[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

[Jannet Narukami]

My daughter has a moderate to severe "Verbal Behavior". She is in Kindergarden and will turn 6 next month. I am desperately LOOKING FOR A GOOD CONSULTANT AND A SENIOR THERAPISTS as soon as possible.
We had an EIBI program before but are now changing to ABA program. Please, if anyone know/ or who can help me find a consultant, please e-mail me asap.
We live in South Burnaby area, (close to 22nd St. Skytrain Station)

[Maureen St. Cyr]

The Early Autism Project (EAP) is doing another round of
their line therapist training sessions, if anyone is interested
or knows someone who is interested. There is an
introductory/junior course and an advanced course. Details
are:

Junior/Line Therapist class:

When: January 31, 2004 from 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.

Where: The Early Autism Project, ULC, 103-3991 Henning
Drive, Burnaby, BC V5C 6N5, 604-473-5011

What: For therapists performing early intervention
treatment for children with autism. This class will address
several topics that outline the basic foundation for junior
therapists to increase their skills in Lovaas-style ABA
therapy. Therapists will learn the basics of Discrete Trial,
information on very basic behaviour modifications, tips on
reinforcement, etc. This is not a class to teach probing
techniques or a forum to troubleshoot specific case
information. Completion of the class does not imply that
EAP endorses the therapist nor does it prepare the therapist
to be a Senior Therapist. It is a basic, informational training
course designed to sharpen therapy skills. Therapists
should come prepared with paper and pen to take notes.
The Line Training Class will take approximately four hours
to complete; two hours of discussion and two hours of
participation. We will cover not only the areas listed above
but also provide a chance for therapists to get individual
work time with an EAP Supervisor in order to hone their
skills and ask questions regarding therapy or working with
children with autism. The class will hopefully be an
invaluable tool to new therapists and those already hired.

How: Contact Sean Bozosi at EAP – 604-473-5011

How Much: $50 by credit card or cheque made payable to
Early Autism Project, ULC.

Advanced Line Therapist class:

When: February 21st, 2003 from 9 a.m. -1 p.m.

Where: The Early Autism Project, ULC, 103-3991 Henning
Drive, Burnaby, BC V5C 6N5, 604-473-5011

What: For individuals performing early intervention
treatment for children with autism. In order to attend this
class, an individual must either have attended the first Line
Training Class with EAP, have one year of experience
performing Lovaas-style early behavioural intervention and
currently be working with two children diagnosed with an
ASD, or have consent from the senior staff at EAP.
This class will not only cover higher-level discrimination
training but also delve into advanced prompting and
reinforcement strategies: such as shaping, chaining and
reinforcement assessments. In addition, a brief overview on
how to effectively carry out play programming will also be
provided. This class will not present an opportunity to
troubleshoot specific case questions. Completion of the
class does not imply that EAP endorses the therapist nor
does it prepare attendees to be Senior Therapists. The
goals of the course are to sharpen therapy skills, broaden
the knowledge of techniques used in the ABA format, and
increase the effectiveness of each individual’s therapy.
Therapists should come prepared to take notes.
The Advanced Line Training Class will span four hours; two
of which will be discussion and the other two hours are for
practical application exercises. During the participation
time, attendees will work directly with an EAP Consultant to
ask questions and receive feedback on their
demonstrations.

How: Call Sean Bozosi at 604-473-5011

How much: $50 by credit card or cheque made payable to
Early Autism Project, ULC

[Dorothy Ray]

Woops! I forgot to leave contact information. To reach Dorothy Roy re: a good ABA consultant for my 2 yr old, please phone me at (604) 583-4385, or email me at roganddot@shaw.ca

Thanks so much! Dorothy

[Deleted User]

Dorothy,
I am in Surrey too, and I am very happy with my consultant. Please live me your e-mail or phone no.

[Dorothy Ray]

Hello everyone. I'm posting in the hopes of picking your collective brains – again. My second son has just been diagnosed with mild ASD and I am once again going through the steps of setting up a treatment program. This time, though, I need to find a consultant who is experienced with 1-2 year olds, and preferably the AVB (Applied Verbal Behaviour) program, as my son is very behind in his speech/language development. If anyone knows of such a consultant, especially if that individual is local, I would be extremely grateful for the recommendation!

Thanks, Dorothy

[Maureen St. Cyr]

Hi all…I've been asked to pass this along by the folks at
EAP. The Early Autism Project have been consultants to my
daughter since they were still all based out of Wisconsin,
and I am frankly thrilled that they moved here. BC needs
more Lovaas consultants of their integrity and character,
and this posting is a golden opportunity for any therapist
who fits the requirements and wants to make a career out
of helping our kids. Just my two cents worth — here's the
posting from EAP:

———————

The Early Autism Project (EAP) is hiring for the position of
Supervisor. Intern training will begin on February 17th,
2004 and will run through May. Those accepted into the
training will go through a comprehensive four to five month
training program. The training protocol consists of working
with four or five children and their therapy teams under
weekly supervision, instruction in social, behavioural and
clinical programming for children with autism via Applied
Behavioural Analysis and weekly meetings with each Trainer
to go over feedback and discuss training as a whole.
Training expectations also cover attending mandatory
classes at the EAP Clinic twice weekly (Monday and
Wednesday mornings), assignments, exams, and
miscellaneous clinical and administrative aspects.

Any interested applicant should contact the Early Autism
Project clinic at 604.473.5011 and speak with Kathy Schutt,
EAP Administrator. Kathy will then schedule a first interview
with Jennifer Newland and Sean Bozosi. First interviews are
being held on January 13-14th. The deadline for
scheduling interviews with Kathy is January 7th, 2004. Prior
to applying, each applicant must have an undergraduate
degree in a related field as well as 2000 hours of
experience performing ABA therapy with children diagnosed
with an autism spectrum disorder.

Before scheduling an interview with Kathy, each applicant
must submit, in one envelope or folder, the following:
o A resume with cover letter
o A list of children they have worked with that should not
include names but should include:
– Age of child at start of employment
– Gender
– Length of employment with each child
– Therapist status with each child (if a Line, Senior, etc.)
– Consultants and/or Treatment Providers worked with
o Background check
o Three letters of reference
– Two must be from current or previous families of
employment
– At least one from another professional (teacher,
consultant, etc.)

We look forward to meeting those that are interested in
advancing their career with a team of clinicians in the field
of Applied Behavioural Analysis. If you have any questions
feel free to contact the EAP clinic and ask to speak with
either Jennifer or Sean. Thank you for your interest.

Sean Bozosi Jennifer Newland
Senior Supervisor Senior Supervisor
Early Autism Project, ULC Early Autism
Project, ULC

[Leah Mumford]

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone knew of any ABA consultants in Ontario. A friend of mine knows a child who was recently diagnosed with high-functioning autism; he's just turned 11. But…they live in Ontario, and I have no idea how to get them in touch with an ABA clinic, or how much the government funds over there. Any info would be greatly appreciated. you can e-mail me at LKV@sfu.ca
Thanks & Merry Christmas!
Leah

[Deleted User]

Does anyone have any suggestions for resource materials on effective ways to summarize the data that is collected over time in a Lovaas-style ABA program – ie:data graphing/plotting?

[Diane Slootweg]

RE: Dr Suzanne Jacobsen – question from Anonymous on Saturday, Nov 15, 2003 – 11:20 pm

We have retained the services of Dr. Jacobsen as a consultant for our son?s ABA therapy. In the 8 months since we began our program, our son has made substantial gains in his communication and play skills. (He just turned 4) We are more than pleased with both Suzanne and her lead therapist, Anna Matchneva and would highly recommend their services to any other family seeking ABA therapy. After researching the options available for a consultant, we concluded that the program that Dr. Jacobsen offered incorporated all of aspects we were looking for.
We would be more than happy to discuss in detail our Verbal Behavior program and Dr. Jacobsen?s efforts with anyone that is interested.

Diane and Pete Slootweg

[Nancy Walton]

Are your token boards boring????

I discovered a cool way to make "cusomized" token boards quick and easy. First buy stickers that appeal to your child. The best kind are the ones that come with a little scene to stick them on to. Canadian Tire is a great source for these scene stickers (Franklin, dinosaurs, barbies…).

Peel off the stickers and stick them directly onto laminating plastic. Laminate and cut out. Then buy those velcro dots (they come in rolls at Office Depot) and put the dots onto the scene and the other dots onto the back of the laminated stickers. Wala! you have a token board.
You can put extra velco dots on the back of the board where you can keep extra stickers so you can rotate different stickers onto the front. Put an extra velcro on the front for the reinforcer.

Have fun!

Nancy Gadget Walton

[Author]

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