Showing posts with label inclusive education. Show all posts

Dear Honourable Ministers: Conor Has Voted Again for Flexible, Meaningful Inclusion, Alternative Learning Arrangements


Conor, anxious to get to Leo Hayes High School, to the resource center with other challenged kids for socialization, and to his individual learning area for his ABA based instruction, watches the clock this morning. Conor votes YES for flexible inclusion with meaningful access to learning.


Minutes before departure Conor, on his own initiative, brings Dad his sneakers to make sure I don't forget to drive him to school on time. 

Honourable Jody Carr Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development
Honourable Dorothy Shephard Minister of Healthy and Inclusive Communities

Dear Honourable Ministers:

I am forwarding the above composite picture of my son Conor, seated in the kitchen watching the clock at 7:30 am this morning.  Conor, now 16 years old, has severe Autistic Disorder and is assessed with profound developmental delays.  He was not placed on a "time out" chair for having behaved badly.  He was sitting there of his own choice because he was, as he is every day, anxious to get to school at Leo Hayes High School, an experience he truly loves and one which he misses during the summer months.  

I encouraged Conor to engage in other activities instead of just sitting on the chair and he did so. At precisely 7:55 though Conor, again on his own initiative, brought me a pair of my sneakers and handed them to me,  as a polite reminder to Dad to get ready to take him to school. To the far left of the picture is a red object. It is his school back pack including his lunch pack which he packs the night before and placed in the fridge.  In the morning, on his own initiative, he places the lunch pack inside the back pack and places them near the exit door to ensure that it is with him when Dad drives him to school in the morning.  

With these actions Conor indicates clearly what a positive experience his flexible inclusive education at Leo Hayes HS is for him.  Conor does not, at our request receive his instruction in a regular classroom. Some autistic children can prosper in a regular classroom and some, like Conor, require instruction outside the regular classroom in a quieter space where he is not overwhelmed by noise and other distractions. 

Conor started his schooling in a regular classroom and came home every day with self inflicted bite marks  on his hands and wrists. (self injurious behavior is a recognized condition commonly associated with autism disorders). Once removed the biting ceased and Conor received his instruction in an individualized area in grade school, middle school and high school.  His instruction has been provided by education assistants/teacher aides trained at the excellent UNB-CEL Autism Intervention Training program.  

Conor's socialization has NOT been impaired by these arrangements.  Throughout school he has, in consultation with us, his parents, been involved in various outings and activities within his abilities including some specified gym activities, swimming (his favorite), outings like apple picking (another favorite) and last year he even attended a play put on at Fredericton's playhouse. Other students have ALWAYS greeted Conor warmly at every level of school. Some have even sought him out at our home in order to say hello to him outside of school. At Tim Horton restaurants Conor has been greeted by staff who are were students at school and knew him through Best Buddies. I underline these facts because it is important to realize that full regular mainstream inclusion is NOT necessary to ensure a full social learning experience for children with severe challenges like my son.  

One of the greatest socialization assets for Conor has been the Resource Center at the Leo Hayes High School. The RC is well staffed with trained experienced personnel that know how to manage children with extra needs in as stress free a manner as possible.  It also provides a variety of tools and sharing of information directly by people who are actually working directly with challenged children.  Stigmatization does not occur by placing challenged children in a resource center for parts of the day.  Stigmatization and outright harm occurs by pretending that all children regardless of cognitive level and regardless of disability based sensory and behavioral challenges,  must receive instruction in the same area as their chronological "peers". 

I have made these statements again on Conor's behalf, as I have made them throughout his education because of the constant threat posed to the flexible mode of inclusion that has benefited him in his education. The ideologically based every child in the regular classroom model to which this current administration and its most trusted advisers subscribe would be detrimental and harmful to my son if inflicted upon him, if his ABA based learning in an alternative area or if his socialization, security and happiness in the Leo Hayes High School are targeted for elimination.

Conor demonstrates the success of the current flexible model of inclusion, of the ABA instruction he has received outside the regular classroom, of the security and opportunity for socialization that the Leo Hayes High School Resource Center provides.  Please do not ignore Conor's story while making decisions affecting his future and the future of other children who need accommodation outside the regular classroom.

Although I am a lawyer by profession I try to avoid making legal arguments in education discussion since they can unfortunately lead to confrontation when cooperation and understanding are so badly needed to ensure proper education and development of children.  Having said that I will provide you, with respect, to two links to documents summarizing leading precedents in Canadian jurisdiction concerning the need meaningful access to education of children with disabilities written by Yude Henteleff QC a distinguished lawyer and Order of Canada member who has represented many disability organizations in Canada. Without getting too detailed I believe these documents can be summarized by saying that case law has established that an ideological insistence on regular classroom placement of all children regardless of disability considerations, and without providing alternative arrangements to accommodate their disability based challenges can constitute unlawful discrimination:




I would ask you foremost though to simply look at these pictures of Conor and take my word as his parent, as a long time autism advocate and representative of the Autism Society New Brunswick during the MacKay and Ministerial Committee inclusive education reviews (and current acting ASNB President). Not all children, and certainly not ALL autistic children function well in the regular classroom.   The ASNB position that children should be educated in a manner consistent with an evidence based determination of their best interests is consisted with the policies of the Canadian Learning Disabilities Association. It is also consistent with the first section of the PNB definition of Inclusive Education that resulted from the Ministerial Committee review of inclusive education:

"Inclusive Education

I. Vision

An evolving and systemic model of inclusive education where all children reach their full learning potential and decisions are based on the individual needs of the student and  founded on evidence." (underlining added - HLD)


I ask both of you Honourable Ministers to be faithful to the above definition of inclusive education fashioned after years of consultation conducted by Ministers of the Lord and Graham governments and examined the evidence of my son and other children with needs that require education outside the regular classroom.  Please continue the option for individualized education outside the regular classroom for those like my son who require that arrangement.  And please do not eliminate valuable, proven resources like the Leo Hayes High School Resource Center that have contributed so much in the way of socialization, security and friendship for my son and others with similar needs.

Respectfully,

Harold L Doherty
Fredericton NB

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Facing Autism Flexible Inclusion Versus NBACL Extreme Inclusion on CBC Maritime Noon Thursday September 20


This Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 12 pm AT (1 ET) I will be a guest on the CBC Radio show Maritime Noon.  I will be discussing and advocating for a flexible model of inclusive education. Marlene Munn will also be interviewed on behalf of the NBACL which promotes a full, and in my opinion, extreme model of regular classroom inclusion for all students.  I am not sure if persons outside Canada can access the show on the CBC web site but this is the link for Maritime Noon if you want to try and listen to the discussion at the  CBC Maritime stations listed on the right side bar under "Air Times".

I have commented previously on the NBACL's inflexible, extreme model of inclusive education which requires all students, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, regardless of the challenges they face, regardless of the evidence and regardless of whether it is in a specific child's best interests to receive instruction in the regular classroom. I have written and spoken often of the fact that we had to ask for our 16 year old son with severe autistic disorder to be removed from the regular classroom which overwhelmed him and resulted in serious self injurious behavior. 

Autism, as the cliche goes, is a spectrum disorder and some autistic children thrive in the regular classroom. Some do not. For some, like my son, the regular classroom causes harm. Yet, the philosophically obsessed NBACL which acts as an unofficial division of the New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, as I described in Autism Education in the Era of the NBACL Inclusion Government, opposes a flexible model of education which would provide alternative learning environments for those children, like my son, whose challenges, based on the evidence, require learning in a quieter environment using different instruction methods suitable for them. 

Some people find it difficult to believe that the NBACL, in this day and age, contrary to evidence, contrary to common sense, and contrary to the experience and wishes of parents, who best know their own children, would still insist that every child should be educated in the regular classroom.  But that is exactly what the NBACL insists upon.  As the NBACL likes to say  its philosophy based full Inclusive Education policy "is that simple".

NBACL Web Site: Inclusive Education

What is inclusive education? It is simple: children go to their community or neighbourhood school and receive instruction in a regular class setting with non-disabled peers who are the same age.


NBACL Icon Gordon Porter in  the Western Star (Newfoundland) article "Inclusion in the classroom simple, says educator"  
CORNER BROOK — Gordon Porter believes inclusion is the most natural thing in the world. The educator and director of Inclusive Education Initiatives presented a session on inclusive education at the Greenwood Inn and Suites on Thursday. Porter, who is also the editor of the Inclusive Education Canada website inclusiveeducation.ca, spoke to parents, educators and agency professionals who deal with children with special needs at the pre-conference for the Newfoundland and Labrador Association for Community Living Conference taking place in the city today and Saturday. The session was sponsored by the Community Inclusion Initiative. 

Porter’s session revolved around the theme of parents and teachers working together to make inclusion work.“It means kids go to their neighbourhood schools with kids their own age in regular classes,” said Porter.“If you’re seven years, old you go to the school just down the street. You go in a class with other seven-year-olds, and you’re supported if you have extra needs. “It’s so simple, it’s that simple,” said Porter."

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    Autism and Education: Conor Votes For FLEXIBLE Inclusion

    UPDATE: Conor had a great day at school today!

    Conor got up at 6 am today, as he has for the last 2+ months to mark down the number of days to school. He started doing this with 65 days to go and today he was very happy to mark 0 days to school! He also placed his packed bookbag and lunchbag at the front door to make sure we went to school.

    Conor has severe autistic disorder with "profound developmental delays".  He was removed from the regular classroom, at our request, early in his education when we realized that the self inflicted bite marks were happening because of his placement in the regular classroom where he was overhwhelmed.  The biting declined, and disappeared completely, once he was placed in an individual learning environment to receive his ABA based instruction.  Since then adjustments have been made so that he starts his day and spends breaks with other challenged students in a resource center at the Leo Hayes High School. It is an important and valuable resource where Conor has been very well received and where he has made friends.  He also socializes with other students in the halls and in a variety of settings in the school and on expeditions. He receives his primary ABA based instruction outside the mainstream classroom in a quieter, less overwhelming individualized environment.

    Conor's flexible model of inclusion works for him and many other students who require accommodation of their disability based challenges. The rigid ideological everyone in the classroom philosophy for learning did not work for Conor and does not work for ALL students with autism and other challenges.  Some students with autism can prosper in the classroom some can't.  

    It is necessary, in an evidence based, humane and lawful education system to look at the needs and strengths of each child and accommodate those who require accommodation.  In some cases that means outside the mainstream classroom. 

    Conor voted against the rigid inflexible model of full inclusion for all when he came home each day with bite marks on his hands. Today, once again, he voted for FLEXIBLE inclusion when he marked his board to show ZERO days to school.  Conor is going back to school, flexible inclusion and all, and he is very happy.

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    Severe Autism and Education: Conor Doherty Votes Yes! to FLEXIBLE Inclusion


    Conor receives what full inclusion advocates call a "segregated" education because he receives his ABA based instruction, for his autistic disorder, in a quiet location outside the regular classroom. (Although he does have many activities with other children for outings and other events, such as swimming, apple picking, visits to the Playhouse in Fredericton). 

    As his father, I consider the combination of individualized learning environment combined with group outings and activities to be an evidence based approach to accommodating Conor's severe autism challenges that is done in his best interests. In the yellow board picture Conor votes YES! to this evidence based, flexible inclusion approach that has worked so well for him.


    Conor loves his schooling as it now is and loves attending school.  Summer vacation is difficult for Conor and he gets very frustrated at times.  One of the tools we came up with for managing his frustration is to have him write on a board the number of days until school with Conor changing it each day.  At 6 am every day Conor jumps up, unprompted, and changes the number.  It helps him understand that school, and the so called "segregated" education he loves, will return. 



    Conor has been well accommodated with his individualized learning environment combined with ample opportunities to mix with other kids at school outings.  He loves school and he knows a lot more about his own needs then the full inclusion ideologues who dominate education policy in the current New Brunswick government and who would take the schooling Conor loves away from him.

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    Autism Society New Brunswick 2005 Submission to the MacKay Inclusive Education NB Review

    May 24, 2005

      
    AWM Legal Consulting Inc.
    7071 Bayers Road R.P.O. box 22076
    Halifax,  Nova Scotia  B3L 4T7     

    To Whom It May Concern:

    The following  is Autism Society of New Brunswick’s submission to the Inclusive Education: A Review of Programming and Services in New Brunswick committee.
      
    Thank you,

    Luigi Rocca
    President, ASNB

                
    “If a child cannot learn in the way we teach, then we must teach in the way he can learn.”  Ivar Lovaas.


    Autism presents one of the biggest challenges to the New Brunswick Government’s inclusion policies.  According to the Department of Education’s own numbers, there are no less than 1,000 students in the public school system with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  In the majority of cases, these students are not receiving a meaningful education.  

    What Inclusion means to Autism Society of New Brunswick


    Inclusion is a philosophy, not a methodology.

    -          Inclusion should provide autistic school children access to a REAL education in a positive learning environment which may be inside or outside the classroom, or a combination of both, depending on the individual circumstances of the student with autism with the support of an individually assigned and dedicated Teacher Assistant (TA) formally trained in Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) methodologies.

    -          Inclusion is more than simply including students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) physically in the classroom.

    -          “The philosophy of “full inclusion” is that students with special needs can and should be educated in the same settings as their normally developing peers with appropriate support services rather than being placed in special education classrooms or schools.”  Medical School, University of North Carolina.

    Although the goals and values underlying full inclusion are laudable, neither research nor thoughtful analysis of the nature of supports concurs.  There is very little empirical evidence to support the above definition of full inclusion as it relates to students with autism.

    -          Numerous studies clearly show students with an ASD cannot learn in a typical classroom environment.  Students with an ASD learn in a one-to-one setting, exclusive of the classroom.

    -          Students with an ASD who have no supports will not learn.  If students with an ASD have supports such as formally trained TA’s in ABA methodology, reinforcers, trials, rewards, visuals, etc., learning occurs.

    -          ASD, by its very nature, manifests itself differently with each student.  Therefore, flexibility is absolutely crucial with respect to classroom inclusion.  Some students with an ASD, particularly lower functioning students learn better in a quieter setting outside the classroom while some can learn in a room with their peers; most will benefit from a judicious mix of the two settings.  It is imperative that each student be properly assessed by trained individuals so that a proper and individualized learning environment can be designed for each student.

    -          Many students with an ASD will be following a completely distinct curriculum.

    -          It is critical to take into account the needs and characteristics of the individual student with autism and apply flexible inclusion policies so as to ensure the highest quality education and development.

    What Do We Need


    -          Ideally, parents of students with an ASD would benefit most by having teachers trained in ABA methodologies to teach their children on a one-on-one basis.  We realize that with the one-to-one methods required for most autistic students, it would be unrealistic to expect this of the public school system.

    -          In general, New Brunswick has some of the highest quality teachers anywhere.  They are, however, sorely lacking in the training and knowledge necessary to plan and implement effective strategies for students with an ASD.

    -          The Department of Education does not provide the proper training in ABA to work one-to-one with ASD students.  Faced with this reality, parents have asked for dedicated, individually assigned TA’s trained in ABA.

    The Department of Education, the Teachers Union, and CUPE Union representing TA’s have to understand this reality, and adjust their collective agreements to reflect it.  It is imperative that no student be denied a meaningful education due to union or collective agreement issues.  Unfortunately, this often what happens so it is critical that the current mindset be changed.

    -          Parents are frustrated and angry at the Department of Education policy on TA assignment, as the TA is for the teacher not the individual student.  Also, TA’s changing on a regular basis from year to year, multiple TA assignments to a student with autism throughout the school day, no guarantee that a TA trained in ABA methodologies will be assigned to an ASD student.

    -          The TA Union needs a special designation of TA’s with ABA training to be matched with students   with an ASD.  Currently TA’s with special training in tube feeding or catherization are matched to students with this type of need and the same standard needs to apply with ABA training of TA’s.

    -          The members of the Unions should have their rights but they should also be part of a regime which reflects more expressly the need to protect students with autism who are sometimes hurt by job competition process and work jurisdiction disputes between the Teacher and TA unions.

    -          Faculties of Education need more learning in Special Education given the number of special needs students.  Universities should be offering degrees in Special Education.

    -          To achieve inclusion for students with an ASD proper support is needed in the form of TA’s who can work one-to-one with students with autism, and who are formally trained in ABA methodology, which has been proven effective in educating students with autism.


     A Service Delivery Model 

            -   In New Brunswick ABA Training is available through the College of              Extended Learning: Autism Intervention Training.  The Department of Education to date has not seen fit to provide this training to its TA’s and Methods & Resource Teachers (M&R).  Yet, it is this very training which would squarely meet requirements to teach students with an ASD.

    -          The Autism Support Worker (ASW) course offered through the College of Extended Learning is exactly what is needed for TA’s who work in the school system with students with autism.  It would be purely arbitrary to fail to provide the necessary training, or to provide less adequate training to the TA’s who work with students with an ASD in the more challenging school environment.

    -          The Clinical Supervisor (CS) training offered through the College of Extended Learning is exactly what is needed for the Resource & Methods teachers.  These ABA trained teachers would be qualified to develop and monitor ABA programs designed specifically to each individual student with autism.  The ASW trained TA will be under the supervision of the trained M&R teacher, to implement the ABA programs with the individual student with autism.

    -          Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy, and Physiotherapy services are offered to students through the Extra Mural Program.  The input from these professionals, which is often required for the student with autism, can be incorporated into the individual ASD students ABA program by the CS trained M&R teacher, followed by the ASW trained TA to implement.

    -          The teaching of life skills, especially in the Middle and High School levels; need to be incorporated into the autistic students education program.

    -          A specific outline of transition protocols for transitioning from Elementary to Middle School, and Middle School to High School, based on the individual autistic student’s needs.

    What Are the Systemic Barriers to Having Inclusion



    Again…. Inclusion is a philosophy not a methodology.

    -          A teacher cannot instruct an entire class and still provide the level of one-to-one instruction required by a student with an ASD.

    -          Inconsistency and misinterpretations of the learning needs of students with an ASD at the Department of Education level, School District level, and School level.

    -          Collective agreements between the NBTA and CUPE representing TA’s, do not address the interests of students with an ASD, and some procedures and rights within the contracts can be detrimental to the education of students with an ASD.  Two examples are work jurisdiction and seniority rights.

    -          Long wait times for students with an ASD to access Occupational and/or Speech Therapy are not the exception, they are the norm.  Once recommendations are made, it is common for the recommendations NOT to be implemented.  School Administrations, teachers, and M&R teachers do not appreciate the “how” and “why” to implement these recommendations.

    -          Organization of Team meetings often falls on the shoulder of the parents.

    -          Schools have denied parents requests to have the Department of Education’s Autism Consultant involved.

    -          The Department of Education’s required document of the SEP/IEP is not meaningful.  The goals are often vague, not clearly defined, and not a working document.  It is developed and utilized in a variety of ways throughout the province.  Often viewed by parents as a waste of time to incorporate.

    -          Educators often label behaviors incorrectly i.e.: bold and rude, when in fact the behavior is communication impairment.  For example, we know of one high functioning student with an ASD who forced himself to vomit in order to have himself removed from the classroom which was causing him great anxiety.  This behaviour is often interpreted as “bad” when in fact from the student’s perspective, it is very rational.  In time, what is considered a normal environment for most students becomes torture for a student with an ASD and they will do whatever is necessary to stop it.  Any rational person would do the same thing.

    -          Teachers and School Administration often inadvertently reward negative behavior of students with an ASD.  Thus increasing the negative behavior leading to student frustration, and at times, suspension.  Suspension is a consequence a student with an ASD might not have any ability to understand, thus leading to more complications for the student to receive a REAL education.  In addition, what is perceived by the teacher as a “punishment”, can actually be a “reward” for the autistic student because it removes him/her from the classroom.

    Propose Alternative Methods of Delivery


    -          The Department of Education needs to endorse having more than one Autism Consultant for the entire province.  One Autism Consultant is inadequate to serve a population of more than 1000 students.

    -          Training of TA’s as ASW’s, and training of M&R teachers as CS’s through the College of Extended Learning: Autism Intervention Training.

    Accountability Measures


    -          The Department of Education fully endorse ABA, providing formal training to TA’s and M&R teachers.

    -          Develop a legal and workable education tool to replace the SEP/IEP.

    -          ABA was endorsed recently in the Department of Education’s Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder document.  However, the document is woefully inadequate on specifics of formal training and implementation of ABA methodologies.

    -          ABA is endorsed by a wide variety of very credible institutions and research organizations.

    -          Court cases have clearly outlined ABA as the only proven method for treating and teaching children with autism, and the child’s constitutional right to have it provided.

    Auton, BC 2000

    Deal, Tennessee 2001

    Wynberg, Ontario 2005


    Survey Results


    Autism Society New Brunswick conducted a survey with parents of students with an ASD to get their views on the current system.  In the interest of brevity, we are not including the full results.  We can, however, summarize the views of parents in two words: frustration and despair.  The vast majority of parents, particularly those of low functioning ASD students, believe that the current inclusion policies are failing their children.  We will provide the details of the survey at your request.


    Funding Model

    One suggestion would be that the Province of New Brunswick acting through the Department of Education   ensure funding to ensure that TA’s are properly trained in ABA  and available to each student in the province that needs them, regardless of which school district they are located in. 
    It should not be left to the individual school districts, and whatever funding model that is adopted should ensure this goal is met.

    Final Comments


    -          Until the Department of Education commits to ABA training of TA’s and M&R teachers, the outcome for quality education and more importantly a quality of life during the school years will continue to be bleak and discouraging.

    -          Do not let students with an ASD currently in New Brunswick schools become a generation lost to bureaucratic inertia or lack of will.

    We ask that the Department of Education formally train TA’s in ABA methodologies, who work with our autistic children.





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    Telegraph-Journal: New Brunswick Public Education Must Be Inclusive and Flexible



    A New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal June 16, 2012 editorial, reprinted in its' entirety below, has called for a flexible model of inclusion for New Brunswick public education.  The editorial references education policy analyst Paul Bennett who gave a presentation Thursday at the Atlantic Human Rights Centre conference on inclusive education.  

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    EDITORIALS

    BE INCLUSIVE AND FLEXIBLE




    TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL
    EDITORIAL

    It is imperative that public education be accessible to all students. While the Alward government’s $62 million investment in new resources to support inclusion should help, critics say the province’s vision of inclusion itself needs to change.
    One of those constructive critics is education policy analyst Paul Bennett. Mr. Bennett gives New Brunswick high praise for its commitment, but he does not believe equal access can be met within the walls of a single classroom. We’re inclined to agree.
    The one-classroom model of inclusion cannot meet the needs of all students, as countless parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and severe dyslexia can attest. Why not acknowledge that hundreds of families are not being well-served, and open the door to private schools or transition programs, funded by provincial vouchers, as Nova Scotia has done?
    This would give parents greater choice in their children’s education. It would also serve as a better incubator of innovative and effective education practices than public schools can provide, while still being accessible to all.
    The education department seems determined to train more teachers who are interested in special needs instruction. Given the low performance of New Brunswick schools generally, though, we’re not hopeful that New Brunswick can train its way out of this problem.
    The average quality of schooling in New Brunswick is among the poorest in Canada. It is unlikely that the turnover in teachers who are better trained will occur fast enough to meet the needs of average students, let alone those who require specialized instruction.
    Wouldn’t student needs be served better by permitting the creation of new schools and programs specifically for students with special needs, staffed by professionals who specialize in this area of education?
    These schools would not replace classroom inclusion, but augment it by providing alternatives for those students whose needs are greatest.
    In Nova Scotia, parents already have access to private, independent special education schools. Since 2004, when the Nova Scotia Tuition Support Program was created, the provincial government has even provided short-term funding for students to attend designated special education private schools, with the goal of transitioning back into public schools at a later date.
    We are proud to live in a province which has affirmed that all students have an equal right to education. Surely it is not a big step to admit that to achieve this equality of opportunity, some special needs students will require resources outside the standard classroom.

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    CBC: Autism advocate questions 'extreme' inclusion model



    The caption below the picture of me and Conor is from the CBC web site article Autism advocate questions 'extreme' inclusion model.

    "A high-profile autism advocate in New Brunswick is questioning the merits of what he calls the Department of Education's extreme inclusion model. “I believe that the kind of evidence-based intervention that we need for our children, in some cases children with autism, is absolutely necessary and to deny it is a denial of the human rights, basically, of children like my son,” he said. Doherty was responding to a recent statement written by Gordon Porter, the former head of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission.

    Harold Doherty, who has an autistic son and runs a blog dedicated to autism issues, contends the classroom isn't the right setting for every child. Porter, who has played a key role in the province's approach to inclusive education, wrote on a Canadian education website that some interventions in the school system result in segregation and pose a challenge to inclusive education. Doherty, however, argues that’s based on philosophy, not evidence.

    He is challenging Porter to a public debate on the issue."

    Following is the CBC audio clip of my interview by CBC's Terry Seguin.

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    Autism and Education: The Full Inclusion Mainstream Classroom For All Standard Discriminates Against Some Autistic Children

     
    Extreme Full Inclusion Model of Education in Canada
     and New Brunswick has Discriminated Against
     Some Children With Autism Disorders

    Imposing a standard, namely that the inclusive classroom meets all needs, is a perception not based on reality and is stereotypical. In other words, the standard takes the position that one environment meets the needs of all special needs children. By its very nature, such a standard is discriminatory, as was made clear by the Supreme Court of Canada in the Meiorin, Grismer, Law and Mercier decisions.



    Presented by Yude M. Henteleff, C.M., Q.C.
    to the
    C.A.C.L. NATIONAL SUMMIT ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
    OTTAWA, ONTARIO
    NOVEMBER 24, 2004

    The above document by Yude Hentelleff  QC should be mandatory reading for Educators and Human Rights Commission and Tribunal  members across Canada.  Unfortunately that does not appear to be the case particularly in New Brunswick where the extreme full mainstream classroom inclusion model has been pushed relentlessly by Gordon Porter, the New Brunswick Association for Community Living and senior officials in the Department of Education.  

    Meanwhile some children, including some autistic children, for whom the mainstream classroom is not the right learning environment are forced into situations where they injure themselves, or others, in order to get out of an environment which is not the right option for them; an environment that overwhelms and harms therm.  My son, fortunately, has been accommodated in a separate learning environment for his primary ABA based instruction in our neighborhood schools with time spent in common areas of the school for other activities where he does get to interact with other students.  Conor was removed from the mainstream classroom, at our request, after he came home every day with bite marks on his hands and wrists.  He has been well accommodated by our schools and our school district. Other students for whom the mainstream classroom is not the right option have not always been so fortunate. 

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