[Sandy & Mike]

Re: Dogs

Another suggestion: you may want to try to look into the Portuguese Water Dog. They are non shedding, athletic, intelligent and very good with children. These dogs are EXCELLENT swimmers and are know for their diving capabilities. They are also in the size category that you seek.
Personally we LOVE our great danes (we are breeders) yes they are HUGE but they have a slower metabolism than an a medium sized breed therefore they do not require as much excercise as a smaller dog and they are not a "hyper nor aggressive" breed, contrary to what is widely believed the GD is very intelligent, gentle and loyal. They are very social and are happiest when they are near you. They shed less than most short haired breeds and require minimal grooming. It was our brindle female that first reached our son in his solitary world. He would not respond to anyone nor anything until one day our female walked up to him and placed her head under his hand – he suddenly became aware of her and smiled (for the first time in over 9 months) and began to touch her face. To this day he seeks her out to hug her (another benefit of such a big dog – great for hugging) and stroke her head :>
What ever breed you decide to go with make sure you buy from a reputable person who is willing to give you some form of a guarantee on health and temperament. Good luck.

[Sandy & Mike]

Hi Michelle,

In response to your "toilet jamming" incident (bg), I have seen toilet seat locking mechanisms in Save-On, Super store, Walmart, Zellers, Toys R US etc… all in the baby section. They all have some sort of lock on them that "most" children are not supposed to be able to open (of course you will buy it and find your child is the one exception :> ) or you could do what we do – we have a one way passage lock on most of our doors and just lock it from the inside – we keep a chicken skewer (it is just the right size) in a closet near the door and use it to "pick the lock" open when we need to enter that room – works great for us. Good luck to you !
Sandy (Jared's mom)

[Sandy & Mike]

Our son is under 7 and I would like to know "where the money for this treatment is" that the Province talks about?? Is there something that we and hundreds of other families with children under 7 are missing? Has anyone set the record straight?

[Sandy & Mike]

I too read the online article in the Vancouver Sun "top stories" http://www.vancouversun.com I was so happy to see that the government is beginning to listen to FEAT parents! They need to KNOW that they would be excluding a large number of children over six that NEED individualized funding to continue their programs and continue to make the gains that are so crucial for their development and progress. These children are not dispensable – they are part of us, with bright futures and they deserve their best possible outcome! There is a light at the end of the tunnel – we are almost there – let us press on. I think it is extremely important for parents with children under six to thank the Liberals for seeing the light and AGAIN ask them to open it up to truly include ALL our children. It will be my very next letter.

Sandy (mother of Jared – a 2.75 year old)

[Sandy & Mike]

Hello;

I would like to get in touch with Vanessa Floral. We would appreciate anyone that would provide us with a number where she may be reached.
my email is andalusianspirit@home.com
Thank you.

Sandy (Jared's mom)

[Sandy & Mike]

We were wondering if anyone has been able to catch the Shaw Cable piece on autism? We have tuned in to the channel for three days in a row and did not see the presentation. Did they change the line-up? Does anyone in the Fraser Valley region know if the times are different than what we received from the post? Our entire team is interested in viewing this program if anyone can let us know if they have seen it, or if there has been changes made with respect to the time we would be grateful. Thank you.

Sandy (Jared's mom)

[Sandy & Mike]

EXTREMELY well put Isaac. Cheers!

Sandy (Jared's mom)

[Sandy & Mike]

Hi Jason;

If you go to Dr. Lovaas's site http://www.lovaas.com there is a list of replication sites which he has approved as models of his work. WEAP is on that list, but I did not see Autism Partnership (at that time) on the list. This was one of the main reasons we have gone with WEAP. We want a program as close as we can get to the Lovaas UCLA program which also replicats his results. Good Luck in your search.

Sandy

p.s. WEAP has a very strict protocol and your child must be evaluated by certain professionals with specified tests. Personally, I think this is very beneficial. It establishes a baseline for the program so that you can see how your child has made gains and it will be a useful tool in demonstrating to those "officials" that this program WORKS !!!! because here is the hard evidence (data). It may be helpful in the future if we must continue to fight for our children's rights.

[Sandy & Mike]

Hello FEAT parents,

Is anyone familiar with Megan Mills of WEAP? We will be using her as our behavioural consultant beginning in February. If you would tell us a little about her it would be helpful. We have heard good things(from her employer) but it is reassuring to hear a parents perspective. Thank you.

Sandy (Jared's mom)

[Sandy & Mike]

Hello,

Has anyone heard if there will be another Seminar on the how's and wherefore's of setting up and administering a homebased ABA program? I have been told that these seminars offered by FEAT and senior therapists such as Claire Egan are excellent for new parents and their team. Please let us know if there is one coming up, as we are eager to attend. Thank you.

Sandy (Jared's mom)
andalusianspirit@home.com

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