[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

[Dione Costanzo]

We are cram packed this week and have some great events in SURREY, VICTORIA and BURNABY! Please see below and don't miss out!

SEP 24, 6:30PM: South Surrey Neighbourhood Network Meeting
Semiahmoo Public Library

Come out to join other parents in South Surrey for our monthly neighbourhood network. Parents and family members of children with ASD can connect and converse!
The topic of discussion is back to school where experienced parents will be on hand to lend advice to new parents.

SEP 25, 11:00AM: Victoria Neighborhood Network Meeting *new group*
Please contact Franca for the address at 250-516-9701 and/or francapastro@icloud.com

Come with questions, meet and get to know other parents to network and share information and resources.

Find out about coming presentations and submit any ideas for topics that you would like more information on.

SEP 25, 6:30PM: Why do we teach things like matching?
The purpose and importance of early skill acquisition programming.
Edmonds Community Centre, Burnaby

This presentation will provide an overview of the rationale for teaching some of the skills often targeted early on in ABA programs, whose purpose may not always be clear. The presenters (Dr. Joan Broto, BCBA-D and Tyla Frewing, BCBA) will provide an explanation of why we need to teach pre-requisite skills such as matching, imitation, and learning readiness. We will also discuss a brief overview of program sequencing and how assessments conducted at the onset of treatment inform program development. Although this presentation will benefit all parents running ABA programs, it will be particularly useful to those who are just starting an ABA program for their younger child.

We highly recommend that anyone attending the ABA in Schools Workshop on Saturday also attend this free event on Friday.

SEP 26, 8:30am-4pm ABA in Schools Workshop in New Westminster
http://autismsupportbc.ca/special-events-2/aba-in-schools-workshop-2015/

SEP 27, 8:30am-noon : We will be in the resource fair at the AS Walk at Swanguard Stadium. Please stop by and say hi!

Find a complete listing of our events on our website:

http://www.autismsupportbc.ca

[Shu]

We are looking for a Behavioral Interventionist to join our home based ABA team for our 5 years-old child. Candidates should have strong play skills, patience, be a good multi-tasker.

Minimum Educational and Experience Requirements:

A. Fluent in English
B. Experience working with young children
C. Applicants in Psychology, Special Education, Early Childhood Education, and Speech & Language Pathology are encouraged to apply
D.Clear criminal record check completed within the last 12 months

Times of intervention are 6:30pm-8pm Monday/Tuesday/Friday or 10am-12pm Sunday. Successful applicant is expected to work 2 sessions per week.

Job Type: Part-time

Required experience:

Working with Children: 1 year

[Dione Costanzo]

New Job Posting Board Launched by the Autism Support Network

In addition to the FEAT board, parents and caregivers can now also post job ads for ABA Therapists/Behaviour Interventionists through the Autism Support Network website.

Once published, potential therapists can browse and respond directly to ads that interest them.

Just click on the link below, fill out the form with required information and submit.

http://autismsupportbc.ca/job-postings/

The Autism Support Network maintains a database of potential BI's that have expressed interest in the field at a Career Fair or attending an information session. We send them information about our job postings on a regular basis.

Don't forget to sign up for our mailing list for more news and event information!

[Mike & Jean]

Important announcement for parents and supporters!

Medicare for Autism Now's "One in 68" Campaign training sessions originally scheduled for Aug. 18th and 19th in Surrey and Vancouver are cancelled and are now going to be one session and available to everyone across Canada via webinar on Wednesday, August 19th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm PDT. Parents and supporters living anywhere in Canada can join us live to learn how to engage their local candidates to advance policy change which will make science-based autism treatment (ABA/IBI) universally accessible and covered under Medicare. It's as easy as following the instructions in this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/regist…/4708086068839319042

Can't join us live? Watch our facebook page at the end of next week to see where you can download the recorded session.
We look forward to meeting you and taking your questions on-line next Wednesday evening. Please share this information with all your parent/supporter groups.

[Mike & Jean]

Dr. Sherri Brown is a director of the Medicare for Autism Now! Society and campaign chairman for it’s “One in 68” political campaign. Her accompanying letter, published today in ASAT’s (Association for Science in Autism Treatment) summer newsletter powerfully explains why Canada needs ABA treatment to be covered under Medicare. Watch Medicare for Autism Now’s facebook page and website: http://www.medicareforautismnow.org for campaign information.

A Canadian Love Letter to American Autism Votes Supporters and (Specified) State Legislators: http://www.asatonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/SIAT-Spring-2015.pdf
By Sherri Brown, PhD

Dear Neighbours to the South,

First, an admission. We often walk around up here, north of the 49th parallel, with puffed out chests when comparing our universal and publicly funded health care system to your system. We may even sneer a little, “Can you imagine having to live in the US. where a private health insurance company dictates decisions about your health? Your child’s health?” When I began my postdoctoral fellowship in 2012 in San Francisco I certainly arrived at the airport full of this brand of arrogance. This was before my child’s autism diagnosis. This was before I realized how having a child with a disability could change everything you thought you once knew. Indeed, when we became increasingly concerned about our son’s development my first instinct was to race back home to the supposedly safe haven of Canadian healthcare. My arrogance and ignorance would end up costing us all dearly. Because much to my surprise health insurance in Canada does not cover ABA treatment for children with autism. Despite decades of research that have demonstrated ABA as a highly effective treatment intervention in reducing or eliminating symptoms of autism and yielding improvements in behaviour, communication, and social skills, Canadian governments do not see it as “medically necessary”. Some provinces provide partial coverage, but it varies widely and treatment waitlists can be as long as four years. Now, I know you have serious challenges with HMOs and private health insurance- I do not wish to dispute or minimalize this. However, from one neighbour to another, I want you to take a moment to congratulate yourselves for your hard won successes of having 41 of 50 states who have enacted insurance reform laws to mandate coverage for applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders. By mandating coverage for ABA, state legislators have recognized and enshrined your children’s rights to medically necessary treatment. These state legislators, however, have largely come to this conclusion through sustained advocacy of parents like yourselves, and in particular through the efforts of Autism Votes. With 1 in 68 children in the US now diagnosed (we suspect autism prevalence is similar in Canada, but we have NO national autism surveillance program so we’re basically guessing), Autism Votes harnesses the power in numbers of voters in states (and Federally) to lobby and advocate for insurance reform, new legislation (the ABLE Act, for example) and other state and federal initiatives benefitting families and individuals with autism. You should be very proud of this, of Autism Votes, and of your state legislators who took seriously the very real threat of a large cohort of voters who presented them with a reform agenda. They listened this time. You have 8 states remaining (as of May 6, Hawaii is poised to become the 42nd state to pass insurance reform), but even when these states sign on, and I hope they will, the one thing I have learned in the short two years since my son’s diagnosis is that advocacy is chronic. None of us live in the kind of society yet that treats our children with the respect, support, and justice to which they are all entitled. A group of parents in Canada took their complaint regarding the absence of insurance coverage for ABA to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004, and the Court ruled that while ABA was a "medically necessary" treatment, the Court was not in a position to compel the Government to pay for it. So, Canadian parents are now left to learn from and emulate your successful advocacy efforts; we must compel legislators to change the law (the Canada Health Act) to include ABA treatment for individuals with autism. I am a proud Canadian, but this pride will never override my love and concern for my disabled child. I wish we had stayed in California. I wish I didn’t have to fight this fight. I wish I could simply parent my child with the knowledge that his disability is well supported with effective treatment interventions. Raising a disabled child is difficult enough without having to assume another full-time job of chronic advocacy. But you, dear neighbours to the south, have shown me change is possible, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for renewing and sustaining my hopes for a better future for our children.

Love,
One Canadian Autism Mom

Dr. Brown is a lecturer at Simon Fraser University with research interests and experience in the politics of access to health care and treatment. She is the mom to five year old Quinn, a nonverbal 5 year old boy with autism spectrum disorder

[Bev Sharpe]

The Association for Science in Autism Treatment is committed to improving the education and treatment for people with Autism.

Sign up now for your free membership which means you will automatically receive their quarterly newsletter. Their latest newletter is a must-read. It is available at this link:

http://www.asatonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Summer2015.pdf

ASAT is a not-for-profit organization of parents and professionals committed to improving the education, treatment, and care of people with autism. Their board of directors and advisory board are comprised of parents of individuals with autism and highly trained professionals and practitioners working in multiple disciplines, such as pediatricians, scientists, academicians, clinicians, educators, speech therapists, and financial experts. ASAT also has dozens of additional volunteers who work tirelessly to support their mission. Collectively, they have hundreds of years of experience and training related to autism treatment. ASAT has the expertise to disseminate sound recommendations, share resources, and make a difference in the lives of individuals with autism and their families.

[Rhea Yang]

We are seeking a BI to join our current ABA home team for our 14 year old
boy going into Grade 9 every week for 2 hours. Team meetings are monthly.
Salary is dependent on experience. Training will be provided by our BCBA
consultant, Colby Anderson and supervision by Sara White.
Ideally for have some ABA background BI or college students especially
those in psychology, social work, special needs or education.

Applicants must:

– Be patient, self-motivated, extremely reliable, enthusiastic and
possess excellent communication skills.
– be at least 19 years old
– have experience or enjoy working with children
– have a clear criminal record check
– have the transportation
– Be willing to make a minimum 2 years commitment
– want to make a difference in a child's life

This excellent opportunity may lead you to the Surrey school board to work with
my son at school next year if you have very close to fulfilling the 1000 documented hours of
home ABA experience required.

Interested applicants are asked to send their resume to
xiaoyuy@hotmail.com or phone at 7789605908, Rhea Yang

[Dione Costanzo]

Upcoming Events Presented by the Autism Support Network:

July 13th – Welcome to Autism : A Special Presentation for Parents
Langley Events Centre, 101 – 7888 200 Street, Langley, 6:30pm

Special guest speakers Jodie Wickens, Parent and Michele Shilvock, BCBA will discuss the journey from assessment through diagnosis and navigating the myriad of information that comes with an autism diagnosis.

The focus of this presentation is on supporting parents to identify the components of an evidence based therapy program that will best suit their child, including evaluating and hiring service providers.

Have a new diagnosis? Not sure if the therapy program your child is currently in is the right fit? This presentation is for you.

This is a free event. PLEASE RSVP to so we can plan for space and refreshments.

RSVP for Welcome to Autism – https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/welcome-to-autism-a-presentation-for-parents-tickets-17639854279

Parent Networking Opportunities:

It's Summer time and some of our regular Neighborhood Network Meetings have turned into Parents' Night Out! These no host events are casual evenings for parents to get together for discussion and enjoy food and drinks at local establishments.

Experienced parents will be in attendance. If there are any particular topics or issues you would like to discuss or information that you need please include this in your RSVP. We are Parents Helping Parents!

These are a no host events and there is no charge to reserve a seat. We request an RSVP so that we can hold space at the restaurant and prepare for any particular issues or questions that are submitted.

Thursday, July 9th – Parents Night Out in the Tri-Cities
7pm at Brew Street Craft and Kitchen, 3224 St. Johns St, Port Moody, British Columbia V3H 2C9
RSVP for Parents Night Out Tri-Cities –https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/parents-night-out-in-the-tri-cities-tickets-17640115059

Friday, July 24th – Parents Night Out South Surrey
7pm at the Pacific Bistro and Convenience Store, 102 382-175A St, South Surrey BC
RSVP for Parents Night Out South Surrey – https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/parents-night-out-south-surrey-tickets-17681992315

Wednesday, July 29th – Parents Night Out Vancouver
7pm at the Craft Beer Market, Salt Building – 85 West 1st Ave, Olympic Village, Vancouver
RSVP for Parents Night Out Vancouver https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/vancouver-parents-night-out-tickets-17640053876

About the Autism Support Network:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMnYOYO1rxs

Watch for Neighborhood Network meetings and other events for Surrey, Langley, Burnaby, Vancouver, North Vancouver, Tri-Cities, Mission, Nanaimo and more coming this fall!

Are you looking for support, information or want to connect with other parents? Follow us!
https://www.facebook.com/austismsupportbc and Twitter @autismsupportbc
and on our online calendar on our website – http://autismsupportbc.ca

[Mike & Jean]

More great news from Medicare for Autism Now! Today, director, Jean Lewis, announced that Maria Kehagias is joining our board. “We are delighted to welcome Maria as a director of our organization. She brings a diverse blend of professional expertise infused by her energetic, positive attitude.”

For several years, Maria has worked with a number of adolescents and adults across the autism spectrum in the capacity of Special Education Assistant, ABA therapist, Senior Therapist, and Program Director. She has front-line experience with individuals who are very mildly effected to those who are more severe with dual diagnoses requiring very complex treatment programs. She has witnessed first hand the life-changing efficacy of ABA for all individuals with autism and their families. Maria’s direct experience in the field of ABA, coupled with her more recent interests in public relations and marketing position her very well to oversee and direct our organization’s fundraising, event coordination and social media campaigns.

Maria’s interest in autism treatment advocacy grew when she began to witness the hurdles that families faced when trying to pursue what was their child’s right – access to healthcare. “Why is our country denying our most vulnerable citizens?” asks Ms. Kehagias, “This is an unacceptable injustice and abuse by neglect.”

For more information, contact Jean Lewis at mfanow@gmail.com

[Shu]

Behavior Interventionist Wanted (Metrotowm)

We are looking for a Behavioral Interventionist to join our home based ABA team for our 5 years-old child. Candidates must have previous experience working with children diagnosed with autism. Also, should have strong play skills, patience, be a good multi-tasker.

Successful applicant is expected to work 2 sessions per week. Times of intervention are 6:30pm-8pm Monday/Tuesday/Friday or 10am-12pm Saturday.

Pay is based on experience.

If you are in interested, please send your availability, cover letter and resume to ritashu@hotmail.com

Thanks!

[Author]

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