AUTISM CHILD BEHAVIOR

The Autism Society New Brunswick met on several occasions with senior civil servants during the administration of successive provincial governments to advocate for a modern residential care facility and system. The concept was to have a  facility located in Fredericton because of its central location and proximity to the autism expertise of  UNB, UNB-CEL and the Stan Cassidy Centre. The centre would provide an alternative to the general psychiatric hospital facilities at Centracare in Saint John and at the Regional Hospital in Campbellton.  The professional advisers at the centre could then provide services on as needed basis to group homes situated in local communities around the province for those with more moderate impairment levels.  

I have personally suggested that an additional reason for locating the central residential care and treatment facility in Fredericton  is Fredericton's outstanding natural environment.  So far, no luck. So far, immobility of thought and action have prevailed.  The ideological rigidity of the current Alward government  further preclude any development as described above and on the CBC web site by Clinical Psychologist and UNB Professor Emeritus (Psychology) Paul McDonnell.  The years long frustration though will not prevent me from continuing to advocate and do not prevent our family from enjoying the natural wonder of Fredericton.

Walking across the intersection at the corner of King and Carleton Street in Fredericton today I saw former New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham coming from the opposite direction. I was very happy to see him and took advantage of the opportunity to shake his hand and thank him in person for the outstanding contributions he made to the lives of children with autism disorders in New Brunswick. I have thanked him publicly in the media and on this blog site but I appreciated the opportunity to thank him face to face.  

Shawn Graham built on the autism programs started during the Bernard Lord government in provision of quality autism early intervention.  He expanded significantly the number of education assistants and resource teachers with autism training at the UNB-CEL Autism Intervention Training program.  

It was a high point of my day to be able to say thank you in person to Shawn Graham on behalf of my son Conor and the other many children with autism disorders in New Brunswick who enjoy quality early intervention and accommodation of their challenges in achieving meaningful access to an evidence based approach to inclusive education. 

Thank you again Mr. Graham!

out of all the recipes we've tried (and we have tried A LOT!) this is the one that pleases everybody in our house. It bakes crispy on the outside while moist and fluffy on the inside. Great for sandwiches and doesn't fall apart in the toaster :)


recipes will get filed under a recipe section of this blog once I figure out how to do that  :)

Gluten and Casein Free Bread

1 tbs yeast
1tbs sugar
 1 1/2 c warm water
 2 1/2 c gf all purpose flour  (i used Namaste perfect all purpose blend from well.ca)
2 tsp xanthan gum
 1tsp salt
3 eggs (or 9 tbs water with 3 tbs gr flax seed)
 1 1/2 tbs Coconut oil
 1 Tsp cider vinegar


 1) combine yeast and sugar in small bowl. Add water. Set aside. It will foam when yeast is happy.
 2) combine flour mix, xanthan gun and salt in large mixing bowl, stir well
3) in third bowl, whisk eggs , oil and vinegar until a bit frothy
4) combine all liquid mixtures into flour mixture.
Blend for 4 mins.
 Scoop bowl into slightly greased loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

Allow dough to rise in warm area until 1inch from top of pan.

Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes

 * ive added daiya cheese to make a nice cheese bread that the kids devoured.

* makes delicious pizza dough when Italian spices are mixed in and pizza pan is coated in corn meal before adding dough ontop.

In Scares, Misadventures, and Reversals in Canadian K-12 Education Paul W. Bennett, Founding Director, Schoolhouse Consulting; Instructor, Mount Saint Vincent University; author, provides his 2012 report card on the state of education in Canada. There were some hopeful signs including the landmark decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in the Moore case in which the Court ruled that BC school board: 

In the Alward-Carr-Porter education department successful training of Education (Teacher) Assistants by the recognized UNB-CEL Autism Training Program was replaced by an in house model that had been rejected 6 years earlier by the Autism Society New Brunswick in repeated, sometimes intense, meetings with government leaders.  In its place is  a model of in house training (why not train all teachers in house, if its good enough for students with severe autism disorders why aren't in house trained teachers good enough for all students?) In house training is subject to competing demands, adult interests such as those present in union seniority provisions, budget financial constraints etc. work against the best interests of the child in in house training models.  

Next target for the radical inclusion philosopher kings in NB's department of education is likely to be all individualized education arrangements in NB schools and the resource centers that allow students with special challenges to meet in a comfortable environment where resource teachers and assistants can help them start and finish their days and ensure a true sense of friendship,  belonging .... and personal security. 

Although Frank Farley makes his comments about the DSM5 and the state of academic psychology in a CBS interview  in an understated, diplomatic manner the comments should give reason to pause for anyone interested in autism and other psychology issues given his former status as American Psychological Association  president:

"Frank Farley, a Temple University psychologist and former president of the American Psychological Association, agreed that a significant number of professionals and scholars were skeptical about the science that went into the DSM-5. Looking to 2013, an international movement has arisen toward re-conceptualizing diagnosis from the ground up, and I look forward to progress on this important topic," Farley said. 

The academic side of psychology must also resolve to shape up in 2013, Farley said. As it stands, the discipline paces a great deal of emphasis on new and sexy findings that get media attention, but are rarely replicated by other researchers, a crucial part of the scientific process. In addition, Farley said, too many studies, particularly those that fail to find statistically significant results, go unpublished, leading to a bias in the literature."

Reason to pause before plunging ahead with the DSM5? Obviously not for American Psychiatric Association which approved the DSM5 on a December 1 Saturday vote.