[Ducky Piyo]

Hi there,

Thank you for the clarifications from other FEATers about ABA therapists working in Surrey.

Because of the Hewko case, a skilled ABA therapist is person that must have instructional control over the child and it clearly states that on the job training is no substitute for having basic training.

So I see the course is taken while the ABA therapist is working in the school.

Instructional control must be established with the child that has Autism BEFORE they work with them at school. This is how you build instructional control, rapport and trust between the adult and the student.

No other way to gain instructional control as you all learned from Langley that failed miserably. There was NO instructional control established and the child was ousted of the school. (Adults have no skills, punish the kid…what the?)

There are alternate ways to access ABA in schools and going through a college is ONE way to do it.

It is wonderful to know that the ABA therapist is hired BEFORE they have taken the Surrey College course.

Who on earth put that 1000 hours of ABA is required before a therapist can be hired in? I am not sure about you all but no where in the Hewko case can you read that 1000 hours is the requirement for instructional control.

Each Parent that advocates has the right with their OWN Consultant to determine what are the skill set required and WHO on their team can go in to the school.

I shared about Surrey in my posting in order to give informed choices to those that are asking, seeking and just entering the Autism scene now.

The ADVOCACY of Sabrina Freeman, Jean Lewis, Bev Sharpe, David Chan and David Marely (plus countless others) is what directly works to include our childrens' ABA program in school in ALL districts.

It is not because of idolatry that I and many others mention these people. This is because these Parents are the ones that fought tirelessly and did not gain as much as we did.

They certainly raised the bar when it comes to Advocacy and Selfless unsung heroes. We have to know our history ladies and gentlemen and ABA in schools did not happen because someone is lucky. A great price was paid whether you acknowledge or not.

Some of these parents left the public system, paid for private school and put in a pretty penny to fund the Hewko. This is not a stroke of luck or perhaps hoping someone would listen. This is PASSION for all Autistic kids!

Hewko IS a landmark case for all BC kids and not just for Abbotsford.

I appreciate your support for Surrey's ABA implementation but we are not all from Surrey and we have more options available now in all other districts. We can choose to move to Surrey or stay in our District, learn to use Hewko and be respected because we have rights!

Besides if we all move our kids to the districts that appear "open to ABA" then who is fighting for their own districts? ABA inclusion would be available for all districts if Advocacy is done RIGHT!

For those that did not get ABA in school most often because advocacy is not taught in any community groups other than Medicare for Autism NOW! events like the one tomorrow.

These are the real heroes. What is the chance of getting a district personnel to be open and listen to parents? Like a draw for a lottery ticket, one in a million.

Glad to know you appear to have a listening ear but outside of Surrey, there are success stories and it is because Hewko is used PROPERLY. A lot of groups mention Hewko but do NOT teach Parents how to use them.

This is why we have Medicare for Autism NOW! events to share the truth behind how to get ABA in the school.

I am a Hewko believer and this case has helped me time and time again. I have researched community groups and spoken to government and even Minister of Education. Nobody but Jean Lewis and David Chan would give me time in their day to help me. There is another but I prefer to keep their identity anonymous in order to respect their wishes.

That Parent overwhelmed me with emotion when they said, "you don't need to pay me back. I had help from other Parents. Your job is to help other parents behind you." Thank YOU! You know who you are :-) Love your heart!!!

Learn to use Hewko… I have more confidence and respect than I have ever had before in my life and it feels good because I did something about it = ADVOCATE !!

Thank you for reading my opinions.

Piyo

[Ducky Piyo]

Hi Tanja,

Thanks for your posting. I hope you are going to the April Advocacy Workshop. I have lots to learn myself and I am looking forward to learn more on how to amend the Canada Health Act.

Surrey appears to have ABA implemented in schools but your therapist needs to go through a bit of an obstacle course. It seems some districts hire and some don't but the best and sure way to implement ABA in schools is using the Hewko case.

RIGHTS OF AN AUTISTIC CHILD IN SCHOOL

Recently the Districts are all proposing Homosexual Curriculum into our school systems across BC because of protection under the human rights code.

I think that protection from harassment of all individuals including staff and students is important and mandatory. I support that!

It is interesting that the school districts spend so much time and money preserving equality of these individuals but not the right of the students with Autism. Mental Disability is also under the Human Rights Code.

When Autistic kids have behaviors they are ousted out of school (Langley) yet when a person makes a choice to engage in behavior that results in Homosexual lifestyle, the school community including families have to support and embrace them.

The Autistic child did not have a choice with their behaviors. (hence we do ABA)

I have to be honest, where's the money coming from? Hope not from our kid's Category G funding allocated to the schools.

Until there is a cure, Autism is a lifelong neurological disorder. When will Autism get equality in our Health and Education system, school inclusion and respect it deserves? How many more years of paying out of pocket because with a stroke of a pen there could be nothing for our kids?

I must state that my purpose to post is to adhere to the topic of ABA and Schools, Advocacy etc. I am not posting here to make any comments directly to anyone about their choice of sexual orientation.

My purpose is to raise awareness of the rights of my child with Autism in school.

Thank you for allowing me to air out concerns of the right of my child to be treated equal.

[Ducky Piyo]

HI Tanja, I agree with your thoughts on feeding being very important to behaviors and worth investingating these underlying issues to help our children eat and thus benefit from ABA.

The best way is to include Autism is to change the Canada Health Act to include our kids. If you are diabetic you don't ever negotiate on the amount of insulin (thanks Dr. deLevie), you get the right amout of insulin. Why do we negotiate ABA or medical/health (including feeding issues).

I don't know how many of you paid out of pocket for a naturopath but I did and this is not included in MSP either.

So this is the BIG picture to help our kids. Otherwise, we all suffer and we all struggle individually just as you see in the response to your posting. Unfortunately if Autism is not included in the Canada Health Act it will only get more complicated when they are of school age.

There is so much I have been through with MCFD, FHAN, MOE I do not know where to begin and no need to write a documentary on this board.

It appears "lucky" that we get anything at all but the stroke of luck will be gone because any given moment we will be cut our Autism funding.

I cannot repeat enough it has nothing to do with luck, it is the undying love to ensure our kids have ABA that set these parents on "fire" to passionately fight in the Auton and Hewko court case.

As a group collectively then we can win this war for our kids. Divided we fall.

I definately am supportive of all of you struggling with feeding issues as I've lived it, still doing it and still not entirely out of the woods now. But as the other FEATer said, it will get better.

Hats off to all of you.

BTW I am no part of the Auton, pre-Hewko days, I am just a quick learner.

Keep our fight alive and fight the good fight. Together we can win!!

Piyo

[Ducky Piyo]

HI there,

Just wanted to chime in on the posts from new parents. Hats off to you for trying to set up ABA and also take care of a little baby. Not easy and both of them have needs for their own reasons.

I wanted to write to support you all on the concerns about eating issues. Although this board is based on ABA, I think this is important because if our kids are not eating or losing weight it can really be an obstacle for ABA to take full potential in your child. But don't give up.

Intervention and remediation is best the younger child is. After Grade 3 the cost of treatment will be so much higher. Our funding is drastically cut to measely $6000 annual and the school is suppposed to take over. When they finally do make it out of high school they are miraculously cured! (sarcasm)

Our own child was misdiagnosed so many times and wasted precious years. The early years were not treated so we'll never know….

Thank you for acknowledging that the funding is from previous ASD war veterans that are still kicking around today. They are living proof that we must remain strong, informed,consistent and ready to advocate (learn how to at April Advocacy Workshop), because the war is ongoing.

Anyways, it is a blessing that you have funding at an early stage. I will forever drool at that because we never got this money and the government certainly does not go back and "roll forward" any "unclamied money" after you get an actual ASD diagnosis.

We always struggle with money. I owe so much on equity and we are living dangerously but because we are doing catch up because we started in later. I had the same problems about eating but if it was the 4 foods, I fed him the four because it was better than empty tummy. It is not the best I know but I made that choice because I know a hungry child could not sit still for ABA either. Yeah, felt like crap because my kid cannot hold food in his stomach or worse, eat ony ONE food until he pukes. It was pure bliss all right :-(

Yes, try some supplements and we spiked the drinks with powdered form. The smoothies were the only decent thing he would have so we used them also as reinforcer for the various "special flavors" for ABA. But this did not happen in one day. Took about 6 months to a year for the smoothies and then ABA became more accessible for our child.

Don't give up and no matter how hard just like the other FEATer said, light at the end of the tunnel …it's true. From people like us that have been through stuff, it will get better with time.

Sorry not much help here either but hope this email brightens that path like the other ones on this board that we are not alone and we're walking the same journey just different time "zones" whereas some of you have just started.

Our child now eats fruit and veggies because they actually taste good?!?! Light at the end of the tunnel….

Now back to school advocacy.

Later,
Piyo

[Ducky Piyo]

HI Brooks,

Thanks for clarifying and I am encouraged to know I personally came to the same conclusion that your post was sarcasm at these idiots that know little about our kids and make them sound like they are monsters.

This ticks me off because nobody cares about the right of the child to access again HIS right to education and what about his human rights and dignity?

While a bunch of idiots cannot figure out what to do and scared of an eager learner of 6 years old…suddenly it is our fault and no school for us?

When someone has no skills for the job what do you do? You hire the right skill set, not the seniority of the person paid for the job. No offence to hard working real people in the Education field but this is a solid case that screams with evidence of complete lack of instructional control. They didn't even try, their cowardly actions has written off Hunter premature when they have no idea what to do and won't admit to it. Nasty that they call WorkSafe and blame a child? Grow up already.

WorkSafe came in so how about MCFD? Who is fighting for our children when adults get the attention here?

I am sorry you are going through this but it serves a great reminder (sadly at your son's cost) that it can happen anytime, again, and again, and again, and again and to any of us.

The right of a child to education should never and must never be ignored. Our kids are not an interuption of their day, ASD kids should be the reason they a) have work and b) be in this line of work to begin with.

Keep us posted on the developments as news updates April 12th are that School board is working to find a school to place your son? Sounds like a solution but in my opinion it covers up one but does not address the original one of the lack of skills in the worker.

Supporting you all the way. I cannot wait to meet you at the Advoacy Workshop.

In the meanwhile chin up Brooks, you are not alone!

Piyo

[Ducky Piyo]

Hi Brooks,
I am sorry but did I misunderstand your post? Are you saying the kids from your son's former class are scared of him or they are not? I am sorry to ask you for clarification but several of us parents were not in agreement. We want to support you accurately and not insult you in our replies. I believe you realize this :-)

So please accept my apologies if my other post seems off topic/awkward.

Piyo

[Ducky Piyo]

Thanks Brooks for this posting. Yes, I have the same thought as yours. Great minds think alike!

Piyo

[Ducky Piyo]

ALMOST FORGOT..

THANK YOU ALWAYS, DR. SABRINA FREEMAN

MAY WE NEVER FORGET YOUR FIGHT AND ALL THE BEST DOWN SOUTH

PIYO

[Ducky Piyo]

HI Dave, FEATers,
Thank you Dr. deLevie!

When there was no hope you gave, you work tirelessly for our children. Our boys have a better quality of life at school because you turned over each stone until we had exhausted all options. Without professional and loving doctors like you my son would be continually mis-diagnosed and never get ABA treatment.

Talking about you makes me cry because they could not pay you enough for all and above you do for us. I heard about your son's situation and I immediately burst into tears in 2008 at the rally.

You have done so much for us and I am forever in debt to you. Your love for kids have made you shine in BC. We are so proud that you are our pediatrician and I sure wish there are more out there like you.

You are ONE of a kind and nobody comes close!

Thanks again for Dave's posting to remind people what makes Autism wars bearable…people like Dr. Melvin deLevie!!!

I am glad we can express our thanks and honor these unsung heroes.

Sadly however..

Instead of a lot of groups out there that say they advocate and help you when it is all about business…yes they are doing business with our kids. For these people it is nothing about Autism, just more money in their pocket.

Remember there is no regulation out there for the Autism Funding, the BCBA certification. Well there is no guarantee on anything that has AUTISM written on i.

The only truth these days are beautiful people like Dr. deLevie! These are the ones you trust!!!!

Once again thank you for sharing this Dave and the truth is there are not too many like Dr. deLevie.

P.S. Thank you Jean, Bev, Dave, David Marley, Paul, and all the fighters out there for our kids!!!

Piyo

[Ducky Piyo]

Re: School funding

The silly $18,000 does not cover full time as it is based on need of the child or in Hunter's case the school staff. We are not asking for more money, we are not asking for more programs, we are asking the schools to hire the person with the right skill set. Autistic children require therapists that have been trained by credible ABA Consultants (not POPARD programs)and only the Consultant should determine whether or not this person has instructional control over the student. We know in Hunter's case this is not happening.

I am sorry to be raising POPARD because this is an ABA based board but since we are talking about school the more parents know the better that POPARD courses are not equivalent to ABA. These are exposures and are not child specific so are not proven. POPARD offers a great exposure to people interested in this field of behavioral support for Autism in general.

I raised this so that new parents understand why the school EAs just do not understand how to support our kids.

Anyways,

I believe that in Hewko, Dr. Foxx states that in order to be a win-win all parties must sign on. Is it not premature to oust Hunter out of school when cleary the school cannot demonstrate that they have ever mastered the instructional over this 6 year old. When a student is not allowed to return to school indefinately it is a punishment to the child.

It is how the child learns, not how the curriculum is taught.

Furthermore….

You would not oust a patient out of a hospital because the staff do not have skills, you call in the professionals and the patient stays in the facility! So why are the medical needs not being met in school for Hunter?

This is not right!

Brooks please know that we have been touched by your story and stay strong. I hope someday you can share to Hunter how much you love him to do what you are doing now. This ABA Community is proud of you!!

Piyo

[Author]

Posts