[Super Dad]

Classroom Aide Needed

Learn how to do it from a BCBA with a PhD in ABA!

We need a therapist to go to school with the cutest 6-year-old in the world.

Our senior consultant is Dr. Sara White, a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst with a PhD in Clinical Psychology 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 (for training hours and meeting hours),
3. a list of weekly time slots available for training (now and in the summer).

The school is near Grandview and Boundary, very close to Highway #1.

Email: leomom2004@yahoo.ca

[Super Dad]

http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2008/080320_Autism.doc.htm

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PERMANENT MISSION OF QATAR ON FIRST WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY

Building on his country’s well-known commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, Nassir Abdelaziz Al-Nassir, Permanent Representative of Qatar, today announced his delegation’s intention to commemorate the first World Autism Awareness Day by convening at United Nations Headquarters an expert panel on coping with the neurological disorder.

He said at a Headquarters press conference that, on the afternoon of 2 April, the Permanent Mission of Qatar, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization for individuals with autism and their families, would sponsor a panel discussion on “Challenges, Responsibilities, Actions”, to raise awareness about the urgent health crisis, which was now the world’s fastest growing developmental disability.

Alongside representatives of the event’s main sponsors, the panellists will include other eminent personalities from Brazil, the World Autism Organization, the Shafahla Centre in Qatar, Al-Jazeera, and Colombia Presbyterian Hospital. Mr. Al-Nasser, who was joined at the press conference by Alya Ahmed S.A. Al-Thani, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Qatar, also announced that an art exhibition would held in the East Lobby of the Headquarters building immediately following the panel discussion.

He said that, recognizing the current lack of effective means to prevent autism, the paucity of effective treatments and the absence of a cure for the complex neurological disorder, Qatar had been instrumental last year in pushing through a draft resolution in the General Assembly to galvanize global efforts to address the emerging health issue. The 192-member Assembly had adopted the text unanimously, designating 2 April as World Autism Day, and encouraging all Member States to take measures to raise awareness of the disorder.

Today, the Permanent Representative said that autism, a brain disorder which manifests during the first three years of a child’s life, interferes with the ability to understand what is seen, heard and touched. Its hallmark feature is impaired social interaction. While autism has a tremendous impact on children worldwide, as well as families, schools and social service institutions, it has thus far received only passing attention and even less focused international action. “Autism is not recognized as a disorder, which in turn hampers proper diagnosis, needed research, early behavioural intervention and even adequate treatment.”

Calling on all journalists present to join the global campaign to help raise awareness, and expressing the hope that the 2 April event would provide a platform for national-level action, he went on to say that his delegation’s initiative was guided by the dedicated attention of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, First Lady of Qatar. “Through her deep commitment and inspiring vision, Qatar has improved and enhanced the lives of children with disabilities, as well as those with other special needs.” She had diligently promoted the mainstreaming of the rights of persons with disabilities into the wide development agenda.

Responding to questions, Ms. Al-Thani said Qatar had settled on the 2 April date during negotiations on the text last year, when delegations noted that civil society groups around the world held events to raise awareness about autism during the month of April. “We didn’t want to just invent something,” she added.

[Super Dad]

Excellent Training Opportunity

Want to learn from a BCBA with a PhD in this field?

We need a therapist to work with the cutest 6-year-old in the world, either in our home or in his school.

Our senior consultant is Dr. Sara White, a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst with a PhD in Clinical Psychology 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]

Hi Luke's Mom:

In response to the "your child is doing better than someone else", you should say, "that has no bearing on how much support my child needs." If the principal's child had cancer but was doing better than another child, could the hospital give him less chemotherapy than he needed? Schools love to play families against each other, by blaming each one for demanding more than her share. Every parent must understand that she is not responsible for the school's failure to support other children. It's the school's duty to provide adequate support for every child, and acquiring enough resources to provide that support should be their concern, not yours.

During meetings with the school, you can explicitly demand to be heard. I am a "crazy basketcase" myself, but as long as I am behaving in a mature manner, I demand as much respect as anyone else. It's a good thing that the school listens to your consultant. What you need to do is to communicate in detail with your consultant before the meeting and make sure she is on the same page. It is extremely important for you and your consultant to be consistent toward the school.

Tony

[Super Dad]

The MAPS thing reminds me of "Psychoneurophysiology":

http://www.swingleandassociates.com/

In Nov 2006, the RAPS (Richmond Autism Parent Support) group invited the Swingle person to give a live demo. I tried to convince the facilitator to make sure a more evidence-based point of view is represented in the discussion, and she took offence.

When you know what kind of information is being fed to parents in support groups everywhere, you know why we have to work so hard to reach out to newly diagnosed families.

Tony

[Super Dad]

Hi Heather,

You can tell the preschool that if they do not cooperate, you will take your child out and take the SCD funding with you. The funding stays with your child, so you can put it into a preschool that will hire your own therapist. Please email me if you need more details.

Tony

[Super Dad]

Dear Susanna,

All of us feel overwhelmed at the beginning, but those who do not give up are richly rewarded, in ways you may never have imagined.

Yes, running an ABA program is an extreme challenge. Because of the difficulty involved, the experience builds character and brings out the best in you. I have seen ordinary people turn into extraordinary parents, ones that have inspired me to sacrifice anything and everything for my child.

Yes, there are very few qualified professionals available. That is because the forces of evil have convinced the ignorant masses that such professionals are not important. That is where FEAT BC comes in. In the heroic struggle against the wicked, parents have shown extraordinary leadership, and have earned my deepest admiration.

God is giving you an opportunity to learn how to fight heroically and love unconditionally. It is your choice whether or not to accept it.

Tony

p.s. There are many of us who can help you find a consultant and get started. Let's talk.

[Super Dad]

Hi Jenny Miller,

In response to unusual behaviour and communication difficulties, officers can do a lot more harm than tasering.

Jemma

http://hk-imail.singtao.com/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=53966&sid=15514459&con_type=1&d_str=20070924

Missing autistic boy's family clings to hope he will be found

Nickkita Lau
Monday, September 24, 2007

For Yu Lai Wai-ling, whose autistic son Man-hon has been missing for the past seven years, it will be another lonely Mid-Autumn Festival this year.

"I stopped celebrating all the major festivals long ago," Yu said at an event in Tsim Sha Tsui yesterday. "Holidays remind me of not having Man-hon around."

But, she is not giving up hope completely as long as there is still the slightest chance that her son might, some day, be found alive and well.

It is the Yu family's eighth Mid- Autumn Festival without Man-hon – a mentally disabled boy who was 15 when he ran away from his mother and leaped on to an MTR train at Yau Ma Tei station on August 28, 2000. The boy managed to sneak across the border at Lo Wu.

According to immigration authorities, Man-hon was detained by Shenzhen immigration officers the same day as he had no proper travel documents. Mainland officials contacted the Hong Kong Immigration Department and tried to return him to the SAR, but Hong Kong authorities refused to take him back as he could not communicate clearly or produce any valid documents.

The boy was subsequently released across the border – and has not been seen since. His family has spent a fortune crisscrossing the border over the years – traveling to Guangzhou and neighboring provinces – in search of him, but without success.

The fatigue has taken its toll on Yu. She now walks with a stick. "But, I'll not give up until I find him," Yu vowed, as tears welled in her eyes.

Yu looked depressed at the event compared with Ho Lau-siu who told how she found her younger son last year – almost half a century after he went missing.

"Mrs Yu must stay patient," Ho said. "Maybe, God will bring Man-hon back one day. I myself had waited for almost 50 years."

Yu heard in June that Man-hon had been adopted by a mainland couple, but later died during a fight.

"We have contacted various hospitals in China, but found nothing. I had written to our chief executives [past and present] only to be told they were too busy," Yu said.

Man-hon's story is well known in the mainland, and his family has been given countless, but unreliable, tips about his whereabouts.

The family said it has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the search so far. Man-hon's father is the breadwinner and his 21-year-old younger brother is a part-time student.

"His [Man-hon's brother] impression of Man-hon is becoming less clear now, but he's trying very hard to look for his brother," Yu said. "I used to take him along to China, but I'm always worried I'll lose another son."

[Super Dad]

Hi Catherine,

During the few months that it took to complete the diagnostics, my son made similar progress. (The only treatment we were using was a bit of speech therapy.) When we went in to get the test results, we were very sure the doctor would say he was not autistic.

After we got the diagnosis, the SLP put a huge effort into convincing me that behavioural therapy was the wrong thing to do, because my son was "well behaved." Instead, I should put all my autism funding into her team of SLPs, OTs, PTs, dolphins, etc.

The fact is, there are tens of thousands of people out there who are willing to destroy your child's future, for no other purpose than to compete for the money. When the truth was revealed to me in the form of scientific literature (thanks to FEAT BC), I wanted to kill the SLP. I still feel bad about letting her live and continue to harm other children, like your child.

Don't get me wrong; I am not against SLPs, OTs and PTs. I am only against the ones who lie. There are some SLPs/OTs/PTs out there who care more about helping our children than staking their turf, and I have great respect for them.

Joanne Gerenser (Executive Director of the famous Eden II Programs for autism treatment), who is an SLP herself, tells us ABA is the only way to teach language to autistic children. She says other SLPs tend to get angry at her, but she insists that if they want to work with autistic children, they must embrace ABA, because "autism is the core problem, and you will not get very far without an approach that directly addresses the autism."

I am so glad I listened to the right people. Even though my son was "well behaved" at 27 months, his confusion and frustration grew as he got older. If we had not started the behavioural therapy early, he could be so out of control that I could have jumped off a bridge by now.

Please find a good behaviour consultant, and then replace the dishonest SLP with an honest one.

Tony

[Super Dad]

Medicare for Autism Art Project
——————————-

Dear all parents,

I am a student of Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and I am also a Senior ABA therapist working with consultants from EAP and the Able Clinic. I am going to make an art project that aims to trigger some attention to the issue regarding ABA being covered by Medicare. I am gathering pictures of children with or without Autism; however, their identity will not be revealed (whether each child is on or off the spectrum). More info will be provided if you are interested; I can also send you a sketch of what the project will be like. Please email me at sllim@eciad.ca!

Thanks for your attention!!

Selina
sllim@eciad.ca

[Author]

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