[Jenny Obando]

Hello everyone

I wanted to let people know Dr Gutstein is coming to BC, he will be in Kamloops April 6-7.
Dr Gutstein illustrates how people with autism can create friendships, have emotions and interact with other people. Dr Gutstein has also writtern several books.

you can get more information on http://www.connectionscenter.com

[Jenny Obando]

Hi Kerry and welcome.

We all know how you feel. It is very overwhelming,but don't worry you have come to the right place.

As far as therapist go you could advertise here,but remember that this site is usually for people who are involve or know something about autism and the therapist who are members here are probably full .

Putting an ad in the local papers is always and option,but you probably won't find someone with experience. But that is how regular people become therapist.
Another place that has worked in the past for us are the local universities or colleges.

I wish you luck. If you want you can contact me directly I will help you in any way I can.
I have a 5 year old and we have been doing therapy for 2 years. The best choice I have ever made.

Jenny Obando divedoc@telus.net

[Jenny Obando]

Hi Edna

Unfortunately not all service providers are ABA providers, these are two different things.
Because the individualized funding covers speech and language as well as OT and ABA the government's list includes all the centers who provide any of those services, some are ABA certified others aren't.
I guess if there are parents out there that don't want to do ABA but want to do SL or OT, they can use their funding for that.

Unfortunately all the providers get put into the same pool, and are not listed specifically by the service they provide, but rather that they provide a service.

I hope this helps.

Jenny ( Tristen's mom)

[Jenny Obando]

I like many of you have benefited and continue to benefit from what the members of this board have done and continue to do. And let’s face it, if it wasn't for this group of highly "emotional” and courageous group who have taken the government to court on several occasions and refuses to give up, none of us would be receiving a penny.
So why should anyone be telling FEAT parents or any other parent of a child with autism to be more courteous or to control their emotions while the government continues to waste our children’s time for proper intervention and denies them medically necessary treatment.

I too get angry beyond words when I have to fight every step of the way for therapy that should be fully funded. My question to the anon who is defending Gateway so much is : If Gateway wants to support parents as you say and I agree that some parents need support, why do they continued to help the government fight in court the very families Gateway suppose to support.
I think actions speak laughter than words or anything that you could write here. And Gateway's actions have spoken.

I also want to comment on the Behavioral Analyst Certification. I can tell you this certification does not make a good consultant, even tough I admit I do not know everything about the certification, I know that my consultant like many others that work with families in BC do not have that certification. Yet they are some of the best in the field of ABA Lovaas type therapy, many of them have worked directly under Dr Lovaas himself.

You are asking yourself why the consultants could not be bothered to be certified. Are they sooo busy that could not take the time to do this certification?
Perhaps they are more interested in treating the children who are running out of time, who have many behaviors that need to be addressed or perhaps they are more interested in the hundreds of families waiting for a consultant to take them on, or perhaps is the endless amount of time this consultants spend writing behavioral plans and programming for our children’s therapy.
You said you have worked with many children and people with autism; do you have a Behavioral Analyst Certificate?

Please no grammar corrections.

Jenny (Tristen’s mom)

[Jenny Obando]

Has anyone heard the cuts the ministry for children and families is planning for next year, there is an articule in the province from Sunday. You can get it by going to the province website and going to archives, search word: Funding cuts, the title is: Liberal consider deep cuts to wide range of youth sevices.

There is mention to cuts for behavioral treatment for autism.

I am not sure what are they going to cut, s is the funding is not enough.

Jenny(Tristen's mom)

[Jenny Obando]

I wanted to add my two cents. Please no grammar corrections.

To anonymous SEA.

I find it disgusting that you put priority in who is loyal to who , instead of the child and what the child needs. That is where the loyalty should be.
As far as going private, why don't you go private where you won't have an union to hide behind .

As for the "therapist". Would changing their title put you at ease, where are your priorities ?

We have opted for private school for our son, because of the threat of having ignorant,arrogant people as your self.
Let me tell you my son's "therapist"or as the government calls them Behavioral interventionist for school, has a Bachelor's in psychology and has been with our team for two years.
You say: this therapist work for one child one. Obviously you are not as informed as you claimmed. Most therapist work with more than one child, under different Qualified consultants.

You also mentioned your 2 years of training. Can you tell me how many years of practicum did you had to do before being so qualified to work with children with autism ? And who supervises you ?

Our therapist get trained by qualified Consultants with Master's degrees in different related areas, plus the Consultant monitors what the therapist are doing.

The so called training you said you receive,consist of a 9-5 workshop on autism .And how to keep our children in routines so that don't disturb the class , this seems to be the main objective and not how the child is doing, how to help our autistic children develop new skills. And do you truly believe a 2 year program qualifies you to deal with ALL the different and unique disabilities out there ?
If you do. You are truly ingnorant.

One point you mentioned about the therapist being pay $8 an hour. I truly wish I could afford to pay them more but I cannot and believe me they are worth 100 times more than you !

You suggest that we parents are perhaps taken advantage of the SEA funds. I think you are taken advantage of our children and the fact that you belong to an union.
If you think we parents are after the mighty dollar think again. Many of us have lost our homes, savings and retirement plans so that we can do this therapy for our children.

It is obvious you are only informed about you and what affects your cushy job, and not what is best for our children.

I wanted to thank you for opening the eyes of many parents to the reality of what awaits us at the school level.

Jenny ( Tristen's mom)

Add-on(by Tristen's father…)
What is truely saddening to me is that emotions are yet again ruling the day and once again it is the children who are being forgotten.
On the SEA & public schools we are dealing with many roadblocks; CUPE & the union environment that will fight any percieved threat to it's members.
Egos. an obvious issue with the SEA who made this disturbing post, fealing threatened? Your two year diploma makes you licensed but obviously not professional.
Misconceptions. Real information about the facts of ABA Lovaas therapy seem to be either completely unknown to frontline educators or at best their knowledge appears second or third hand. This therapy isn't some made up nonsense. ABA IS teaching, just in a different form. I don't know of a single parent who has endured this horrible diagnosis for one or more of their children who would say that this current meathod of delivery of therapy is the ideal. Far from it. We are stuck with this hand that has been delt to us. There is no "school" available in Canada for therapist certification, we can't start this treatment through a local healthcare as it should be. We are families struggling with a crappy situation.
And back again this brings us to emotions. We parents are angry. Unfortunatly, it is this anger that seems to have marked groups such as FEAT as radicals. We have a right to be angry. We have an awful lot to be angry about. It's hard enough just to get treatment for our children, now our kids have yet more roadblocks to hurtle with closed shop public education system .

Todd

[Jenny Obando]

I too wanted to add my opinion.
I think the questions of what to pay the therapist and lead was a valid one. There are many families out there new to all of this and even families who have been doing this for a while who need feedback. Isn't this what we try to do for each other?. Give feedback and share our experiences ?.

I believe my therapist and lead are worh way more than what I pay them, and they all
definately deserve more. What they are doing for our children and what they endure is absolutely priceless, and I forever be greatfull to them.

The problem is we cannot afford to pay them more, even when they deserve it and are worth every dollar.
So, what we try to do for our therapist is to let them know, how much we appreciate them. We celebrate their birthdays and we invite them over for a xmas dinner, we share with them our hopes and dreams for our son .

As far as why should a lead accept $12 an hour. Well because they know the parents are paying what they can afford, and because they want to make a different in a child's life. And also because they can afford to, or even if they cannot afford to, they make do without, just so that a child can have a better chance at a close to normal life.
Of course you have to make a living. So perhaps for those therapist who cannot afford to work for less they need to find families who can financial afford a higher rate.

I myself am on both sides, I am a parent of a child in an ABA program, and I am also a Lead in other team. I believe myself to be a good lead but also a work in progress. I have an inside like few, because I live it everyday. I work very hard as a Lead, because I care and because I cannot imagine not being involved .

Jenny ( Tristen's mom)

[Jenny Obando]

To anonymous

I can totally see why you want to keep the diagnosis a secret. I think there is a time and place to educate other people about autism, and that time and place have to feel right for you.

My son is only in preschool but we have encountered a similar situation, our therapist is there only to observe and her interventions are minimal.

I had a parent asked me why she was there, I told her that our therapist was finishing her degree which happens to be true. And that she was getting some experience working with young children, I also told her that our son was delay in some areas and that she (the therapist),was there to make sure he was doing OK. The parent said to me: it looks like your son is just fine", so I just reply:"he is a different child, he has come a long way". And then I proceded to talk about a field trip coming up.

So you don't have to tell any specifics. This things are personal and you should not have to say anything you don't want to.
I do agree with the other parent who said get involved. When the preschool asks for snacks and goodies, I am the first one to sign in. And I make fancy fun stuff so all the kids go: oh that is nice who made those cookies or whatever. And my son can say he did. It helps make him the popular kid.

As far as birhdays and playdates go. Don't wait to be invited take the first step and invited them. And try to make it so fun that the kids want to come back for more.

Invite the parents to parties like pampered chef or tupperware.
We are at a disadvantage and sometimes maybe our guard is up when it doesn't have to be.
And if after all your effords still nothing,and they ignore you and your child. You are probably better off without them.

I hope this helps a little.
Jenny ( Tristen's mom)

[Jenny Obando]

I agree with Michelle, we cannot assume that the fight is over or that we should rest, if anything this is the time to resume the letter writting and demand our children's rights be honor and respected regardless of their age or outcome of therapy.

I wanted to also share with parents that my MLA's office here in Maple Ridge told me today that apparently changes to the individualized funding would take place at the end of November, at least that is what they were advice of;this apparently a response to the Court Appeal.
Their recomendation to us was to write a letter to Hon. Linda Reid requesting funding and stating our case before her.

I don't know how right or not they may be, but it is worth it in case they know something we don't.

So, I urge All the parents of children with autism; who have programs, who want to start programs and are not financialy able, regardless of the age of your child; to write the minister and to write your social workers and chain of command also.

We need to put the pressure on.

Good luck to us all.
Jenny( Tristen's mom)

[Jenny Obando]

Hello can someone please let me know when and what is the next Feat meeting going to be about.

Thanks Jen

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