[Super Dad]

For the Vancouver Canucks fans:

http://www.canucksautism.ca/

Tony

[Super Dad]

Therapists needed for the summer

Want to learn from a BCBA with a PhD in ABA?

We need people to work with the cutest 6-year-old in the world.

Our senior consultant is Dr. Sara White, a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and Clinical Psychologist specializing in ABA.

Training will also be provided by Bernadette Marzo, a first-class professional with 10 years of experience in this field.

Please send:
1. your resume and references;
2. your hourly rate,
3. a list of available weekly time slots (in the summer, and in the fall if possible);
4. the number of months you can commit to this job.

We are near Oakridge Mall, in the middle of Vancouver, easily accessible by bus.

Email: leomom2004@yahoo.ca

[Super Dad]

http://www.medbroadcast.com/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=15426

Ontario Appeal Court tosses ailing autism lawsuit thin lifeline

May. 23, 2008

Provided by: The Canadian Press
Written by: Colin Perkel, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Parents fighting to have their autistic children receive expensive, specialized therapies within the public education system were tossed a thin lifeline by Ontario's highest court Friday.

In a unanimous ruling, the Ontario Court of Appeal essentially handed back the parents some of their claims against the Ontario government and seven school boards, saying they need to be substantially reworked if they are to have any hope of succeeding in their lawsuit.

"I would say it's a mixed outcome," said David Baker, the lawyer representing the parents.

"The issue of charter damages and the issue of negligence (was) reopened – to a degree."

Baker said it was still too soon to say whether the group would now go back to the lower courts to try again on those issues.

The five families are trying to sue the Ontario government and the school boards for negligence and damages, accusing them of failing to provide or properly fund the specialized autism therapies – known as intensive behavioural intervention (IBI) and applied behaviour analysis (ABA) – in schools.

The therapies for autism, a poorly understood neurological condition that causes developmental disability and behaviour problems, can cost between $30,000 to $80,000 a year for each child.

The parents, who say they are forced to go to financial "extremes," filed a $1.25-billion lawsuit in 2004. They argued their children were victims of discrimination because other kids with special needs get therapy and an education within the publicly funded school system.

"The crucial issue is the issue of discrimination," Baker said.

"The reason why children with autism are out of school is that they are not being accommodated by being provided with ABA support while in school."

The court said that argument remains alive, if barely, but will require "substantial redrafting."

In its written ruling, the court was critical of the various claims for their fuzziness, at one point lamenting that the lack of clarity "makes it difficult to know" what the parents want.

"It continues to be difficult to correlate the appellants' allegations of fact with their proposed causes of action," Justice Susan Lang wrote on behalf of the three-member appeal panel.

The plaintiffs were also hoping to be allowed to sue for damages if their class action is eventually certified.

As with several of the other claims, the court ruled they could try again "with the necessary concision."

Taline Sagharian of Richmond Hill, Ont., whose 11-year-old son Christopher has autism, said the court had at least not shut the door entirely on their claims, but the decision needs further study.

"It's a little bit confusing," Sagharian said.

"But we're dedicated to the case, we're dedicated to the cause."

In March last year, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maurice Cullity sided with the provincial government in striking down several of the key claims, including negligence and damages.

The Appeal Court rejected the parents' negligence claims against the Ontario government, but left open the possibility that the school boards might yet be on the hook for how they ran programs aimed at accommodating children with special needs.

The court also tossed out a claim based on age discrimination related to Ontario's now-rescinded decision to pay for ABA for children only until age six.

[Super Dad]

http://www.medbroadcast.com/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=15424

Court tells parents of autistic kids they can try again to sue Ontario, schools

May. 23, 2008

Provided by: The Canadian Press
Written by: THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO – Ontario's Court of Appeal has told a group of parents of autistic children they will have to rework their claim if they hope to succeed in a lawsuit against the province and seven school boards.

The court said the claims as they stand could not succeed.

Five families are hoping to sue the Ontario government and the school boards for negligence and damages.

They argue the province and boards failed to provide their autistic children with expensive therapies in schools.

The therapies can cost between $30,000 to $80,000 a year for each child.

A lawyer for the families says it's still too early to decide whether to go ahead with the lawsuit.

[Super Dad]

This reminds me of the day my son got kicked out for crying in Sunday school, after he was startled by another child's yelling…

***
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356588,00.html

Mother Told She'd Be Arrested for Bringing Autistic Son to Church

Monday , May 19, 2008
Associated Press

BERTHA, Minn. —

The mother of a 13-year-old autistic boy says she wanted to take him to Mass on Sunday despite a court order that bans him from her church.

Carol Race ended up attending a different church — after the Todd County, Minn., sheriff stopped her and said she'd be arrested if she brought Adam to the Church of St. Joseph in Bertha.

There is a restraining order barring Race's son from St. Joseph's. The Reverend Daniel Walz wrote in court documents that Adam's behavior was disruptive and dangerous. Adam is more than 6 feet tall and over 225 pounds.

The pastor wrote that Adam spits, urinates and once struck a child during Mass.

Race says Adam doesn't spit, and that the urination is incontinence. She admits he once struck a child.

Race has already violated the restraining order once, and is scheduled to appear in court for that on Monday.

***
http://www.startribune.com/19059069.html

After warning, family of autistic teen attends different church

By LORA PABST, Star Tribune

May 19, 2008

The mother of a 13-year-old autistic boy who was banned by a court order from attending services at a Roman Catholic church in Bertha, Minn., woke up Sunday determined to take her son to mass.

But Carol Race changed her mind when Todd County Sheriff Pete Mikkelson met her at the end of her driveway Sunday and told her she would be arrested if she brought her son, Adam, into the Church of St. Joseph.

Instead, Race took Adam and her four other children to mass at Christ the King Church in nearby Browerville, Minn. "It occurred to me that if I step foot in [St. Joseph], they will arrest me and I won't end up going to mass anyway," she said.

A court hearing on the matter has been continued until June 2 so that Race can hire an attorney.

The dispute has drawn attention to what Race and advocates for the disabled say is a lack of education and understanding about autism. Race said that even though her son, who is home-schooled, sometimes acts up in church, the experience benefits him.

"He has a sense of the routine," she said. "That's one of the beautiful things about the Catholic mass for autistic individuals, its routine."

The Rev. Daniel Walz, who did not return calls left at the Church of St. Joseph parish office, wrote in court documents that Adam's behavior was "extremely disruptive and dangerous." He alleged that Adam, who is more than 6 feet tall and weighs over 225 pounds, spits and urinates in church and has nearly injured children and elderly people.

In an affidavit, Walz wrote: "The parish members and I have been very patient and understanding. I have made repeated efforts through Catholic Education Ministries, Caritas Family Services, and most recently, sought to try and mediate the matter with the family to ask them to voluntarily not bring Adam to church, but it has been to no avail." The Diocese of St. Cloud said in a statement that the restraining order, issued May 9, was "a last resort."

Race said Walz's descriptions of Adam's behavior illustrate that he understands little about autistic behavior and how to address it. She said that Walz used language like "urinate" to describe an incontinence problem that Adam sometimes has which is no worse than that an elderly person or a young child might have.

Adam's parents sometimes tie his hands and feet with fabric restraints, which Race said is a technique used by other families and school personnel who work with autistic children. At Sunday's service in Browerville, Race said Adam participated in the service, kneeling with the congregation and accompanying family members when they went up front to take communion.

Carol Race said that her husband, John, attended mass at St. Joseph's on Saturday evening without his family and had stayed home Sunday morning because the family wanted to ensure that one parent would be available to care for the children if Carol were arrested.

The restraining order will remain in place for one year.

The Races haven't decided whether they will attend another parish. "My primary focus is to do the right thing, according to what God wants me to do," Carol Race said. "Without church every Sunday, my family life would have fallen apart. This is what sustains us."

Sheriff Mikkelson said he sent deputies to Sunday's service in case the Races tried to violate the restraining order.

"It was an uncomfortable thing, and we didn't want to get involved," he said. "She heeded our warning. Now, hopefully, this will get resolved through our courts."

***

[Super Dad]

Here is an article from the Women with Disabilities Electronic Discussion List.

***
http://dawn.thot.net/Baulne.html

Baulne murder/suicides in Kelowna, BC

by Barbara Anello
January 5, 2002

Was distressed to read how our system has failed yet another family. By now, I'm sure many of you have learned of the tragic murder/suicides in Kelowna, British Columbia.

The Baulne family (a 57 year old man, his 54 year old wife, and their 34 year old son who lived with the effects of a severe brain injury from birth & required 24 hour care) died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a murder/suicide. They left a suicide note, in which an RCMP officer indicated that the family's cries for help went unheard.

The Baulnes chose to care for their son at home since birth rather than institutionalizing him because they felt that they could best care for their son. In doing so, they saved taxpayers a huge sum of money. And were they supported? NO! While it was okay for the government to pay for an external caregiver to periodically come into the home to give Mrs. Baulne a break, they were not prepared to financially assist the Baulnes to provide at-home care.

Last year, Mr. Baulne was forced to leave his heavy machine-operator position because of a back injury. He was placed on an emergency-waiting list for physiotherapy and was advised it would take up to A YEAR before he would be able to access physiotherapy services. Mrs. Baulne suffered with arthritis and was in constant pain. Because of the financial hardships they found themselves in, the Baulnes were forced to sell off the animals from their hobby farm (they operated a petting zoo).

It's tragic to learn about the desperation and challenges this family faced and while I don't condone murder or suicide, I certainly empathise with this family.

I don't know how others feel, but this makes me so angry and leaves me feeling frustrated … I find it hard to read about a tragic event like this and then go about my daily business. I think to myself… well surely someone or some group needs to do something about this. If I hear one more person say to me, "what a shame" I think I may just go ballistic.

What is happening to our society when human life is so unvalued? How do we go about advocating for progressive change in social/political policies? I want someone to tell me what I can do because I don't know what can be done or how to go about doing it. I just know that what happened to those people in Kelowna is very very wrong.

Over the holiday season, I had my 5 year old son at home full-time… (no childcare or school). He doesn't require the kind of care that Reese Baulne did… but he is a handful. He's a bright, energetic child who has a pervasive developmental disorder ("mild" autism spectrum disorder) and at 42 I am hopeless to keep up with him, clean up after him, cope with his behavioural difficulties etc etc.

And I guess I feel very small for whining about my situation and small hardships, which pale in comparison to what the Baulnes had to deal with and the lack of supports available to them.

My question therefore is around the issue of how we go about affecting positive changes to social/political policies relevant to persons with disabilities … i.e. advocating for families to receive government funding to care for our children/adults with disabilities at home.

Thanks for reading…

Barbara Anello
***

[Super Dad]

Hi Barbara,

Here is an old news article on the the Baulne family.

Tony

***
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2002/01/04/kelowna_family020104.html

Couple's suicide note reveals struggle to care for son

Friday, January 4, 2002 | 3:06 PM ET
CBC News

A suicide note left by a Kelowna couple found dead with their son earlier this week indicated they couldn't get the government financial support they wanted to help care for their severely handicapped son.

The bodies of Maurice, Belva and Reece Baulne were discovered Monday in their motor home. They had died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Police investigating the incident say a suicide note was placed in a "prominent place" inside the motor home, making it difficult to miss.

RCMP Const. Garth Letcher says that according to the note, the couple made their decision based on the struggles of caring for their 34-year-old son.

"The note is very clear as to how the couple viewed their situation and what they had resolved to do with respect to that situation," said Letcher.

Neighbours of the Baulnes say the couple had asked the B.C. government for financial assistance so Maurice would be able to stop working, and stay at home to help care for Reece, since his mother could not handle him on her own. The couple had operated a petting zoo, but were forced to shut it down and sell their animals when Maurice was laid off last year.

Home care support is available from the province, but the Baulnes wanted another form of assistance. They wanted to be able to stay home with their disabled son, instead of bringing in an outside worker.

A B.C. social worker thinks it's a good option, and says the agency he works for has been urging the government to create such a plan.

"It supports one individual to stay home with the family member with the disability rather than what could be a stranger coming in from outside," said Richard Little, of the Kelowna Society for Community Living.

A spokesperson for the province says the government won't comment on the case.

***

[Super Dad]

Full-Time School Support

We need a classroom aide with experience in ABA.

Our school is hiring an aide to work one-on-one with our super cute little guy. We have not found as many applicants as they want, and the deadline is approaching fast.

You will be supervised by Dr. Sara White, a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and Clinical Psychologist specializing in ABA. Training will also be provided by Bernadette Marzo, a first-class professional with 10 years of experience in this field.

Please send:
1. your resume and references;
2. your hourly rate,
3. a list of weekly time slots available for training (now and in the summer);
4. the number of months you can commit to this job.

The school is near Boundary and Grandview. Our home is near Oakridge Mall.

Email: leomom2004@yahoo.ca

[Super Dad]

Senior and Line Therapists

Want to learn from a BCBA with a PhD in ABA?

We need people to work with the cutest 6-year-old in the world.

Our senior consultant is Dr. Sara White, a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and Clinical Psychologist specializing in ABA.

Training will also be provided by Bernadette Marzo, a first-class professional with 10 years of experience in this field.

Please send:
1. your resume and references;
2. your hourly rate,
3. a list of available weekly time slots (now, in the summer, and in the fall);
4. the number of months you can commit to this job.

We are near Oakridge Mall, in the middle of Vancouver, easily accessible by bus.

Email: leomom2004@yahoo.ca

[Super Dad]

This has nothing to do with autism, but I just find it interesting to hear a politician refer to a funding decision as a "moral decision." Throughout out struggles we have never seen a government make morality a part of their formula.

***

Group calls for national policy to cover drugs for rare diseases

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/05/13/rare-diseasedrugs.html

Tony

[Author]

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