[Jack & Cheryl Malli]

Therapist/Tutor for Child with Autism

We are looking for an energetic, smart, caring person to join our team working with our autistic daughter, 8 years old. Experience with special needs NOT required. A willingness to learn IS. You will receive training from one of the best Behavioural Consultants in the field.

Our daughter is high functioning, intelligent, loving and very funny. (A bit of a challenge sometimes too.) You will adore her.

We need you to help her negotiate peer relationships and social/recreational activities as well as helping with school projects/homework. Data collection and some administrative duties are involved.

As tutor/therapist, you would have to be available to pick her up from school at 2:45, escort her to the Boys and Girls Club – a ten minute walk or short drive – by 3:00/3:15, "play" with her at the Club until 5:30 and then escort her the one block to our home.

By "play" we mean less emphasis on discreet trial and more focus on natural teaching using the theories of behavioural analysis. The training will also consist of in-situation practice/training/observation of drills where the new tutor will observe our Behavioural Consultant and then practice while she
gives feedback. (If you are not familiar with this terminology, that's OK; excellent training is provided.)

You must be able to provide your own transportation (Transit OK) and be willing to submit to an RCMP criminal record check. Female applicants preferred only because you may have to help her with hygiene and visiting girl's room.

For more information, contact us by email and we will arrange an interview.

http://www.cherylmalli@yahoo.ca

PLEASE ATTACH A CURRENT RESUME TO YOUR EMAIL.

[Jack & Cheryl Malli]

THERAPIST NEEDED! SOUTH DELTA

We are looking for a therapist to join our team. Our daughter Bronte is 7 years old and is in the first grade, working with an excellent TA. Bronte is excelling in language and reading, far ahead of her classmates, though she is still challenged in social situations and peer interaction. Our consultant is Lorelei Dake and she is exceptional.

Experience in ABA (Lovaas) therapy would be an asset, but is not required as training is provided. Anyone with an educational or psychology background would be suited for this position. As observation, trials and data-capture are crucial to the success of an ABA program, students in the "hard" sciences – who also work well with children – are encouraged to apply.

Must be reliable, enthusiastic, fun, energetic and willing to learn.

Starting wage is $12/HR though we are hoping to move someone into the lead therapist role which pays $15/HR.

Call Cheryl or Jack at 778.238.1056
or send resume to
jackmalli@yahoo.com

[Jack & Cheryl Malli]

THERAPIST NEEDED! SOUTH DELTA

We are looking for a therapist to join our team. Our daughter Bronte is 7 years old and is in the first grade, working with an excellent TA. Bronte is excelling in language and reading, far ahead of her classmates, though she is still challenged in social situations and peer interaction. Our consultant is Lorelei Dake and she is exceptional.

Experience in ABA (Lovaas) therapy would be an asset, but is not required as training is provided. Anyone with an educational or psychology background would be suited for this position. As observation, trials and data-capture are crucial to the success of an ABA program, students in the "hard" sciences – who also work well with children – are encouraged to apply.

Must be reliable, enthusiastic, fun, energetic and willing to learn.

Call Cheryl or Jack at 778.238.1056
or send resume to
jackmalli@yahoo.com

[Jack & Cheryl Malli]

And then the perpetrator himself reveals his identity…

Hello Lucas,

Firstly, I want to say how sorry I am of the abuse you
suffered as a child. In many "treatments" for many
"disorders," unnecessary cruelty was often considered
OK, positive even. (Some of the "cures" for
homosexuality, as you mentioned, were extremely cruel
and humiliating; but then, we also burned whiches at
one time and destroyed the livelihoods of "commies"
too.) In general, medical ethics would not allow such
practices to continue today. So I ask you if you
honestly believe that anyone who advocates ABA today
would also advocate what can only be described as
torture inflicted on children? I don't believe it –
unless they are sadistic or a complete nut.
To be honest, just between you and me, anyone who is
an "apologist" for some of the more sinister practices
of Dr. Lovaas earlier in his career are intellectually
dishonest and chauvinistic.

My point, Lucas, is that I would never presume that
you don't know what ABA is. But I would say that what
you experienced is what ABA WAS. And if anyone is
continuing to use violent aversives today – well, they
ought to be thrown in jail. Applied Behavioural
Analysis, as a behavioural intervention, has allowed
my daughter to experience a quality of life and
happiness which she simply was not experiencing prior
to intervention. I know my child. Before ABA, she
suffered. I could see it in her face and body
language, I could hear it in her screams. It broke my
heart to see my little 4 year old girl in such pain.
And then we started an excellent program with her,
designed by our brilliant ABA consultant. And my
daugher is happier! Yes, easier to parent (our
benefit); and better behaved (the general public's
benefit); but definitely happier than she was before –
and more able to experience the joys and challenges of
life many of us take for granted. Friends, birthday
parties, travel, accomplishments, sports, hobbies!
When she turns 18 perhaps she can answer the question
as to whether or not she would rather have not had the
ABA therapy. I'll let you know.

I will copy your letter to me and this reply and post
it on the FEAT board. Meantime, I strongly request
that you stop sabotaging our petition. What we are
doing is good and positive and will help children.
Please see this and offer your help.

Jack Malli

— Ben McCarty wrote:

> Hello there. I'm glad you posted your e-mail on the
> FEATbc board; I'm reluctant to e-mail them for
> permission to post because I don't believe they will
> be at all fair. That is the case with us, proponents
> of ABA are hardly ever fair with us.
>
> I am one of quite a many Autistics/Aspies that have
> left messages on the petition. My message is as
> follows:
>
> "Psychological or physical pain is perhaps as
> characteristic in human
> relationships as is pleasure. The extensive presence
> of pain in
> everyday life may suggest that it is necessary for
> the establishment
> and maintenance of normal human interactions.
> Despite the
> pervasiveness of pain in daily functioning, and its
> possible necessity
> for maintaining some behaviors, psychology and
> related professions
> have shied away from and often condemned, the use of
> pain for
> therapeutic purposes. We agree with Solomon (1964)
> that such
> objections to the use of pain have a moral rather
> than scientific
> basis. Recent research, as reviewed by Solomon,
> indicated that hte
> scientific premises offered by psychologists for the
> rejection of
> punishment are not tenable. Rather, punishment can
> be a very useful
> tool for effecting behavior change.
>
> There are three ways pain can be used
> therapeutically. first,
> it can
> be used directly as punishment, i.e., it can be
> presented contingent
> upon certain undesirable behaviors, so as to
> suppress them. This is
> perhaps the
> most obvious use of pain. Second, pain can be
> removed or withheld con-
> tingent upon certain behaviors. That is, certain
> behaviors can be estab-
> lished and maintained because they terminate pain,
> or avoid it altogether.
> Escape and avoidance learning exemplify this. The
> third way in which pain
> can be used is the least well known, and perhaps the
> most intriguing. Any
> stimulus which is associated with or discriminative
> of pain reduction ac-
> quires positive reinforcing (rewarding) properties
> (Bijou and Baer, 1961),
> i.e., an organism will work to "obtain" those
> stimuli which have been
> associated with pain reduction. The action of such
> stimuli is analogous to
> that of stimuli whose positive reinforcing
> properties derive from primary
> positive reinforcers….
>
> Apparatus. The research was conducted in a 12 X
> 12-foot experi-
> mental room with an adjoining observation room
> connected by one-way
> minors and sound equipment. The floor of the
> experimental room was
> covered by one-half inch wide metal tapes with
> adhesive backing (Scotch
> Tape). They were laid one-half inch apart so that
> when the child stepped
> on the floor he would be in contact with at least
> two strips, thereby
> closing
> the circuit and receiving an electric shock. A
> six-volt battery was
> wired to
> the strips of tape via a Harvard Inductorium. The
> shock was set at a level
> at which each of three Es standing barefoot on the
> floor agreed that
> it was
> definitely painful and frightening."
>
> This was Lovaas' look into 'theraputic pain' in
> treating Autism. At the same time, he was using such
> methods to 'cure' feminine boys who were 'in danger
> of developing homosexuality'. Electric shocks are no
> longer used on children, they ARE used on adults
> held in institutions that adhere to behaviorist
> science.
>
> I am offended by the ••••• that said:
>
> "Having just read a few of the comments on the
> petition, I am irritated and horrified at the
> stupidity that continues to exist. Quite clearly
> those comments on the petition (against ABA) are
> made by those who do not truly understand what ABA
> is. "
>
> He doesn't make the logical assumption that there is
> a portion of Autistics that have had to put up with
> ABA as children and have come out much worse for it.
> That's the first part where ABA proponents are
> dishonest and unfair; they habitually refuse to
> mention that the majority of those opposed to ABA
> are Autistic. The second dishonesty is that "You are
> nothing like my child who can't talk, self-injures
> and has no self-care or social skills", this assumes
> that it's purely high-functioners and Aspies that
> are speaking out. It's a lie told again and again.
>
> Absolutely none of the three current webmasters of
> http://www.Autistics.org are high-functioning or even
> close: http://www.autistics.org/library/dawson.html
>
> The criticism Autistics have of ABA is the same
> criticism given to every 'intervention' and
> 'treatment'. Only behaviourists have responded so
> aggressively with defamation, personal attacks and
> conclusions drawn without even stopping for a moment
> to question what may be wrong in their field.
>
> The basic premise of every criticism of every
> so-called therapy is: Autistics are not widely and
> non-selectively consulted.
>
> The same kind of response is given: "Most Autistics
> can not and never will be able to speak for
> themselves(without this intervention), so they can
> not be consulted". This is simply and patently not
> true. It's based on an assumption that is more than
> sixty years old now. Behaviourism is making
> attitudes towards Autistics worse; one was asked
> recently if it was possible to make a child Autistic
> with Behavioural techniques to which they said
> 'yes'.
>
> Behaviourists do not study Autism, they study ABA
> and see Autism from the downward social comparison
> which has plagued all disabled people. Autism
> adovocacy and culture is where the disability rights
> movement was a century ago and we have began asking
> why.
>
> I hope you will pass my concerns on to the people
> you know and write back to me.
>
> Lucas McCarty.

[Jack & Cheryl Malli]

Hi Everyone,
I invited whomever wrote those negative comments on our petition to email me and they have. So I just wanted to post here both their messages to me and my responses. I understand that by posting their comments I am incidentally allowing anti-ABA opinions onto the FEAT board. If this is against the rules, please let me know.

Hello Ms. Dawson,

I have not had the time to read all the links you have
included in your post to me – but I do intend to. But
I would like to make a few personal observations and
express a few personal opinions.
Firstly, I know virtually nothing about services in BC
for ADULTS diagnosed with autism. But in priniciple I
agree that any adult – autistic, schizophrenic,
paraplegic, etc. – should be fully honoured and
listened to by those who design programs for their
benefit. As for services for very young children with
autism directing the course of their own intervention
– as stakeholders per se – is ludicrous. I would no
more allow my 7 year old daughter, who is not
autistic, to decide our weekly menu (cake and ice
cream for breakfast every day of the week)as I would
consult with her on the efficacy of going to school
every day. She eats her vegetables and she goes to
school and though she may protest from time to time,
she does so because we, her PARENTS, tell her to do
so! The arguments that other, non-ABA interventions
may be just as good should certainly be open to
debate. And from the debates I have heard so far, I
remain convinced that ABA is the best. But the
anonymous vandal on our petition seems to be making
the point that ABA is unethical because autistics are
not consulted. We are talking about children here!
Doesn't s/he get it!? "Honey, I know these insulin
shots are very unpleasant, so if you really don't want
them anymore well, I will have to honour your dignity.
And watch you go into shock! And die!" And her/his
other point is that ABA is abusive. Again, I claim
ignorance. Many scientific "interventions" were
practiced in the past which would be outlawed today.
Sigmund Freud had women's noses mutilated by a surgeon
to "cure" them of sexual hysteria. But we still to
this day consider the contributions made to
psychotherapy by Dr. Freud – such as the notion of
subconscious impulses directing behaviour, the value
of talk therapy and such. Sensible, mature people do
not throw out the baby with the bath water.
To be very frank, I personally find the emphasis on
Dr. Lovaas to be a little troubling. There seems to
have developed somethhing of a cult of personality
around Lovaas which, in my opinion, actually distracts
from the real discussion we should be having. Good,
professionally applied ABA by any qualified
practitioner helps autistic children. Violent
aversives bordering on abuse are NOT part of any
mainstream ABA program practiced by any practitioner
on any child. And any nut who harms a child ought to
be locked up. Our consultant is brilliant and loving
and we feel blessed to have her in our daughter's
life. Any attempts to undermine my daughter's quality
of life because of misguided and outdated notions of
ABA are, though well-intentioned, helping the
government to pave a road to the hell of isolation,
dependence and pain for the hundreds (thousands?) of
autistic children in this province.
So, Ms. Dawson, tell your friend to stop it!
Thank you,
Jack Malli

— naa canada wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Since I am keeping track of those who are deciding
> our future here in Canada, I keep in touch with the
> online petition (it is described as written by Mr
> Matthews, though I think it is the same as Mr
> Kavchak's paper petition). Since it was brought to
> my attention that sometimes I'm discussed on the
> FEAT BC chat board, I also go there and look now and
> then. It is important when people are making
> decisions about autistics that some of us are
> informed of this.
>
> The vandalism of the petition was brought to my
> attention by one of the people who wrote one of the
> now many entries opposing ABA-based early
> interventions as "medically necessary" for all
> autistics. This information is in public, but since
> "advocates" usually do not read or keep track of
> what autistics have to say, this may have been
> overlooked. I asked this person not to use my name,
> and to own up and apologize. He responded that he
> himself had not used my name, and had made only one
> entry, the one quoting Dr Lovaas' study.
>
> I suggest the point of those intrefering with this
> petition is that autistics have been excluded
> entirely from this discussion. Ostracism sometimes
> results in those ostracized using whatever means
> necessary to have their voice heard. I am a big fan
> of courtesy. But I am unsure of how to respond when
> polite attempts to be heard are met with mockery and
> threats.
>
> This is what happened to me when I approached Mr
> Matthews about his petition. I pointed out that it
> was neither by nor for autistic people, and that we
> have had no say in these issues. But our views are
> assumed, as Mr Kavchak wrote, to be "idiotic", or
> worse. Mr Matthews responded in a way that required
> my lawyer to respond to him. Mr Matthews made an
> extremely serious and utterly unfounded allegation
> against me (this is on the record), which he claimed
> came from many "leaders" in the autism community. So
> I continue to oppose the interference with the
> petition, but I want to point out that reasonable
> concerns were greeted with extreme and unreasonable
> hostility.
>
> Our genuine response to your petition is posted here
> http://www.isn.net/~jypsy/AuSpin/sig.html , and has
> been since the beginnning of October. Our response
> is not a petition, since we do not believe that the
> basic rights of minority groups should be decided
> via popularity contest. This response has been
> featured on the three largest international websites
> concerned with the rights, dignity, and balanced and
> accurate representation of autistics.
>
> While my positions are greeted with ridicule and
> personal insults, as can be verified online, if you
> are genuinely interested in another view, I suggest
> you read what I've written, including my written
> argument in Auton. Another suggestion is to read the
> huge comment board that accumulated in the wake of
> one of my articles. It is maybe the longest running
> civilized exchange between a behaviourist
> (occasionally more than one; we have an autistic
> behaviourist also at times, though an anonymous
> behaviour analyst failed to be respectful) and some
> autistics, including autistics who have kids or who
> work with young, labeled "low-functioning" kids.
>
> This is the ABA article:
> http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_aba.html It has
> one error in it, in that one of the Rett's girls was
> in Dr Lovaas' control group 1 (in the 1987 study),
> which I didn't find out until after. The Rett's
> study, which I did read, is not honest about this.
> The positions about autistic intelligence and
> implicit learning are original work on my part, and
> this article has been cited here and there
> (including at ICP Beijing this summer).
>
> The ABA article comment board archives are here
> http://www.isn.net/~jypsy/701-725.html , and are in
> reverse order. The current comment board is here,
> http://www.quicktopic.com/27/H/vJvhV4fDnBgw7 The
> boards aren't limited or moderated. I only rarely
> have had to point out when people were being
> offensive. You can post there yourself if you want,
> or anywhere else on my site (all articles or series
> of articles generate a comment board).
>
> The Auton written argument is here,
> http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_fac.html .
>
> If you want the relevance of Dr Lovaas' work in
> electric shock to my own position, it is in what I
> wrote after the Auton hearing, here
> http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_wro.html
>
> I am aware that most parents are pleased with their
> ABA programs, just like most parents are pleased
> with their chelation programs and their immune
> globulin treatments and their supplements and
> miracle diets (there is yet a new one) and
> Floortime/DRI and Dr Gutstein's program–RDI–and
> verbal behaviour programs and Pivotal Response
> Training, and SCERTS, and TEACCH, and there is RPM
> now being marketed, and of course many parents swore
> by Secretin, etc. Since it is assumed that all
> autistics are inherently doomed, anything suspected
> of being an "improvement" is considered much better
> than could have been expected without "treatment".
>
> I don't know if you were genuinely or facetiously
> asking your question. Being a big fan of courtesy
> and respect, even in the face of discourtesy and
> disrespect from others, I am opposed on principle to
> what happened with the petition, so I have genuinely
> tried to answer.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Michelle Dawson
> No Autistics Allowed, Canada
> http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_02.html

[Jack & Cheryl Malli]

Hi Everyone,
I invited whomever wrote those negative comments on our petition to email me and they have. So I just wanted to post here both their messages to me and my responses. I understand that by posting their comments I am incidentally allowing anti-ABA opinions onto the FEAT board. If this is against the rules, please let me know.

Hello Ms. Dawson,

I have not had the time to read all the links you have
included in your post to me – but I do intend to. But
I would like to make a few personal observations and
express a few personal opinions.
Firstly, I know virtually nothing about services in BC
for ADULTS diagnosed with autism. But in priniciple I
agree that any adult – autistic, schizophrenic,
paraplegic, etc. – should be fully honoured and
listened to by those who design programs for their
benefit. As for services for very young children with
autism directing the course of their own intervention
– as stakeholders per se – is ludicrous. I would no
more allow my 7 year old daughter, who is not
autistic, to decide our weekly menu (cake and ice
cream for breakfast every day of the week)as I would
consult with her on the efficacy of going to school
every day. She eats her vegetables and she goes to
school and though she may protest from time to time,
she does so because we, her PARENTS, tell her to do
so! The arguments that other, non-ABA interventions
may be just as good should certainly be open to
debate. And from the debates I have heard so far, I
remain convinced that ABA is the best. But the
anonymous vandal on our petition seems to be making
the point that ABA is unethical because autistics are
not consulted. We are talking about children here!
Doesn't s/he get it!? "Honey, I know these insulin
shots are very unpleasant, so if you really don't want
them anymore well, I will have to honour your dignity.
And watch you go into shock! And die!" And her/his
other point is that ABA is abusive. Again, I claim
ignorance. Many scientific "interventions" were
practiced in the past which would be outlawed today.
Sigmund Freud had women's noses mutilated by a surgeon
to "cure" them of sexual hysteria. But we still to
this day consider the contributions made to
psychotherapy by Dr. Freud – such as the notion of
subconscious impulses directing behaviour, the value
of talk therapy and such. Sensible, mature people do
not throw out the baby with the bath water.
To be very frank, I personally find the emphasis on
Dr. Lovaas to be a little troubling. There seems to
have developed somethhing of a cult of personality
around Lovaas which, in my opinion, actually distracts
from the real discussion we should be having. Good,
professionally applied ABA by any qualified
practitioner helps autistic children. Violent
aversives bordering on abuse are NOT part of any
mainstream ABA program practiced by any practitioner
on any child. And any nut who harms a child ought to
be locked up. Our consultant is brilliant and loving
and we feel blessed to have her in our daughter's
life. Any attempts to undermine my daughter's quality
of life because of misguided and outdated notions of
ABA are, though well-intentioned, helping the
government to pave a road to the hell of isolation,
dependence and pain for the hundreds (thousands?) of
autistic children in this province.
So, Ms. Dawson, tell your friend to stop it!
Thank you,
Jack Malli

— naa canada wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Since I am keeping track of those who are deciding
> our future here in Canada, I keep in touch with the
> online petition (it is described as written by Mr
> Matthews, though I think it is the same as Mr
> Kavchak's paper petition). Since it was brought to
> my attention that sometimes I'm discussed on the
> FEAT BC chat board, I also go there and look now and
> then. It is important when people are making
> decisions about autistics that some of us are
> informed of this.
>
> The vandalism of the petition was brought to my
> attention by one of the people who wrote one of the
> now many entries opposing ABA-based early
> interventions as "medically necessary" for all
> autistics. This information is in public, but since
> "advocates" usually do not read or keep track of
> what autistics have to say, this may have been
> overlooked. I asked this person not to use my name,
> and to own up and apologize. He responded that he
> himself had not used my name, and had made only one
> entry, the one quoting Dr Lovaas' study.
>
> I suggest the point of those intrefering with this
> petition is that autistics have been excluded
> entirely from this discussion. Ostracism sometimes
> results in those ostracized using whatever means
> necessary to have their voice heard. I am a big fan
> of courtesy. But I am unsure of how to respond when
> polite attempts to be heard are met with mockery and
> threats.
>
> This is what happened to me when I approached Mr
> Matthews about his petition. I pointed out that it
> was neither by nor for autistic people, and that we
> have had no say in these issues. But our views are
> assumed, as Mr Kavchak wrote, to be "idiotic", or
> worse. Mr Matthews responded in a way that required
> my lawyer to respond to him. Mr Matthews made an
> extremely serious and utterly unfounded allegation
> against me (this is on the record), which he claimed
> came from many "leaders" in the autism community. So
> I continue to oppose the interference with the
> petition, but I want to point out that reasonable
> concerns were greeted with extreme and unreasonable
> hostility.
>
> Our genuine response to your petition is posted here
> http://www.isn.net/~jypsy/AuSpin/sig.html , and has
> been since the beginnning of October. Our response
> is not a petition, since we do not believe that the
> basic rights of minority groups should be decided
> via popularity contest. This response has been
> featured on the three largest international websites
> concerned with the rights, dignity, and balanced and
> accurate representation of autistics.
>
> While my positions are greeted with ridicule and
> personal insults, as can be verified online, if you
> are genuinely interested in another view, I suggest
> you read what I've written, including my written
> argument in Auton. Another suggestion is to read the
> huge comment board that accumulated in the wake of
> one of my articles. It is maybe the longest running
> civilized exchange between a behaviourist
> (occasionally more than one; we have an autistic
> behaviourist also at times, though an anonymous
> behaviour analyst failed to be respectful) and some
> autistics, including autistics who have kids or who
> work with young, labeled "low-functioning" kids.
>
> This is the ABA article:
> http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_aba.html It has
> one error in it, in that one of the Rett's girls was
> in Dr Lovaas' control group 1 (in the 1987 study),
> which I didn't find out until after. The Rett's
> study, which I did read, is not honest about this.
> The positions about autistic intelligence and
> implicit learning are original work on my part, and
> this article has been cited here and there
> (including at ICP Beijing this summer).
>
> The ABA article comment board archives are here
> http://www.isn.net/~jypsy/701-725.html , and are in
> reverse order. The current comment board is here,
> http://www.quicktopic.com/27/H/vJvhV4fDnBgw7 The
> boards aren't limited or moderated. I only rarely
> have had to point out when people were being
> offensive. You can post there yourself if you want,
> or anywhere else on my site (all articles or series
> of articles generate a comment board).
>
> The Auton written argument is here,
> http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_fac.html .
>
> If you want the relevance of Dr Lovaas' work in
> electric shock to my own position, it is in what I
> wrote after the Auton hearing, here
> http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_wro.html
>
> I am aware that most parents are pleased with their
> ABA programs, just like most parents are pleased
> with their chelation programs and their immune
> globulin treatments and their supplements and
> miracle diets (there is yet a new one) and
> Floortime/DRI and Dr Gutstein's program–RDI–and
> verbal behaviour programs and Pivotal Response
> Training, and SCERTS, and TEACCH, and there is RPM
> now being marketed, and of course many parents swore
> by Secretin, etc. Since it is assumed that all
> autistics are inherently doomed, anything suspected
> of being an "improvement" is considered much better
> than could have been expected without "treatment".
>
> I don't know if you were genuinely or facetiously
> asking your question. Being a big fan of courtesy
> and respect, even in the face of discourtesy and
> disrespect from others, I am opposed on principle to
> what happened with the petition, so I have genuinely
> tried to answer.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Michelle Dawson
> No Autistics Allowed, Canada
> http://www.sentex.net/~nexus23/naa_02.html

[Jack & Cheryl Malli]

Hello,
I am sure many parents here have logged on to and signed the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/andap1/petition.html

Please note some of the comments from someone who is very anti ABA. particularly "signatures" numbered 1503, 1501 and 1400. As a parent of an autistic child, and a proponent of ABA (because our daughter has experienced very real benefit), I am nonetheless open to listen to other opinions. I am dismayed, however, that this silly person seems intent on spoiling our petition and does not have the courage to disclose his or her name. So, to whomever is responsible for the diatribes, if you you are looking at this message, email me personally and I will tell how ABA has worked – not only to make life easier for my wife and me – but to reduce the stress and indeed terror that our little girl used to suffer whenever confronted by challenges in her environment. Now she has some skills to negotiate situations in which she would have once been powerless and vulnerable. The benefits of ABA are real. And I can assure you that not once have we administered shock treatment. (I am being facetious, of course.)
You can reach me at jackmalli@yahoo.com

[Jack & Cheryl Malli]

Hello Everyone,
We are all very busy and I for one have not had much opportunity to read up on what has happened with the Auton case. Frankly, I am a bit surprised that it has not dominated discussion on these boards for the last month. So can anyone let us know what happened at the Supreme Court of Canada? Thanks.

[Jack & Cheryl Malli]

This is a response to Dubravka May 5/2004:

"I am having some difficulties with receiving the IEII funds for my 5 y/old child. In the past we have been receiving the $1,667.00 monthly without problem. From April 1st, since we have signed our new contract with the Ministry, we haven’t got any money for our ABA therapy yet.
Does anyone of you parents have the same problem and since when?"

Hello Dubravka,

We have not actually yet signed a renewal for the new
fiscal year – next Thursday. But I was told by MCFD
that even when we do, it will take 4 to 6 weeks to
process!!

Well, we don't have a handy $4000.00 sitting around to
pay our therapy team while waiting for a cheque. I
called MCDF to find out why we have to wait and was
told "there's nothing I can do." I called the
Minister's office – Christie Clark – and did not
receive a satisfactory answer. I spoke with the
accountant in the Ministry and she said that she
cannot issue a cheque until she has received a signed
contract but that "it shouldn't take that long." When
pressed how long it should take, she was evasive and
said "we have over 10,000 contracts to process – but
it should be immediate." I'm not holding my breath.

Our daughter is also five – so we don't need to write
a new contract, simply renew the existing one. I'm
sure the gov't doesn't tell it's other contractors
(and that's what families receiving IEII essentially
are, contractors for their own children's ABA therapy)
that "we're sorry, but we can't pay you for 4 to 6
weeks because of the new fiscal year." Yet that is
exactly what they told us. Too bad. It's outrageous
that families with autistic children suffer such a
disruption in benefits (AND THERAPY FOR THEIR
CHILDREN) and that the Ministry then sloughs it off as
an accounting problem.

It was suggested that we do what other families do:
pay our therapists out of our pocket and then
"reimburse" ourselves when the retroactive payments
come in from the Ministry. Would any other contractor
"float a loan" for the government for 6 weeks – out of
the goodness of their heart?!

I'm no conspiracy theorist – so I'll just point out a
few facts and let other make their own conclusions.

Most families who opt for IEII select an ABA program
for their children and support the litigants in the
Auton case. These families are experiencing a
disruption of benefits up to 3 months.

Families whose children are enrolled in the government
"EIBI" Program or with agencies such as Gateway do not
suffer any disruption in "treatment." EIBI and Gateway
support the defendant (government) in the Auton case.

Politics?

Anyone who is as angry as I am and wants to talk more about this – please email me at jackmalli@yahoo.com

[Jack & Cheryl Malli]

Hi. I have posted before re: our 4 yr old daughter Bronte. I have been researching ABA programs in the lower mainland (we live in Ladner, South Delta) and just wanted to ask other parents their opinions on which programs you might recommend. So far I have received info from MAPCL (aka Mainstream or Laurel Group), and CBI (too costly). I have spoken with people at Gateway (not exclusively ABA) and I want more information re: EAP (such as a web address, for one), or Kimberly Wroblewski. If you know of any other good, BACB certified, experienced, effective ABA consultants in my area (preferably South Delta Ladner Tsawwassen, or South Richmond) I would be delighted to hear testimonials, critiques, opinions etc. Because Gateway is located blocks from our home, we have thought of going with them. To be honest, speaking with the Behaviour Consultant, I am not fully satisfied they are rigorous enough in setting specific goals and properly keeping data on progress toward these goals ie how solid is their theoretical model or do they even have one? Of course, I ask these questions directly to Gateway, but I like to get "outside" opinions as well. If anyone wishes to respond and is not comfortable posting his/her opinions on the board, you could email me directly at jackmalli@yahoo.com. Thanks.

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