[FEAT BC Admin]

RE: upcoming autism intervention workshop

For those who need a registration form for the upcoming FEAT BC autism intervention workshop at SFU, it is available from the FEAT server at http://www.featbc.org/downloads/eaiw.pdf

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[FEAT BC Admin]

We apologize for technical problems with FEAT’s Fax-on-demand server.
It cannot be used to receive faxed flyers for the upcoming FEAT BC behavioural intervention workshop at SFU.

The flyer and registration form are available on the FEAT web server: https://featbc.org/downloads/eaiw.pdf

Thank you.
Board. Admin.

[FEAT BC Admin]

WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT
____________________________

Families for Early Autism Treatment of British Columbia is sponsoring a one-day workshop on the fundamentals of behavioural treatment of young children with autism, derived from the principles of Lovaas Autism Treatment. The October 6 workshop will include theoretical background as well as many aspects of the practical implementation of the behavioural treatment method.

Who can benefit from this workshop:

– Parents of children with autism considering a home-based
treatment program
– Trainers for home-based autism treatment programs
– School aides
– School teachers
– School resource specialists
– Infant development
– specialists
– Speech & language pathologists
– Graduate students in regular and special education, and students in the teachers Education Program
– Health care professionals who would like to
recommend this treatment to parents of recently
diagnosed children

An information flyer and registration are available on the web: https://featbc.org/downloads/eaiw.pdf

… or from the FEAT BC fax-on-demand server:

604-513-7233 ext. 311

[FEAT BC Admin]

Attention autism therapists — upcoming training workshop
*********************************************************

Highly recommended to improve skills of the treatment team: the Autism Behavioural Therapist Training Workshop at S.F.U., a one day training workshop on the implementation of behavioural autism treatment.

On Saturday, August 18, F.E.A.T. of B.C. is sponsoring a 1-day workshop on the behavioural treatment of autism spectrum disorders based on techniques of Lovaas-style Applied Behavioural Analysis. The workshop will include general information on autism and behavioural theory, but will focus mainly on the practical aspects of delivering effective behavioural autism treatment.

For more information on the workshop leaders, a flyer and registration form is available at https://featbc.org/downloads/abtw.pdf

A fax copy of the workshop flyer and registration form can be obtained by calling the FEAT BC fax server, Ph. 604-513-7233 Ext. 321

[FEAT BC Admin]

By Linda Cucek (James' mom)

_____________________________

Dear Linda Cucek:

One of our volunteers spoke with you recently, and you indicated that you were interested in attending our Campaign Kick Off Rally.

The rally will be held on Monday April 23, 2001 at 6.30 pm.in the Galleria of Port Moody City Hall.

Please try to attend, with as many friends as possible, because we want a large gathering to show out support for the B.C. Liberal Party and
welcome Gordon Campbell to our riding. Note: children are welcome.

Christy Clark

_____________________________

[FEAT BC Admin]

Shaw Cable has advised they will be airing a piece on autism treatment and the ongoing controversy in BC.

Schedule:

-> 6:30 PM, Wednesday 03/14
-> 10:30 PM, Thursday 03/15
-> 8:30 AM, Friday 03/16
-> 10:00 AM, Saturday 03/17
-> 11:30 AM , Sunday 03/18
-> 3:00 PM, Monday 03/19

[FEAT BC Admin]

RE: the BC Children’s Commission
FROM: FEAT of BC
TO: FEAT BC members
_________________________________________________________________

FEAT BC Directors Jean Lewis and Sabrina Freeman, made formal presentation to the BC Children’s Commission in Vancouver on Friday 03/09/01. The full Commission was in attendance, including Commissioner Paul Pallen.

The presentation described the current situation for children with autism in BC and also included a 45 minute video-tape from the Lovaas Institute which stresses the importance of effective, science based autism treatment. The presentation discussed the inadequacy of BC Government services for children with autism and the serious difficulty BC children have in getting effective autism treatment in a universally accessible manner.

The presentation was well received by the Children’s Commission. Families who are currently not able to access medically necessary autism treatment through the Ministry for Children and Families, may want to consider their options regarding filing a complaint with the Children’s Commission against the Ministry for Children and Families.

You may have grounds for a BC Children’s Commission enquiry if your child’s situation is as follows:

– your child is diagnosed with autism or autism spectrum disorder from a BC psychologist, psychiatrist or pediatrician

– your child’s physician or psychologist has prescribed a Lovaas-type ABA treatment program

– you cannot afford to privately provide the prescribed autism treatment yourself

– Ministry for Children and Families has refused to provide necessary funding for the prescribed treatment

– your child is unable to get into the government P-CARD autism program

– your child’s physician is of the opinion that lack of a medically necessary autism treatment program will harm your child’s health and well being.

BC Children’s Commission contact information:

Telephone Toll-free
1-800-859-1441

Telephone in Victoria
(250) 356-0831

Fax
(250) 356-0837

Post
Children's Commission
PO Box 9207, Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, British Columbia
CANADA V8W 9J1

Web
http://www.childservices.gov.bc.ca/

Role of the Children’s Commission:

– to monitor the effectiveness of services for children and youth
– to make recommendations for change
– to ensure that necessary changes are made
– to ensure that children and youth are respected and treated fairly,
that they have access to the services they need and that these
services are responsive to their needs

[FEAT BC Admin]

FORWARD FROM THE ME-LIST: posted by Gary Mayerson
__________________________________________________

Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 12:26:04 EST
From: Gary Mayerson
Subject: Re: ABC Nightline Segment on ABA.

Listmates…..

I just received word today that one of my client families will be profiled this
Friday evening on ABC Nightline. Julie Fisher, M.A., the Director of the Alpine
Learning Group's Outreach Division, apparently also was interviewed for the
piece. The child in question made remarkable progress in his ABA program.

Unrelated to this, in connection with an ABA matter pending in Florida, does
anyone have any information concerning Henry Shapiro, M.D. from All Children's
Hospital in St. Pete? He was disclosed as the school district's expert on
autism, developmental disabilities, etc. To anyone's knowledge, has he written
anything about ABA or other autism interventions? Has he previously testified in
connection with any due process where ABA was the central issue?

Thank you….

[FEAT BC Admin]

MESSAGE FORWARD FROM: Laurie Romey, mailto: laurieromey@home.com
_________________________________________________
Hi all,

Just responding to the lady who was using vitamin therapy so others wouldn't have to. Please read a copy of the New York Report on
the Best Practices for Children with Autism. It costs about 30.00 and it's much cheaper than vitamin therapy. You can get it from Kids
Tools 722-8543. Also the people that recommend WEAP would probably not recommend vitamin therapy.

Parents! Please Please Please let's get informed and ask a ton of questions before we try different questionable therapies. Everyone
and their dog has a solution, treatment or therapy, but until it's proven to be effective the money could be used towards one's that are
proven, effective ones.
I'm teachable and if anyone has info that vitamin therapy is scientifically proven to be effective I'm in! But until then……

Glad to be on board!

Laurie

[FEAT BC Admin]

MESSAGE FORWARDED FROM Andre Danyliu,
_________________________________________________

Subject: Re: Room Three: Discussions about Government Topics
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2001 14:10:37 -0800
From: Andre Danyliu

Re Sabrana Freeman's Analysis of my Earlier Message

All I said and still believe to be true is that the NDP believe that we
(I too am a parent of an autistic child) are "litigious zealots". I
never said that I agree with their mistaken opinions. Furthermore I have
never been a supporter apologist or sympathizer of the NDP.
The parents who could afford to take the NDP to court performed a
valuable service for their children and all the children living with
autism.
I am simply suggesting that we talk with the politicians we expect to
form the next government to show them what reasonable people we are.
It serves no useful purpose for us to analyze each others suggestions
and draw conclusions which do not reflect what we are trying to say to
add to a constructive and co operative dialogue. I salute FEAT! I salute
Ms. Freeman for all her work all I was trying to say as someone who
spent eight years as an elected official is that co operation is usually
more effective than confrontation.
It's hard enough dealing with autism without picking fights with other
parents in the same boat and it was never my intent to pick one this
time.

Feat BC Discussion Board wrote:

> ————————————————————
> FeatBC Discussion Board: Room Three: Discussions about
> Government Topics
> ————————————————————
>
> By Sabrina Freeman (Freeman) on Friday, February 23, 2001 –
> 12:27 pm:
>
> I'd like to respond to Andy Danylou's post suggesting FEAT
> BC is comprised of “litigious zealots”, but first, I'd just
> like to comment on how great it is to have this forum for
> exchange of opinions, no matter how divergent those views
> may be.
> ______________________________________
> Andre Danyliu wrote:
> >
> > Hello
> >
> > Barbara has a good point.
> >
> > We should ask to appear before the liberal caucus to
> provide them with
> > facts about Autism and establish lines of communication so
> they don't
> > see us as litigious zealots the way the NDP obviously do.
> > We need to be politely firm; state our case and work with
> them. Perhaps
> > a task force to implement that which the courts and common
> sense
> > dictate?.
> >
> > I'm prepared to help in this effort if there are others
> who agree.
> ______________________________________
>
> Andy seems to insinuate that FEAT BC hasn't put enough
> effort into opening lines of “communication” with the NDP
> government, and that parents who brought this lawsuit are
> trigger happy and did not exhaust all options before firing
> the legal bullet.
>
> A closer look at the record indicates the label of
> “litigious zealots” would be a grossly inaccurate
> characterization of the families who brought on this legal
> action. Sincere efforts at working with government have
> spanned many years prior to the court case, both on the part
> of FEAT BC and the hundreds of families who individually
> have “communicated” with unresponsive civil servants and
> government Ministers.
>
> Over several years before the writ was issued …
> a. A detailed FEAT BC information packet was HAND delivered
> to Minister Joy MacPhail outlining urgent policy reforms
> required in autism treatment in 1996. Our analysis and
> recommendations were ignored.
>
> b. Detailed FEAT information briefs were sent to EVERY
> member of government including the Deputy Minister of MCF,
> Ministers of Health, Children and Families, Premier Glen
> Clark, and senior level civil servants. Our analysis and
> recommendations were ignored.
>
> c. A FEAT BC delegation went to Victoria carrying an 8200
> signature petition of concerned British Columbians asking
> that children with autism be included in Medicare — it was
> presented by a Liberal MLA to the government on the
> legislature floor. Government’s response? A shallow speech
> from a back-bench NDP MLA essentially stating Lovaas
> Treatment is a gold plated American treatment and in these
> times of fiscal problems, government can’t afford it.
>
> The same 8200 signature petition was hand delivered to the
> Minister of Health, Penny Priddy in her office in the
> parliament buildings. The petition and our legitimate
> grievance were ignored. The “communication” went nowhere.
>
> The response of the Minister for Children and Families to
> the petition? She dodged responsibility: “that’s something
> that the Minister of Health would have to look at”. The
> Minister of Health pointed fingers at the Minister of
> Education. The CBC TV interview can be seen at the web site
> below:
>
> http://www.featbc.org/files/media/video/CBCNEWS_06_01_98.ram
>
> d. We engaged the Minister of Children and Families of the
> day, Lois Boon, in direct debate in parliament during budget
> estimates, through one of our FEAT members’ MLAs — Rick
> Thorpe. Not surprisingly, no government policy change
> resulted — our children's treatment needs were still
> ignored.
>
> e. Dozens of letters from our grassroots membership, all
> produced in court affidavits, were written to high levels of
> government pleading for help to fund their treatment
> programs — none was forthcoming. Years of patronizing,
> empty, boilerplate responses from intransigent, unconcerned
> bureaucrats and politicians is all that our families
> received.
>
> f. A direct appeal was made to Health Minister Joy MacPhail
> on behalf of a FEAT representative by Federal M.P. John
> Reynolds. The government's response was that Autism is not
> a Health issue nor a Ministry of Health responsibility. She
> passed us back to the Children’s Ministry and expressed no
> government inclination to co-operate regarding our
> legitimate grievance.
>
> When did we start to see ANY Government attention paid to
> autism at all?
>
> Well, it started after FEAT BC helped expose the exodus of
> parents to Alberta (The BCTV story “Leaving BC for Health
> Care”
> p://www.featbc.org/files/media/video/BCTVNEWS_11_26_97.ram).
> Shortly after the story, government announced it would
> convene an Autism Workshop “to guide and direct policy”.
> The workshop result? A decision to create an Autism Action
> Plan. Result of the Action Plan? An MCF booklet on its
> “services” and how to access them … and a commitment to
> conduct further planning and reviews.
>
> After years of government inaction, and parents being
> rebuffed by intransigent bureaucrats, a writ was issued in
> BC Supreme Court. Seventy-Two hours before the court case
> was to start, the Ministry for Children and Families
> announced an Autism Pilot Project. Coincidence? Was it a
> genuine effort to help kids with autism or simply an attempt
> to buy an argument in court i.e. “we need to show the judge
> government really DOES have something other than
> baby-sitting services or we’re toast”. Regardless, it
> appears as though parents being “litigious” is what spurred
> SOME kind of government action more substantial than the
> Action Plan’s MCF booklet on services.
>
> The Pilot Project was not allowed in the court case because
> the Deputy Minister of MCF refused to go on the stand for
> cross examination. We can speculate as to what he was
> afraid of.
>
> So what did government do next? After losing the July 2000
> court ruling, they had a neat idea: “why don’t we take the
> old Pilot Project, rename it and get it introduced in court
> for the November hearings on remedy for the constitutional
> violation? Let’s call it something impressive like the
> Provincial Center for Autism and Related Disorders — the
> P-CARD. Let’s tell the judge the new autism program will do
> what she said we need to do, provide “Early Intensive
> Behavioural Intervention”. Yah, that sounds good. Let’s put
> that on the cover and run with it”.
>
> The P-CARD leaves 2 out 3 three kids under 6 out of the
> program — even by end of 2002. It leaves 100% of kids over
> 6 out — permanently. It has no components of genuine
> autism treatment. It only accepts a government diagnosis —
> your pediatrician’s diagnosis is not valid. But we did
> “galvanize” the government to do something — other than the
> booklet of course.
>
> Rather than being unfairly characterized as litigious
> zealots, I would say we are a movement for social justice —
> I am proud of that. We are defending the constitutional
> rights of our children.
>
> Our very small numbers mean we have political power that
> approaches zero, especially against a stubborn, intransigent
> government and a vindictive bureaucracy.
>
> It may not surprise some of you that the Supreme Court of
> Canada has already recognized the unfortunate situation
> where a bureaucracy violates the rights of the disabled.
> The court states, “In my opinion, groups that have
> historically been the target of discrimination cannot be
> expected to wait patiently for the protection of their human
> dignity and equal rights while governments move toward
> reform one step at a time. If the infringement of the rights
> and freedoms of these groups is permitted to persist while
> governments fail to pursue equality diligently, then the
> guarantees of the Charter will be reduced to little more
> than empty words.” Iacobucci, Vriend v. Alberta.
>
> In our case, we have taken a virtually powerless,
> marginalized minority of disabled children before the courts
> so as to bestow upon them the same rights the majority
> enjoys to publicly funded health care.
>
> Going to court was a last resort, not the precipitous act of
> hot-headed “litigious zealots”. Do we want to work with
> government? Absolutely. But we have no partner who wants
> to work in good faith. What we have now is a government
> trying to pass off a hopelessly flawed pilot project as
> fulfillment of what the court has directed.
>
> We hope a change in government will improve things for our
> children; however, their constitutional rights — firmly
> declared in court — must not fall victim to the vagaries of
> BC’s polarized politics. Governments come and go and so too
> their policies. Our children’s rights are too important.
> Their right to health care must be entrenched to ensure that
> the words of Justice Emmett Hall are not empty: "Our
> proudest achievement in the well-being of Canadians has been
> in asserting that illness is burden enough in itself.
> Financial ruin must not compound it. That is why Medicare
> has been called a sacred trust and we must not allow that
> trust to be betrayed." Justice Emmett Hall.
>
> I quite agree with Andy Danylou that all FEAT members should
> visit and speak to as many Liberal MLAs as possible. We
> have already met with key Liberals on several occasions and
> have found a receptive ear. My feeling is that the more
> Liberals who truly understand the injustice and are touched
> by parents of children with autism, or those children
> themselves, the more quickly they will rectify the
> discriminatory, second class status imposed by government on
> children with autism. Until our children's treatment is
> covered by the health care system, the fight for their
> constitutional rights will continue.
>
> Just my two cents.
>
> Sabrina

[Author]

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