[Dave Collyer]

ABA Therapist Needed: Victoria

We are adding shifts and are looking for a Junior Therapist to join our experienced team (under the direction of Dr. Sara White). Familiarity with DTT and ABA programs an asset but not required as training will be provided.

Must be able to be an active participant and team member.
Must be able to play with children.
Must have a recent CRC.

This is an ideal opportunity for students in Psychology, C&YC, SW or related subjects to gain first hand experience in the application of the principles of ABA in supporting a child with ASD.

Contact:

drcollyer11@mac.com

[Dave Collyer]

Hi Barb,

I have nothing specific re Ontario services… but I would like to offer the following observation…

Sometimes talking with "professionals" and doctors can be a bit of challenge. Prior to a visit to any "professional" many parents have found it critical to do their "homework" (as I know you know). This site covers the basics but it might help the parents prepare (although I suspect that they have already got this covered as their first child already has been diagnosed…):

http://www.firstsigns.org/concerns/parent_doc.htm

[Dave Collyer]

Wanted: Outgoing "Junior" Therapist(s) to join our established ABA team in Victoria BC.. Our program is under the excellent direction of Dr. Sara White and Michelle Karren.

Two 3 hour Weekend contract shifts open initially with two 3 hour morning and additional options opening up in the new year.

Familiarity with DTT and ABA programs an asset but not required as training will be provided.

Must be able to be an active particiapnt and team member.
Must be able to play with children.
Must have a recent CRC.

Ideal position for Psych Students, or those enroled in CYC, SW, or ECE (or related programs).

Please contact us directly at drcollyer123@mac.com for details regarding shift information, hours, wages etc…

[Dave Collyer]

Good link (to the Garth Turner (MP) website video). To echo what both the Honorable Peter Stoffer (MP) and Garth Turner(MP) suggest as a course of action… "make sure your voice is heard":

1. Contact your MP. ( http://www.parl.gc.ca or Members of Parliament (enter your postal code) ) via email, phone call, snail mail or in person

2. Ask them to support the Motion introduced by Andy Scott (MP)and Blair Wilson (MP)… and to support Bill C211 and Bill C304,

3. Ask that the "New" Government of Canada include Autism under the Canada Health Act and to support the development of a National Strategy for Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Dave.

[Dave Collyer]

Hi folks,

To follow up regarding Supported Child Care funding and the impending funding crunch folks might be interested in attending an upcoming information-organization meeting in Burnaby. Although June 2007 has been identified as the end date for the current funding structure I am aware that portions of the funding agreement will expire in March and that some families are already being redirected towards wait lists in anticiaption of the funding reductions. I do hope that folks on the lower mainland can attend:

**PLEASE POST AND SHARE**
**EVERYONE WELCOME**

Dear Families,

As you may know, the Supported Child Development Program (SCDP) is being threatened with funding cuts. Currently, the program receives 58 million dollars per year from a combination of Provincial and Federal funding. It is anticipated that after June 2007, the federal funding portion (19.4 million, or 33% of the overall budget) will not be renewed and, to date, the provincial government has not given any indication that they will make up this shortfall. This means that special needs children will lose their funding – money that currently pays for support staffing and child development consultants – money that allows children to be part of inclusive child care centres, attend preschool, and receive after school care.

I would like to invite you to a meeting to learn about the challenges confronting the Supported Child Development Program and to discuss strategies that families can work on together to advocate for stable funding.

We are very fortunate to have Lorraine Aitken, Provincial Advisor for the Supported Child Development Program, as a guest speaker at this meeting. We will also be inviting MPs and MLAs from across the Lower Mainland to come and speak and to meet with families from their constituencies who benefit from the resources and supports provided by the Supported Child Development Program.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Baumbusch & Dean Lastoria
On behalf of our family and especially our daughter Ellanore

Supported Child Development Program Family Meeting
When:
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
6:30-8:30pm
Where:
Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion
2702 Norland Avenue, Burnaby
Large Education Room

For more information, please contact:
Jennifer Baumbusch
604-290-6086
SCDPfamilies@gmail.com

**IF YOU REQUIRE CHILDMINDING DURING THE MEETING,
PLEASE RSVP TO JENNIFER BY NOVEMBER 22**

[Dave Collyer]

Hi Tony,

Here is a link to a decent summary of Dr. Mottron's work: Summary .

Your point about ASD being a spectrum seems valid to me and the "neurodiversity" movements efforts seem to ignore this point.

I clearly don't understand all of the implications Mottron and company have presented but here is my understanding… The research that I have looked at to date seems to attempt to assess brain based diferrences. These differences could be looked as "disability" or "ability" I suppose but for me the bottom line is functional behavior and independence and how to promote both. Mottron's "neurodiversity" stance is interesting from an "academic" perspective but seems to offer little in the realm of research validating a specific intervention protocol (ok… I have not read ALL of the work in the area… jump in if you would like to clarify). I think both he and M. Dawson would say that "doing nothing" would be a form of neglect… but from there the arguement for "accepting the differences" seems to break down. The basic premise seems to be that these differences imply that folks with ASD learn differently. On this point I have no issue as my son with ASD clearly requires a very different instructional process (ABA) then my neurotypical son. Clearly ABA is not what Mottron and Dawson have in mind. The primary objection as I understand it seems to be both with ABA as a process and with the goal some ABA advocates endorse (cure…). Rather then seeing "cure" as a positive thing they see it as negative. From my perspective "cure" as a goal is a continuum of increasing functional skill development so I am not sure why this would be an issue (as it is the goal for all of our children… the process of socialization etc…). In one BBS "conversation" I had with M Dawson I think Michelle was suggesting that ABA was antithetical to how a person with ASD learns and that it in fact destroys the ASD leanring process/ability and that ABA destroys the person with ASD… as they are not "seperate from" the syndrome. Hmmm… I don't see it that way as ABA as an instructional method has clearly given my son so much (fledgling self help skills, communication skills, cognitive skills…).

… Michelle Dawson also alluded to differences in how to best support a child with ASD to learn… she was suggesting (I think… I am not sure I caught all of what she was trying to say) that Autisitics learn best via implicit learning modality as oppossed to explicit instruction (ie ABA). An interesting idea… but from my scan of the research base one with little support in terms of long term controlled research ( drcollyer123@mac.com if you have links to the work into this area… specific controlled studies looking at this approach to supporting a child with ASD is what I am interested in).

One final question/point… some within the neurodiversity movement assert that ASD is not a disability… and yet also accept long term disability benefits? I don't get it…

D.

[Dave Collyer]

Hi Medhi,

Yes… there is a video-documentary out (was on TV many mounths ago) that features 4 (I think) young people with ASD who had really interesting abilities. One of the folks featured had what appears to be perfect pitch and could play just about anything on the piano solo or with others simply based on the first few notes or bars of the song but struggled (to an extent) with the day to day activity of social life. The fellow the link you refer to was also part of this documentary.

The occurance of these sorts of abilities is very rare. From what I have read in the research lit. the "cause" is unknown-elusive (by "cause" I am referring to the contributing factors ie genetics, neuro-physiological, education modaility etc). How to support the development of these abilities remains elusive and is the subject of much speculation within and amongst those on the NeuroDiversity BBS/sites (ie it has been suggested that allowing "implicit" learning to occur without interference of "explicit" instruction will serve to set the stage for the person with ASD to "discover" these sorts of abilities). The "science" and research is very young regarding the issue and is pretty sparse in my opinion. We (my wife and I) are not ready to abandon what is working (ie explicit "intruction" via ABA methodology) for the unproven hopeful and apparently overly optimistic alternatives… but we are watching this body of research with interest simply because it is interesting if only from an academic perspective.

All the best.

Dave.

[Dave Collyer]

Another direct link to the MP3 download.

Q&Q MP3

Dave.

[Dave Collyer]

Hello all,

In the article that Pam is referring to Minister Reid asserts (page B2) that "…we've found that the majority of families affected can be served well with the allocations we've made available.". The article also indicates that "the ministry says, according to it's own research, the $20,000 and $6,000 annual contributions are adequate to meet the needs of most autisitc children, and it sees no reason to increase (funding)".

I am not sure if these asserrtions fit with the reality of most folks who are trying to provide quality home based intervention. Without doubt the funding is helpful. However, in my experience it covers significanlty less then half of our monthly program costs… So…Given the discrepency between the Minister's assertions and the fiscal reaility my family faces I'd thought I'd ask folks the following question:

"Do you find the funding provded by the ministry to be "adequate to meet the needs" of your child?"

Beyond this basic question I wanted to make an observation…. Numbers have been presented that suggest that children in the EIBI programs and in newly announced pilote programs are funded directly in the range of $40k-$70k (please do speak up if you have "tighter" numbes)… and that these programs also draw on Supported Child Development funds and may also possibly draw on Ministry of Ed. L2/3 funding if the child is K aged. Of course these observations and assertions lead to another question:

" If $20k is adequate… why are children who are enrolled in EIBI programs and pilote programs funded at significantly higher levels?"

I think that the conclusion that can be drawn is that the $20k is not adequate. Parents pay out of pocket when running quality home based programs and in the government run programs these additional costs cannot be hidden or passed on in a manner that will hide the true costs. $20k per child is not sufficient to run the EIBI programs… and contrary to the Minister's assertions I suspect it is not sufficient to run most quality home based programs.

I would love to hear from folks regrading these issues. I would also like to challenge the Minister to open her books for a general review. The numbers, the Minister's assertions and the reaility that many families face do not appear to be in synch.. Or so it appears to me.

Dave.
davecollyer1@mac.com

[Dave Collyer]

Hi all,

1. Here is a link to the synopsis re the CBC Q&Q news article Ursula is referrring to:

http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/06-07/oct07.html

… and a link to contact Q&Q if you are interested:

http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/contact.html

D

As an aside did anyone catch "Autsim is a World" last night with Susie Rubin? Although it is a little dated (2005) it is an interesting "take" on the realitiy of Autism from the perspective of a young, very intelligent and, with the help of a electronic "voice" device, very articulate autisitic woman.

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