[FEAT BC Admin]

To All FEATBC Chat Board Members:

Here is valuable information regarding the LIFE (Lovaas Clinic) Consulting services. Apparently many of you have been contacting their office.

Hi Sabrina,
As discussed with you earlier, the East Coast office of the Lovaas
Institute may have a consultant available to travel to the Vancouver
area for consultations. However, in order to determine whether we
can make that happen, I need to know how many families are sincerely
interested in receiving services through us. Please have them email
the following information to my intake coordinator, Amy Golden, at
agolden@lovaas.com. The consultant may not be available for much
longer, so I need to receive inquiries from all families by Monday,
March 20th.

parent's name
address
phone number
email address
child's name
child's date of birth
desired frequency of consultation (monthly, every other month)
desired length of consultation

Amy will email the families an information packet, let them know what
additional information we need, and schedule an intake phone
interview. Based upon the number of families and staff availability,
we will then determine how many families we can serve. We will also
then initiate the process of getting the consultant a work visa,
using the families as "sponsors."

I hope we can be of help!
-Linda

[FEAT BC Admin]

I'm posting this opportunity on behalf of some ABA researchers in Tennessee. Note that participants receive some "freebies":

ABA4Autism.com and the Psychology Department at the University of Tennessee at Martin are conducting a second survey on the causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This survey is for mothers of children with ASD as ell as mothers of normally developing children who are ten years of age or younger. Mothers who participate in the survey will receive a free ABA program to teach their child to follow directions as well as free ABA mini programs for common problems like sharing. To take the survey please go to http://www.aba4autism.com

Thanks for your consideration.
Dr. Gary Brown
Professor and Chair
Psychologist/HSP

[FEAT BC Admin]

My name is Nicole Wiseman and I a student working on my degree in Community Rehab and Disability. One of the courses that I am taking is on community development. I am basing one of my papers on FEAT of BC and would like some parent/ member input. All I need is for you to answer one question – Do you feel that being a member of FEAT of BC is beneficial and if so why? If you would like to help me out please email your responces to nicolea@telus.net

Thank you for you help
Nicole Wiseman

[FEAT BC Admin]

I'm posting on behalf of a FEAT Chat Board Member who must remain anonymous.

Board Admin

Hello feat chat members,

Here is the story behind the governments recent decision to provide full special needs funding for private schools. I remain anonymous to protect my child.

Last spring, I was very worried about the upcoming year and years to come, in terms of getting an ABA trained aide and getting support to do ABA in the classroom. I was very seriously considering private schools, in hopes of getting one of our team therapists in the school. However, I could not afford to cover the remaining cost of the aide. So, I went to MLA, Gordon Hogg, and told him we needed options for our children, instead of being forced to accept what the public school system has to offer. I suggested that private schools be fully funded for aides. I was armed with a document from the Fraser Institute ("Let the Funding Follow the Children", April 2004) that explained exactly why special education money should follow special children. Simply put, the private schools are better at meeting the needs of our kids. This is because they are more flexible, in our case, to hire qualified ABA aides.

Gordon Hogg took my recommendation, and perhaps there were other parents who saw their MLA's, and discussed this with his government. We have him ( and perhaps others) to thank for this change. While all other special education children benefit from this, it was designed to give us autism people a choice for our children. Remember, even if you are not IN a private school, the option to move to one is all that much more attainable.

THIS LEGISLATION IS A GOOD THING!!!! Please e-mail Gordon Hogg (gordon.hogg@leg.bc.ca) , Premier Gordon Campbell (gordon.campbell@leg.bc.ca) and your own MLA (regardless of party…we simply need to positively reinforce this behavior) and thank them for this move. I will find out if which other MLA's were involved and we can thank them too. Perhaps this will encourage them to keep going….who knows what else they can do for us. Remember, it was the Liberals who brought in Individualized Funding, where there was no funding before. And now we are one step closer to having choices for ABA in the schools.

Also, another lesson learned in this: It is not a waste of time to visit your MLA and tell them your problems. It might not be just because I went to mine, it might be because several people went to their MLA's. They can't make changes for us, if we don't let them know there is a problem.

Signed, an ABA parent

[FEAT BC Admin]

This is being posted on behalf of a desperate FEAT parent. Please help out.

Board Admin

Calling all people who have successfully won the right to have their own aide in a CUPE district. Please contact me at avalonmarg@shaw.ca

Thanks so much!

[FEAT BC Admin]

This is to advise that upgrade work has been completed for the FEAT BC discussion board. Posting and e-mail notification are enabled.

Thank you.

Board admin.

[FEAT BC Admin]

Board Admin. service interruption advisory
for FEAT-BC chat board members
**************************************************

Hello Everyone,

This is to advise that the FEAT BC discussion
forum will be temporarily unavailable for
posting messages during the afternoon and
evening of Tuesday, March 15.

We'll make every effort to keep the service
interruption to a minimum, and expect the
necessary upgrade work will be completed by
Wednesday, March 16.

Thank you.

Isaac
Volunteer Board Admin.

[FEAT BC Admin]

To all FEAT-BC Discussion Board Members:

The recent discussion group threads on
vaccine issues and chelating, although
important, thoughtful and probing, are
inappropriate in the FEAT-BC forum; this is not
a general-topics autism group. These topics
are certainly not illegitimate for discussion
and debate, but they are simply not what this
space is designed and intended to discuss.

The discussion group threads of recent days
present a good opportunity to repost some key
rules of the FEAT-BC discussion group, to
keep this forum on-task and focused on its
intended purpose.

Thank you for your understanding and
cooperation.

Regards,
Isaac (Miki's Dad)
Volunteer Board Admin.

***********************************************
The FEAT-BC Discussion Group Rules
(excerpt from the 'WELCOME' page)

1) Be courteous to each other. We ask you to
refrain from abusive language, insults and
profanity …

2) Personal attacks are not permissible in the
FEAT BC Discussion Group. We respect all
opinions even if we disagree with them.

6) The FEAT BC Discussion Group has been
designed to discuss any topic relevant to
home-based A.B.A. programs (including
Government funding and school issues).
When we use the term A.B.A., we mean
discrete-trial-based interventions, also
referred to as "Applied Behaviour Analysis" or
"Lovaas-type" Intensive Behavioural Treatment
for autism and related disorders. This is not
an appropriate forum to discuss the latest,
unscientific 'cure of the day.' If you would like
to discuss alternative autism treatment
options, please use the discussion forum
hosted by the Autism Society of B.C, at
http://www.autismbc.ca, or the THE AUTISM
MAIL LIST. To subscribe, send an email
to:<A HREF="mailto:listserv@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.ED
U”>listserv@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU.
Leave the subject line blank and in the body
type SUBSCRIBE AUTISM [firstname
lastname]
***********************************************

[FEAT BC Admin]

To All Chat Board Members:

Although Dave's words were quite colourful, in fact he is correct. The FEAT Chat Board is set up solely to discuss issues pertaining to Intensive Behavioural Treatment, not scientifically UNsubstantiated treatments such as Chelation Therapy. In addition, the vaccine debate, although important and relevant, is not within the mandate of the Chat Board.

I do strongly suggest that these issues be discussed on the Autism Society of B.C.'s discussion board. It is just as easy to use as the FEAT Chat Board (in fact it is the same software).

For those of you who would like an account, I suggest you give them a call. Their number is: 604-434-0880.

Thank you for respecting the rules of the Chat Board.

admin@featbc.org

[FEAT BC Admin]

From Harold L. Doherty, Father of an 8 year old autistic boy, Fredericton NB

*****************************************

Hello

I am a parent advocate for autism in New Brunswick and have been reading The FeatBC board news for some time. I have asked others in New Brunswick to download the petition and present signed versions to NB Members of Parliament. The FacingAutism newsgroup was started to provide parents with a forum in New Brunswick on which issues could

I agree completely with Ms. Walton that it is time for more action. Provincial governments across Canada appear to have settled on the same strategies:

1. Characterize autism treatment as a social service not a health treatment.

2. Discriminate against and deny treatment to children over the ages of 5 or 6.

3. Engage autism organizations in participation in non-treatment
"support" services lending credibility to government characterization of autism treatment as a social service and allowing governments to crow about their efforts on behalf of autistic persons. This strategy also helps government keep leaders in the autism community from insisting on full treatment for all autistic persons.

4. Delay implementation of autism treatment and wait for the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the Auton case hoping that the lower court decisions will be overturned.

In New Brunswick a further strategy is to define "evidence based intervention" funded for children under 5 so broadly as to render the concept meaningless while encouraging parents to explore other unproven but cheap alternatives for their children.

I would like to thank FEAT-BC for its continued focus on activism in support of our autistic children.

Harold L. Doherty
Father of an 8 year old autistic boy
Fredericton NB
blackroc@nbnet.nb.ca

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[Author]

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