Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
Maureen St. Cyr
MemberLast place I found foam blocks it was at IKEA,
believe it or not. You can also try Scholar's
Choice, but they tend to be pricey.MemberHi Darlene, welcome to the west coast :-)
You raise a lot of really valid points, and I just thought I'd chime in with an opinion of a few of your questions.
On excellent centres funded by government, this would be a great idea if the centres truly qualified as "excellent". Unfortunately here in BC, the government has a long habit of funding "service providers" who are neither excellent nor qualified to deal with autism treatment. It is one of the many reasons most of us are fighting to have autism responsibility shifted back to the department of health with all the other medical disorders. But to continue the "medical" explanation, government really shouldn't need to directly fund such centres. If the legitimate autism experts knew people would be able to access their services through the medicare system, they would open here. Then parents could choose their treatment provider the same way they choose their doctor and physiotherapist and etc.
As for monitoring programs, that is the joy of science. A truly science-based program comes with its own monitoring system — data collection. It's not hard to check the paperwork to see if your child's progress matches your "gut instinct". I have often been frustrated because I feel Ariel is moving so slowly, despite friends and others telling me how amazing the changes in her. One look at the data shows me how they are right and I am, well, not wrong exactly, but perhaps expecting too much of the beautiful girl. Yes, she is progressing, and more rapidly than I would "guess" based on my "gut", or based on my experience being with her all day every day.
Your point about parents ending up with the same burden of responsibility with or without individual funding is valid, but really doesn't matter. We have that now and are all going broke — I don't know anyone who'd complain about having the financial burden lifted. And really, all parents have that same heavy responsibility for their children's health in all other aspects, so why should autism treatment be different? We consult our family doctors and specialists and gather opinions and make a decision. Whether that decision is to use one consultant over another is no different from deciding to use one doctor over another.
For those parents who need assistance setting up their program, the resources are the same as they always have been — other parents, chapters of FEAT and the Autism Societies where appropriate, and the consultants themselves.
As for your last question, at the risk of being accused of flippancy, the best way to ensure children receive the treatment they are entitled to is, in my opinion, to pay for it. When the day comes that no Canadian child with autism is left abandoned and untreated by an uncaring, unlawful government health care system, that is the day we can be sure they will receive the treatment they are guaranteed by law.
Avery
Ariel's DadMemberI would recommend Tom Wong to anyone
looking for an accountant who is (a) very
familiar with our kids and their expenses, and
(b) honest, straightforward, and reasonable in
his billings. Tom's phone number is 876-
2777. His office is just south of Broadway on
Main. His company is called United
Professional Accounting Services.MemberHope you've got a big house, Dave :-)
MemberDAMN THIS FEELS GOOD.
I am thrilled the NDP bastards are decimated.
I am thrilled to have heard Gordon Campbell reavow
his committment to his promises — since he promised
on more than one occasion to do the right thing for
our children.I am thrilled to be seeing some light at the end of the
dark cold tunnel for my beautiful Ariel's battle against
the forces of evil.I am thrilled for us all. It has been too too long.
Avery
Member1) Being one of the "few families with experience with ABA programs and…Giant Steps" does not make one an expert on either ABA, Giant Steps, or autism spectrum disorder.
2) There is no accepted scientific evidence that dietary or sensory integration "therapy" has any effect on children suffering from autism. There is evidence that both concepts are hokum. I'm thrilled that your children have responded to a change in diet, if indeed that is what they responded to. In most cases where glutin or casein diets or SIT or AIT or any other non-proven, often-discredited theories have been asserted by parents to have any effect, those parents, like yourselves, were also running scientifically-proven ABA therapy programs. Mistaking coincidence for cause-and-effect is one of the biggest mistakes in science.
3) The number of global conflicts whose root cause is religious difference is irrelevant.
4) The fact that Giant Steps is not exclusionary of other perspectives is also irrelevant. The "throw everything against the wall and see what sticks" approach to therapy is inefficient and wastes what precious little development time we have in which to help our children.
5) There is ample evidence to suggest that children with autism progress much faster and more efficiently when surrounded by their typically-developing peers, and progress much less when segregated with peers who are similarly afflicted. This I know to be true by personal experience, although of course, like you Rob, my experience is limited to my own child, and cannot be extrapolated to all children with autism. It should be noted, however, that the data responsibly collected thus far supports my assertion.
6) Yes, we all are trying to help our children. Yes, we should work together. No, that does not mean blindly acceding to public acceptance or turning a blind eye towards groups whose philosophies, goals and methods are or may be antithetical to helping our children. I respect your right to send your children to Giant Steps. I also think you are making a grave mistake, but that is your prerogative and I would not encroach on it. I will also not encroach on the prerogative of any parent to voice their own views on the subject.
7) I have looked at your website as suggested. It is long on jargon, vague promises, and assertions, and extremely short on science. If you and your group have scientific proof that your methods are efficacious in helping our children, I would urge you to put those on the web site.
Avery
Ariel's DadMemberThe proposed PCARD program is a joke, and
an unacceptable one at that. I think we all
know this. Hopefully, our government in
waiting knows this as well, and if they don't,
we will let them know, loud and clear. My frank
suspicion is that any program instituted or
proposed by the New Dictatorship Party in the
dying days of their dynasty will be a candidate
for Liberal roundfiling anyway. If not, again, we
will encourage them to do so. The government
lost in court. There can be no breach of
charter
rights without a remedy. We will prosecute our
children's cases until they receive a just
remedy. There is no other way.MemberRegarding the Libs rally in Port Moody, I
encourage as many parents within shooting
distance to attend as possible. Be friendly, be
sure to speak to Christy and Gordon, if
possible, be sure to thank them for their
enthusiastic support for our kids while they
toiled in opposition, and thank them in
advance for the immediate and sweeping
changes they are going to make to how the
BC government treats our children.Bear in mind, everyone — after the big day, they
are going to be swamped with the incredible
ugly mess the NDP will leave behind. We don't
want to get lost in the shuffle while they attend
to billion-dollar Knee Dipper fiascoes.MemberRegarding the Libs rally in Port Moody, I
encourage as many parents within shooting
distance to attend as possible. Be friendly, be
sure to speak to Christy and Gordon, if
possible, be sure to thank them for their
enthusiastic support for our kids while they
toiled in opposition, and thank them in
advance for the immediate and sweeping
changes they are going to make to how the
BC government treats our children.Bear in mind, everyone — after the big day, they
are going to be swamped with the incredible
ugly mess the NDP will leave behind. We don't
want to get lost in the shuffle while they attend
to billion-dollar Knee Dipper fiascoes.MemberI could guess that the "Club" to which you refer
gets money from the NDP and would thus be
concerned about protecting their funding by
only allocating dollars which would find their
way directly back to the NDP hacks who are
our so-called "local experts." Of course, that's
only one explanation. In any case, good luck. I
hope before too long we will no longer be
constantly in search of private funding sources
for the medically essential services our
children desperately need. In the meantime,
however, our kids will take the funding no
matter where it originates. -
AuthorPosts