas ABA.

The ASBC is not only about treatment issues, but for so long now it has avoided them that perhaps it seems as though the pendulum has had to swing the other way. This board of directors get nothing in the way of financial gain. They are a group of individuals that care about your kids. Volunteering as a director takes a lot of time.

For all parents out there of autistic children, never, ever give up. There is hope!

Thanks FEAT of BC!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Laurie Romey, director ASBC

(ACT-BC couldn't see this director as being all that bad since I worked under them, Claire and Deborah for 2 years)

[Super Dad]

Regarding Mina's question, let's read it carefully. She feels it may be too late to start an ABA program because "the budget will be very limited after a child is 6." It's not a question of whether or not the child would benefit from the treatment, but a question of her ability to pay for it.

The fact is, after the latest court decision, the funding may soon cease to exist for children of ANY age. We're all in the same boat. My opinion is that you MUST find a way to pay for an ABA program, because it is critical for your child's future. I've been told by at least two families that they are prepared to sell everything they own.

A more useful question would be: how do I provide ABA treatment within my means? Perhaps we can share some advice on how to run a program on a shoe string.

Tony

[Monika Lange]

Regarding the question about "is it too late?": ABA enables the child to learn, and learning should never stop. Not at age 6, not at 10, not ever. We would never dream of denying a child an education if he was making a "late" start; and we would never say a child's education should stop when he turns 6 (well, the BC Government would, but I won't get into that right now). ABA is a tool your child needs to learn. When he no longer needs it, he can drop the training wheels. Maybe he only needs them for two years, but maybe he'll need them for a long time. ABA is a bridging tool, just as training wheels are. The goal in education is to make continuous progress, and without ABA autistic kids are essentially denied their right to participate in an education (to say the least). Please, give your kid the training wheels.

[Laurie Guerra]

Mina,

We started an ABA program when my son was 6 and a half years old. He is now 9 and has near recoverred!!

It's never too late…….

Laurie Romey

[Mina Moori]

Hi all,
With no success, still looking for ABA consultant and there is another question raised .our son will be six years old in four months.Do you think it'll be too late to start ABA program, since the buget will be very limited after a child is 6? It's seems like we're going nowhere.!

[Author]

Replies