[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

[Hisham Khalifa]

Hello everyone , am rsponding to anonymous who is asking about Dr suzanne jacobson,feel free to email me ,you might want to hear about our experince with her.

[Nenad Ivanovic]

Re: pictures and flash cards

We used some good inexpensive sets from teaching stores (i.e. Teaching
Things in Burnaby), and we also found these web sites very useful:

http://www.teachingtime.co.uk
http://www.enchantedlearning.com
http://www.autismhandinhand.com/index.asp (this one is prepared by
local people)

and of course, google search under images.

But if you want to save time, send you e-mail address and I will
forward
to you all the pictures I found on the internet and used over the last
two years.

Jovana
(Sofija's mom)

[Barbara Rodrigues]

Hi Jenn:

A while back a mother on the me-list started using ABA with her son who was 32 years old. I remember hearing from her that he was making improvements and had in fact learned to tie his shoes at the age of 33.

If you had seen Dr. Foxx when he was here at UBC – he started working with a man who was very self-injurious – along with many other things – including being blind – and he made amazing – I mean amazing progress.

The main thing for the mom is to find a consultant who is very qualified and has worked with many older people. That's probably going to be the hardest part for the mom – also the staff in the home would have to be very willing to be trained and be willing to work very hard and to keep data, etc.

I wish this mom all the best of luck – her son's life could be so improved with the use of ABA. It's never too late, never.

Barbara Rodrigues
Jeremy's Mom

[Jenn Ralph]

Advice please: An acquaintance of mine has a 27 year old autistic son in a home. She has only just recently heard of ABA from me, and was wondering if it would help her son. Is anyone aware of anybody who has started ABA at such a late age – late 20's? Any advice that i could pass on to her would be great, and much appreciated.
Jennifer

[Sabrina Freeman]

It’s important to address the recent thread on the discussion board regarding a treatment service provider discussed in this forum – namely, Dr. Suzanne Jacobsen. Thus far, two posters have sung Dr. Jacobsen's praises, but unfortunately have missed the point of earlier posts on the topic.

I believe it's safe to say that no member of this discussion group would be so presumptuous as to declare that Dr. Jacobson is not a competent psychologist. In fact, our assumption is that there are many fine psychologists such as Dr. Jacobson in private practice throughout B.C. However, the question posed to this group — as I understand it — is this: does Dr. Jacobson qualify as a specialist in the autism treatment protocol developed and refined by Lovaas and colleagues — a treatment method replicated numerous times in peer-reviewed research and deemed medically necessary by no less than five judges in British Columbia Superior courts. The point made by parents at the outset of the thread on this board is that, in their opinion, Dr. Jacobson does not appear to be qualified in the highly specialized area of Lovaas Autism Treatment.

If parents elect to not use the proven Lovaas-UCLA protocol, but instead use other forms of ABA, such as Verbal Behavior (Sundberg & Partington — promoted by Carbone), or Pivotal Response training or Fluency/Precision teaching, etc, that is certainly their prerogative; however, parents hopefully will make an informed choice with full knowledge that these different forms of ABA therapy do not have the rigorous scientific data necessary to support them, as does the Lovaas method of autism treatment — the science that won the day in BC Supreme Court and upheld on appeal.

In view of all this, it's important to stress that it is not appropriate on this board to discuss the qualifications and expertise of a service provider who may be doing a "great job" in an unsubstantiated or experimental type of ABA therapy. When parents report in this space on these treatment methods, everyone needs to keep in mind that the information is purely anecdotal or, to be precise, not yet supported with longitudinal, between-subject research designs to support the treatment efficacy.

Please remember that your child's future entirely depends on you being a savvy consumer of autism treatment services. Sadly, there are far too many service providers sprouting up in the autism business working very hard … to take your dough.

Sabrina
(Miki's Mom)

[Deleted User]

Further to the discussion regarding Suzanne Jacobsen:
On learning my son was autistic, I researched and interviewed the big name consultants.
We actually ended up hiring Dr. Jacobsen, who practices Verbal Behaviour/ABA, and have been more than happy with her program.
On researching ABA, I did decide to use Verbal Behaviour, (partly as our child is so young). With a focus on natural environment teaching, we have found skills to transition very nicely from one situation to another, although the skills are still taught through discreet trial.

Not only has Suzanne been excellent, our lead therapist, Anna Matchneva, has been awesome. I follow the program closely, and read information like mad.
Both have taken training under Dr. Vincent Carbone, and I know other consultants implement his techniques (Verbal Behaviour), though they don't call it Verbal Behaviour.
I know this is not Lovaas ABA, but it's working wonders on my son.
Thanks for listening.
p.s. I know this is a Lovaas site, and I really appreciate all the information I derive from it. I also appreciate that other styles of therapy are not to be discussed. I write this not as support for Verbal Behaviour being superior to Lovaas ABA, but merely in support of Dr. Jacobsen.

[Linda Cucek]

Stan Cucek's wife Linda, together with Autistic son are taking Premier of BC Gordon Campbell, for a pre-election promise he made and broke.

Please check out our webpage:

http://groups.msn.com/TheAutismHomePage/jamescucek.msnw

Stan Cucek

[Linda Cucek]

Stan Cucek's wife Linda, together with Autistic son are taking Premier of BC Gordon Campbell, for a pre-election promise he made and broke.

Please check out our webpage:

http://groups.msn.com/TheAutismHomePage/jamescucek.msnw

Stan Cucek

[Erik Knoph]

A quick note regarding last week's discussion of Dr. Suzanne Jacobsen. There was an enquiry from someone about her last week and two respondents wrote in suggesting that there were better professionals available. Since I have been using her services for the past year, and I have been more than satisfied with her recommendations and advice, I thought I should offer another opinion.
Briefly, I have found Dr. Jacobsen to very knowledgeable regarding spectrum disorders, their treatment, and the school system in relation to ASD children. She has never disappointed me in her knowledge, compassion, or reliability to my child or self. When I began using Dr. Jacobsen, my son had already been in ABA therapy for two and a half years and had completed most applicable programs. I spent half a year searching for a doctor of her expertise and experience after our arrival in Vancouver. I wanted someone who could take my child beyond the strict walls of ABA and amend the tasks and procedures to suit my child's particular abilities (Autistic and gifted intelligence). This she has done beautifully.
If these are some of qualities that you seek in your professional, then Suzanne Jacobsen is more than suitable.
All the best,
Linda Knoph

[Deleted User]

This is in response to Barb,

I posted to your EIBI question. I wanted to assure you it was not YOU who was violating any feat rules, it would be ME if I let my anger get the better of me when answering your questions. Your question is exactly the type of question new parents should be asking.

EIBI and other govt. agencies have caused parents so much strife, that we "seasoned" feat members may let our anger out when responding to your questions. (as you can see by recent posts). If you ever see anger in a post it is not because we are lunatics or fanatics, it is because someone has harmed our children, or has made our life very difficult (in my case financially) or has blocked our efforts to get help for our children.

So please feel free to ask good questions. It is what the board is here for. Learn from what we have to say, and remember that there is a very good reason for any anger that spills out(and that reason has nothing to do with the person who asks the question).

[Author]

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