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Dave Collyer
MemberHi again,
Peter,
If it is not a mater of the school needing to provide more information or some odd need to update assessments I thought I should also mention that your school can appeal the decision via the appeals process (deadline in October I think). I also understand that the appeals forms will be available @ the Ind. Schools Branch (electronically) next week.
Your school's administrator might find it helpful to contact Tony Arthurs (Coordinator of Special Education at the Independent Schools Branch of the Ministry of Education) for clarification.
I am not sure of how old your child is but s/he may be also be eligible for before and after school supports via Supported Child Development funding. SCDP is a MCFD (Ministry of Children and Family Development) contracted service provided by different agencies depending on your region. It may be a good idea to also have your school inquire about SCDP supports for your child with your local contracting agency.
Dave.
MemberHi all, I don't want to inundate folks with excessive amounts of material but I have found these links and resources to be of help while navigating the Public and Private education systems (in no particular order other then as they appear in my bookmarks in my web browser):
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/legislation/schoollaw/revisedstatutescontents.pdf
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/legislation/schoollaw/e/m150-89.pdf
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/independentschools/bc_guide/spec_ed.htm
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/asd_instr_supp_plan_tool.pdf
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/docs/autism.pdf
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/ppandg/planning_11.htm
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/independentschools/bc_guide/dl_program.htm
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/k12funding/funding/07-08/estimates/operating-grants-manual.pdf
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/legislation/schoollaw/
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/policy/policies/funding_special_needs.htm
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/policy/policies/special_ed.htm
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/policy/policies/funding_special_needs.htm
MemberHi Peter,
Did the school offer a reason as to why the application for funding had been turned down? It is usually a mater of the school filling out the forms with the correct documentation every year.
How old is your child's diagnosis?
It is my understanding that once the diagnosis of ASD has been given that there is generally no need to have a second assessment for ASD in order to qualify for L2 funding… IF a BCAAN (BC Autism Assessment Network) form was filled out. These forms were generally used after January 1 2004 and SunnyHill is part of the BCAAN. Unlike other assessments there is no time limit. ( Someone correct me if I am wrong). There is also no need to have secondary reporting done like SLP, WIATs, WISCs, once the BCAAN form has been completed as that would have been part of the process. Beyond that no additional assessments should be needed in order to qualify for L2 funding. Diagnosis of ASD is all that is required.
There are some considerations to review if your child's diagnosis occurred before Jan 1st 2004.
Go here for the BC Min. of Ed Special Ed. Services Manual: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/special_ed_policy_manual.pdf
Review pages 80-86…
Is the school accredited with the Independent Schools Branch?
Dave.
MemberHi all,
How did this come to pass… another child with autism murdered by her own parent… :
http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=341397
I am absolutely appalled.
Dave
MemberHi all,
Did anyone get down to SanDiego to take in the ABA conference?
I understand that Dr. Lovaas presented some work with regard to "Peer Play Dates" and ABA in natural settings … If anyone got down there I would love to hear of the details.
Dave.
MemberHi all,
FYI: A number of newspapers/news services seem to have picked up on the Jean Lewis and Roxanne Blacks' FEAT of BC tour out east.
…and many others seem to be picking up on the CP wire… (ie http://www.brandonsun.com/story.php?story_id=55730 , http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2007/05/27/4211713-sun.html , http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/837846.html ).
… and East Coast Bloggers… http://autisminnb.blogspot.com/
MemberHi all,
FYI: A number of newspapers/news services seem to have picked up on the Jean Lewis and Roxanne Blacks' FEAT of BC tour out east.
…and many others seem to be picking up on the CP wire… (ie http://www.brandonsun.com/story.php?story_id=55730 , http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2007/05/27/4211713-sun.html , http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/837846.html ).
… and East Coast Bloggers… http://autisminnb.blogspot.com/
MemberHi Monika,
Given that you have asked a very specific question… Here is one… Random Controlled Trial (gold standard):
Aldred, C., Green, J., & Adams, C. (2004). A new social communication intervention for children with autism: Pilot randomized controlled treatment study suggesting effectiveness. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 14201430.
Interesting work… In essence parents were trained in reciprocity skills and to respond to their children's early efforts to communicate. From my vantage point it appears that the parents were trained to deliver the intervention based on a premise that is akin to service delivery/interventions in the field of educational literacy interventions (ie teach parents to read to children and literacy deficits improve…the parents directly deliver the intervention not the professionals).
The results:
1. Increases noted on the ADOS for the realms of reciprocal social interaction, social engagement, social rapport, social responses, & spontaneous initiation of social interaction.
2. Reported improvement in language development and expressive and receptive language skills on the MacArthur Communication Development Inventory – this is a parentally reported (self report) tool so I suppose there could be a biased observer effect at play… or not as the control group did not report improvements but it might be looked at in follow up studies….I suppose that one limitation of this study is that it is not an entire "package" in that it does not address directly other issues (problematic behavior) or other deficits (self care)… but one might assume that some of these issues would be addressed or decreased indirectly by improving communication… but maybe more work is needed to document this . still very interesting research IMO.
Dave.
MemberHi Doris,
Welcome home. Things are in a bit of a muddle still in our province and country with regard to ASD supports and services. Good people within our community continue to work hard to further develop options and supports but there is much to be done still.
There seems to be some relief for folks on special diets via CCRA policy but that may be limited to Celiac related needs. Check with CCRA for more details but I fear that it is limited to people who have official diagnosis of celiac disease.
Given the state of the research we elected to work within the Lovaas framework and our son continues to thrive and enjoy the approach. However, I do appreciate that for some it is not the "path". Being a fan of B.F. Skinner I have an interest in his work and its application and have read much of the theoretical base and research work. I also have connected with those who work in the field and would love to "chat" more about it… However, it is my understanding that this (FEAT) BBS is dedicated to the discussion of the Lovaas approach… you might want to connect with VBers via this BBS: http://vbforum.ca/ . Also of interest… I think Dr. Partington will be in Vancouver in July ( http://www.actbc.ca/workshops_and_training/workshops/2007/ABA_Classrooms_Partington_2007.htm )
Dave.
MemberFYI… see below:
URGENT NOTICE: Please forward to Vancouver parents of students with special needs,
including students starting kindergarten in Sept. 07Vancouver School Board proposes deep special ed cuts
for Sept. '07 despite rising special needs enrolmentThe Vancouver School Board has just announced proposed budget cuts of almost $6 million for the 2007-08 school year, with the majority of cuts targetting frontline services for students with special needs and other vulnerable students.
The Board claims these cuts are consistent with declining enrolment in Vancouver. But when the proposed special ed cuts are compared to growing special ed enrolment figures in Vancouver, the exact opposite is true. If approved, the proposed budget would mean significant further cuts to current support levels for students with special needs, and significantly reduced service levels for new students with special needs entering Vancouver schools.
Proposed VSB cuts for 2007/08
The proposed cuts for September 2007 are:* 3 Vice principals
* 1 systems analyst
* 34 Special Ed Assistants (SSWs)
* 133 Teachers, mostly "non-enrolling" resource teachers who support students with special needs, ESL and other vulnerable studentsCompounding past cuts
A special ed staffing analysis, submitted to the VSB budget process by the Board's own Special Ed Advisory Committee (SEAC) in March, showed that caseloads of special education teachers in Vancouver have already risen by over 50% since the 2000/01 school year. The special ed student/teacher ratio rose from 9:1 in 2000 to 13:1 in 2006.A group of UBC experts in this field pointed out in a recent Vancouver Sun Op Ed that these growing caseloads mean special ed teachers can no longer provide the direct one-on-one and small group instruction that these students require to succeed. In fact, most remaining special ed teachers are now confined to supervisory and consulting positions, where they no longer have time to deliver direct special ed instruction at all. Other factors, including a lack of training and expertise and current organizational models, have been identified as further hampering these teachers' ability to address the complex needs of at-risk students. The students suffer, and indeed all students suffer, as the burden of unsupported students then falls on regular classroom teachers who simply can't cope.
During the same period from 2000 to 2006, the total number of SSWs (special ed teaching assistants) in Vancouver also rose significantly, but Vancouver parents and stakeholders made it very clear at a series of meetings in December that current SSW support levels are still far below what's required to meet actual student needs.
Concurrently, deep BC Liberal budget cuts in 2002-04 to the Ministry for Children and Family Development mean that services such as speech and occupational therapy have become all but unavailable to K-12 students who require these services to help overcome learning challenges.
VSB special ed student numbers RISING, NOT falling
While overall enrolment in Vancouver has dropped since 2000, the total number of students with special needs in the district has grown by more than 17% [figures exclude the Gifted category, which is no longer provincially funded]. District projections for 2007-08 are for further special needs enrolment increases. In the Autism category alone, there will be 40 new students entering kindergarten, about three times the number of Grade 12 students exiting the system.Special ed disproportionately targetted for cuts
As the above figures show, the VSB has disproportionately targetted its most vulnerable students, including students with special needs, for service reductions over the past six years. Indeed, the relative special ed teacher/student ratio has gotten worse over the past six years while the overall teacher/ student ratio has improved, according to the VSB's own figures. This disproportionality is even more evident in the cuts proposed for 2007/08.In the recent landmark legal victory in Moore vs. North Van School District, the family argued successfully that cuts to special education were disproportionate to those made to programs and services for typically developing students and therefore discriminatory.
VSB Budget process
The VSB will be holding open hearings to hear arguments for/against these budget cuts on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 17 & 18. Unfortunately, the deadline to register to speak was April 12, a day after the proposed cuts were announced, making it all but impossible to get the word out in time for concerned parents to register. The Board will present a revised budget for final comments on Thursday, April 26. Anyone wishing to register to comment at the April 26 meeting must do so by April 24.What can families do:
Rally: A group of concerned Vancouver parents, teachers and other partners are organizing a rally outside the VSB offices at Broadway & Fir on Thursday April 26 at 6:30 pm (prior to the Board meeting which starts at 7 pm). The theme is "Our Kids Deserve Better!" Bring your own placards or show up and make them on the spot (supplies provided). All parents, students, teachers, support staff and other "friends of public education" are welcome.E-mails: E-mail Vancouver trustees, Education Minister Shirley Bond, Opposition Critic David Cubberly, your MLA and local media to express your thoughts on the the proposed cuts. Consider what it says about the management competence and political will of our elected officials at both the provincial and district levels, who are responsible for this deepening decade-old crisis in special education in a Province currently sitting on a fiscal surplus worth billions. The long-run costs to taxpayers and society of failing to invest in supporting vulnerable students today will be far greater than what is being saved
Copy and paste the contacts below into the TO line of an e-mail message:
shirley.bond.mla@leg.bc.ca, david.cubberley.mla@leg.bc.ca, ken.denike@vsb.bc.ca, don.lee@vsb.bc.ca, clarence.hansen@vsb.bc.ca, carol.gibson@vsb.bc.ca, al.wong@telus.net, sharon.gregson@vsb.bc.ca, allen.blakey@vsb.bc.ca, shirley.wong@vsb.bc.ca, eleanor.gregory@vsb.bc.caDocument your child's current support levels: Act now to confirm your child's current support levels so that you will be armed to challenge individual cuts to your child's supports in September, if the proposed VSB budget is approved. Ask your school to document current support levels in writing: [e.g. a full-time aide would be a 1.0 FTE (Full time equivalent); a half-time aide would be 0.5 FTE, etc.] Keep this on file so that you can compare it to SSW time and other supports allocated for 2007/08.
Ministry of Education policy requires the District to provide adequate support levels based on your child's individual needs, as determined by a qualified professional, and as specified in the Individual Educational Plan (IEP). The school must prepare an IEP for every student with special needs and the parent must be invited to take part in preparing the IEP. (If school or district officials claim that a cut to a student's support level is consistent with the VSB's internal staffing formula, remind them that this formula has no validity under existing provincial policy. If you need advocacy assistance, please contact us and we will try to connect parents who need help advocating for their children with advocacy support.
Please pass this along to other parents of students with special needs!
Dawn Steele, Vancouver parent, MOMS
dawns@telus.net -
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