[Mike & Jean]

Come one, Come all!

To the behavioural therapist workshop at SFU on Sept 27th.

This is a must attend for:

Therapists, new and old – great for
"new" – great brush-up and new ideas for "old" therapists.

Parents – go see what good therapy should look like.

Space is limited so register soon. This is a fabulous opportunity so don't miss out. I cannot think of one of these workshops where I did not learn something new or find a new and exciting way to get from where we were to where we needed to be.

The registration form is downloadable from the FEAT Events section of the website.

Jean

[Mike & Jean]

To all parents (particularly parents with newly diagnosed children.)

As scintillating as the FEAT chat board has been of late, there is other very useful information for parents contained elsewhere in the website such as:

Treatment and research information
Legal issues
School issues
Lobby and advocacy information
Events information

and much more…

FEAT sponsors workshops such as the upcoming Behavioural Therapist Workshop at SFU on September 27th. (see FEAT events to download a registration form.)

Other sources of information are available in our:

FEAT Parent Packages
and
FEAT video, titled, "Autism – now what do I do?"
Both are available free to any parent by request.

The FEAT discussion group meets the third Monday of each month to provide parents with a forum to discuss all topics relevant to home-based LOVAAS behavioural autism treatment programs.

Last but not least call us at 604-534-6956 or
e-mail info@featbc.org. We are always happy to talk to parents.

The opinions expressed on the chat board can be informative or unfounded. They are often provocative and sometimes in my opinion offensive…but that is the nature of an open forum and democracy. This is a place for parents to share opinions and information related to LOVAAS ABA treatment.

The characters who contribute to the chat are frequently entertaining i.e. the anonymous posters who trade barbs, or the grandstander who has found a free place and a captive audience to
address, or my personal favourite…the government service providers masquerading as treatment professionals or worse, parents.

Ah! The rich pageantry of the chat board, never a dull moment!

So – PARENTS – GET INFORMED by:

1. Check out the whole FEAT website (not just
the exciting chat board)

2. Go to the FEAT workshops. We strive to
sponsor great quality and low cost.

3. Come out to FEAT meetings and get connected
with other parents doing home-based LOVAAS
ABA programs.

4. Give us a call or send us an e-mail if you
need info.

Parents helping parents is culture of FEAT. Please remember though, opinions on the chat board are just that – opinions, albeit many are well founded. Content on any internet website is not the same as child or situation specific medical or legal advice. Believing it is the same could be foolish at best, tragic at worst.

In closing, please know that this website was designed for the dissemination and sharing of all the issues pertaining to LOVAAS ABA/DTT therapy only. Any discussion regarding any other therapy/treatment falls outside the mission and mandate of FEAT of B.C. so therefore are not appropriate for this board. Please conduct yourselves accordingly. Contact me directly if
you require further clarification.

Thanks to everyone who contributes to this forum in a positive, respectful manner.

Regards,
Jean Lewis, Director, FEAT of B.C.
jean.lewis@telus.net

[Mike & Jean]

To all parents (particularly parents with newly diagnosed children.)

As scintillating as the FEAT chat board has been of late, there is other very useful information for parents contained elsewhere in the website such as:

Treatment and research information
Legal issues
School issues
Lobby and advocacy information
Events information

and much more…

FEAT sponsors workshops such as the upcoming Behavioural Therapist Workshop at SFU on September 27th. (see FEAT events to download a registration form.)

Other sources of information are available in our:

FEAT Parent Packages
and
FEAT video, titled, "Autism – now what do I do?"
Both are available free to any parent by request.

The FEAT discussion group meets the third Monday of each month to provide parents with a forum to discuss all topics relevant to home-based LOVAAS behavioural autism treatment programs.

Last but not least call us at 604-534-6956 or
e-mail info@featbc.org. We are always happy to talk to parents.

The opinions expressed on the chat board can be informative or unfounded. They are often provocative and sometimes in my opinion offensive…but that is the nature of an open forum and democracy. This is a place for parents to share opinions and information related to LOVAAS ABA treatment.

The characters who contribute to the chat are frequently entertaining i.e. the anonymous posters who trade barbs, or the grandstander who has found a free place and a captive audience to
address, or my personal favourite…the government service providers masquerading as treatment professionals or worse, parents.

Ah! The rich pageantry of the chat board, never a dull moment!

So – PARENTS – GET INFORMED by:

1. Check out the whole FEAT website (not just
the exciting chat board)

2. Go to the FEAT workshops. We strive to
sponsor great quality and low cost.

3. Come out to FEAT meetings and get connected
with other parents doing home-based LOVAAS
ABA programs.

4. Give us a call or send us an e-mail if you
need info.

Parents helping parents is culture of FEAT. Please remember though, opinions on the chat board are just that – opinions, albeit many are well founded. Content on any internet website is not the same as child or situation specific medical or legal advice. Believing it is the same could be foolish at best, tragic at worst.

In closing, please know that this website was designed for the dissemination and sharing of all the issues pertaining to LOVAAS ABA/DTT therapy only. Any discussion regarding any other therapy/treatment falls outside the mission and mandate of FEAT of B.C. so therefore are not appropriate for this board. Please conduct yourselves accordingly. Contact me directly if
you require further clarification.

Thanks to everyone who contributes to this forum in a positive, respectful manner.

Regards,
Jean Lewis, Director, FEAT of B.C.
jean.lewis@telus.net

[Mike & Jean]

To All Parents

Subject: F.E.A.T. Meeting

Hi all, our next F.E.A.T. meeting is on Monday Sept. 15th, 7:30 – 9:00pm at St. Francis in the Wood Anglican church in West Vancouver.(map downloadable from the FEAT web-site)

The topic is "I.E.P.,s"
"It's the most wondeful time of the year"

Please bring your school communication book if you have one.

See you on the 15th

Jean

[Mike & Jean]

FEAT Meeting – July 21st

Hi Everyone:

The next FEAT parent meeting is on Monday, July 21st at St. Francis-in-the-Wood Anglican Church in West Vancouver from 7:30 – 9:00pm.

The Topic: Choosing a Lovaas-style A.B.A. Consultant.

Please e-mail me at jean.lewis@telus.net if you plan to attend.

All parents are welcome.

See you there.

Jean

[Mike & Jean]

I am very alarmed by the increasing reports to us (F.E.A.T.) from both families and therapists about people who are representing themselves and selling their services as Lovaas – style A.B.A. consultants.

Lovaas – style A.B.A. therapy is extremely powerful treatment. If done correctly it has amazing results as evidenced in the research. If done improperly by unqualified or ‘wanna-be’ consultants and therapists it can be harmful, damaging and cause regression. For an unqualified individual to design and set-up an A.B.A. program for a child with autism is akin to performing surgery without a medical degree.

Unfortunately the availability of I.E.I.I. funding has brought the ‘imposter consultants’ out in droves. Some have smelled the money and moved here from other provinces. Some of these greedy imposters actually have Ph.D.’s. A Ph.D. in psychology however without the very necessary A.B.A. component does not qualify anyone regardless of their academic credentials to design, implement or monitor Lovaas – style A.B.A. programs for children with autism.

A recent report from a parent stated that her ‘local consultant’ with a Ph.D. has never actually done any type of A.B.A. therapy with any child. This ‘consultant’ is now ‘designing’ A.B.A. programs for children at $800.00 per month. This same ‘consultant’ is also instructing the team of therapists to ‘make up their own programs’ as they see fit.

M.C.F.D. have a list of ‘consultants’ and ‘service providers’ who, if utilized by families, qualify under the I.E.I.I. funding guidelines. M.C.F.D. personnel readily admit that they have no idea who is a bona fide Lovaas consultant. The legitimate providers and consultants are on the list but unfortunately most of the imposters are also on the list and taking full advantage of I.E.I.I. money, unsuspecting parents and worst of all seriously disabled children.

So, how do parents know the difference?

By asking the right questions:
– Give me a copy of your C.V.
– What are your academic qualifications?
– From where?
– Where did you receive your training to design Lovaas A.B.A. programs?
– How long ago?
– How many supervised hours of A.B.A. therapy did you do?
– How can I contact them for a reference?
– How many children have you done A.B.A. therapy with?
– Show me some samples of programs that you have taught
– Show me examples of behavior plans you have designed
– Show me examples of the data collection methodology you employ
– How many hours of curriculum development using the Lovaas protocol have you done?

The above questions are straight forward. If your potential consultant cannot or will not answer these questions you need to beware.

Also – be sure you get at least three references from the parents they have set up programs for.

Other ways of keeping informed are by:
– Staying connected with other parents who are running Lovaas – style A.B.A. programs
– Going to F.E.A.T. sponsored workshops
– Going to F.E.A.T. parent meetings (3rd Monday of the month)
– Understanding the history and politics of autism treatment in B.C.
– Contacting F.E.A.T. of B.C. if you want any information on Lovaas A.B.A.

Protect your children by being informed consumers!!!

In closing a word of advice to the ‘imposter consultants’ and therapists.

‘Consultants’

If you really want to help children then become part of the solution. The solution is this: Re-tool; go and get properly credentialed. Go to a Lovaas replication site or to a university in the U.S. that can provide the appropriate training. If you are unwilling to do the necessary work and continue misrepresenting yourselves and possibly harming children in the process beware…because one day you might be held to account by a judge rather than unsuspecting parents.

Therapists

There are many very competent and skilled A.B.A. therapists in B.C. who want to become bonafide consultants. We all need this to happen for obvious reasons. Not the least of these being the shortage of Lovaas consultants currently in B.C. One of the best ways is to get the training in the U.S. At least four former ‘senior therapists’ have done this. Two have returned to B.C. as consultants and are helping dozens of children. A third is returning to B.C. late this year and will presumably have a full client load in no time.

Like any other profession it takes a lot of work, time, and energy to become qualified and credentialed. Don’t derail your career path to professionalism by modeling the imposter consultants you may be working under. Big egos. arrogance and over-estimating your abilities are not qualities anyone should emulate. The mark of any true professional is humility and knowing what you don’t know – a virtue, which is seemingly absent from the imposter’s values.
Therapists – do not let incompetence and avarice be what you aspire to.

Children with autism in B.C. deserve to have the most competent and properly trained consultants available anywhere.

If you are a therapist and want more information on how to set a career path to becoming a properly qualified Lovaas – style A.B.A. consultant, please contact F.E.A.T. of B.C. at 604.534.6956 or email info@featbc.org

Our children are relying on us.

Thank you for your attention

Jean Lewis
Director – FEAT of BC

[Mike & Jean]

FEAT Meeting – June 16th 2003

Hi Everyone.

Just a reminder – the next FEAT Meeting is on Monday, June 16th at St. Francis in the Wood Anglican church in West Van (map downloadable from the FEAT web-site).

The meeting will start at 7:30pm and go to 9:00pm.

The topic is: I.E.P's (and school related issues)

This is a 'parent' meeting only.

Thank you – see you on Monday

Jean Lewis

[Mike & Jean]

To the "anonymous school district employee". Thank you for your honesty and candor. It is very instructive; particularly for parents whose children are not yet in the school system.

To those parents I say…see what is in store for you and your child. This person might work in your school district, in your school, with your child (if they have enough seniority).

Are you worried yet?

Regards, Jean

[Mike & Jean]

ATTENTION EVERYONE!!!

Following is a copy of a very lengthy but very telling article which was printed in the May/June issue of the B. C. Teacher's Federation magazine. It was authored by Margaret Brown – a teacher with POPARD.

Every parent needs to read this article very carefully! It shows the BCTF's true agenda for our kids in the classroom! If they get their way – no LOVAAS-style ABA consultant or any other properly credentialed ABA person will be allowed in the classroom – unless they posess teacher certification. In case any of you don't know FEAT of BC has never been shown any evidence that POPARD is credentialed to implement LOVAAS-style ABA programmes.

If your LOVAAS-style consultant currently goes into your child's school – BEWARE because the teacher's union views this as "contracting out."

Any comments?

Regards, Jean

Teacher Newsmagazine Volume 15, Number 6, May/June 2003

——————————————————————————–

Does certification mean anything?

——————————————————————————–

by Margaret Brown
Let’s get modern! How about we let anyone who thinks he or she can do the job, come into your classroom, tell you how to run instructional programs, establish student learning outcomes, and, oh well, why not, teach the kids too? Unthinkable? A sick joke? Couldn’t happen in today’s schools? Think again; it’s happening now!

Individuals from "outside agencies" have had an increasingly active role in schools. Their involvement is most extensive for students with exceptionalities. The school community has been open to, has welcomed, the consultative input of others addressing student needs. The role of such individuals in the development of the IEP is supported in the Ministry of Education’s Special Education Manual.

However, what is now happening in practice goes beyond the expected role of consultation from outside agencies; non-teachers are taking on program planning, and wanting to take on the role of teacher for some of our most needy students: those with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

"Oh autism," you may say, "doesn’t affect me!" Hold on! Close to 1,800 students with autism are in B.C. schools now, and another 2,700 have been identified in the autism spectrum in terms of their programming needs; some research figures put the incidence of ASD at 1:250. A child with ASD is with you now, or soon will be. Autistic children may be low-functioning and perhaps non-verbal or highly gifted students pulling down top marks in math and science, but they all have needs unique to the ASD diagnosis.

Who are these non-professionals attempting to do the job of teachers and to tell you what to do with your autistic student? They are representatives of a number of agencies contracted by the Ministry of Children and Families as behavioural consultants, to provide home support to families with autistic children. They are also "behavioural interventionists" who are working on home programs with preschoolers and then bringing them into Kindergarten. As government funding for regular and special education services has decreased, as fewer support teachers are available in each school district, there has been increasing pressure from parents for these non-professionals to provide service to, and in, the schools. The non-teachers are there now—consulting, advising, setting IEP goals, teaching students with specialized, segregating programming. Because of this government’s agenda of privatization, one doesn’t have to look far down the road to see more non-teachers taking teachers’ jobs in the "business" of education.

Who can provide service if not these non-certified individuals? Who can help you? Who is qualified as a teacher and as a consultant in autism? At the local level, districts have itinerant support staff, resource teachers, and special education co-ordinators—but many of those positions have been undermined or lost to budget restraints. At the provincial level, the Ministry of Education has for 22 years funded the Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD) for the single purpose of providing consultative support to your classroom and education in autism to teachers and teaching assistants. From an office in Delta, nine (FTE 5.4) educational/ behavioural consultants are providing service to 60 school districts and 680 students. http://www.pop.deltasd.bc.ca.

Consultants for POPARD base their student programming recommendations upon an experienced reading of the student’s school history and psycho-educational assessments, an understanding of schools and classroom resources, and knowledge of teaching methodology, curriculum, and classroom management. We believe that non-teachers cannot duplicate those essential components of a consultation. POPARD consultants also know that although many referrals are made because of concerns about student behaviour, it is the use of inappropriate curriculum that often lays the foundation for problem behaviour from the autistic student. We know that behaviour cannot be "treated" separately from curriculum. And we also believe that non-teachers are simply not qualified to advise teachers about student curriculum.

When you receive supportive consultation about your student’s needs, do you want a non-teacher giving you advice and determining student curriculum? Or do you think it’s important that your support come from an experienced teacher—someone who knows how classrooms work, who knows regular as well as special education, knows curriculum and learning theory—someone who has demonstrated knowledge at university and in the field to the point where he or she has qualified for teacher certification?

Here’s another important question to contemplate: If we have non-teachers advising and teaching those who have the greatest learning challenges, then why can’t we have non-teachers doing the same for those who learn more easily? Why not have non-teachers doing regular ed or gifted ed? Or do you think your university education, your experience, and your teacher certification represents a unique set of professional knowledge and skills that the non-teacher simply will not have?

If you believe that it is important to stand up for the value of teacher certification, if you believe that the most needy students deserve to have those with teacher credentials helping them, if you think public education is not to be "contracted out," please contact your staff rep or local teachers’ union office. Let them hear of your indignation; you have every right to feel it!

Margaret Brown is a teacher in Delta with the Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders.

[Mike & Jean]

FEAT Parent Meeting update

Hi Everyone,

Our next meeting will be on Monday, June 16th, 7:30 – 9:30pm at St. Francis in the Wood Anglican Church in West Vancouver.

The topic will be "I.E.P.'s".

Just a remionder – FEAT meetings are held on the third Monday of every month unless otherwise advised.

See you in June.

Regards, Jean

[Author]

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