Conor and Mom Ignore Autism and the Heat and Have Lots of Killarney Lake Fun

Conor and Mom beat the heat, leave autism behind and enjoy some Killarney Lake fun this morning. In the pictures with his Mom Conor demonstrates once again that autistic kids can be very affectionate and caring. Dad was having fun too taking pics and once in a while (when Conor stopped and waited) catching up.










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The Aurora Horror and Michelle Dawson's Bizarre Anti Autism Advocacy Rhetoric

As an autism advocate in Canada I am very familiar with Michelle Dawson's angry rhetoric in which she attacks autism organizations advocating for autism treatment for autistic children. She has campaigned vigorously and persistently against provision in Canada of ABA services for autism disorders. With the recent horror in Colorado many people have, rightly in my opinion, criticized Joe Scarborough for his irresponsible linking, even if unintended, of autism disorders to the alleged perpetrator of the massacre. I was curious to see what different high profile autism commentators were saying on the issue and was startled, even given Ms Dawson's history of negative criticism of, largely parent driven, organizations seeking ABA treatment for their children, to read her comments at her QuickTopic discussion forum "The Misbehaviour of Behaviourists": 



I have never seen an autism organization, let alone "the most important" autism organizations, describe persons with autism as "natural born criminals". I have to assume that Ms Dawson has read a critique from somebody representing an autism advocacy group who has made such a statement but I never have. 

To many in the US and around the world it may seem of no importance that Michelle Dawson would make such a bizarre statement accusing the most important autism organizations of "promoting" autistics as just naturally violent, natural born criminals.  In Canada though some of our major institutions, including the CBC, the federal government of Stephen Harper and even the Supreme Court of Canada have given her a platform to speak on the premise that she is an "autistic" and that her views are relevant to important policy and legal decision making processes.  As Jonathan Mitchell, the Autism Gadfly, has pointed out in the past the views of Ms Dawson do not prevent her and her colleague Dr. Laurent Mottron from seeking, and receiving research funding from, one of "the most important autism organizations" ... Autism Speaks.  

I assume that Autism Speaks is not one of the organizations which Ms Dawson alleges to have promoted autistic persons as naturally born criminals or, with her lofty principles, she would presumably have refused to participate in Autism Speaks funded research.  Her bizarre angry rhetoric though calls into question her ability to conduct objective autism research and should disqualify her from providing counsel to future media, government and legal decision makers.

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Invisible Real Autistics Suffer While Self Promoters Peddle False View of Autism Disorder As An Alternative, Superior Way of Thinking

Some self promoting, self proclaimed "geeks" are pushing a distorted view of autism disorders as being  the domain of different, even superior, thinkers.  Historical geniuses long dead are often cited as examples of "suspected" autistic thinkers. Of course, the self promoting ideologues do not go so far as to embrace possible evil "autistic thinkers".  Joe Scarborough was rightly criticized very recently for suggesting that an alleged mass murderer, whose name will not appear on this site, might be a person "on the autism scale".  Neurodiverisity autism "self advocates" were vehement in their criticism. Yet the same self promoting "autistics" will diagnose virtually every scientific, musical or artistic genius today, or long dead relics of history, as being or having been autistic.  Meanwhile those for whom autism is in fact a disorder, a disorder which limits their lives to institutional care in various forms, that inflicts bouts of serious, sometimes brutally serious self injury, those who wander to their demise, the many with autistic disorder who are intellectually disabled or generally lacking in cognitive development and understanding of the world are never mentioned by the self promoters of "aren't we smart" autism.

Yet another example of the misrepresentation of autism disorders as an alternative, superior way of thinking has been posted at the io9 web site under the title  How Autism is Changing the World for Everybody.  Admittedly io9 is not an online peer reviewed science journal.  It is a science fiction, futurism and fantasy oriented blog site.  That said the Changing the World article is breathless, even giddy, in its promotion of autism as superior thinking.  It features interviews with various neurodiversity promoters including online magazine writer and soon to be Penguin author Steve Silberman.  Neither Silberman nor the article's author, or anyone else referenced in the article,  mention that autism is in fact a disorder listed in the DSM and ICD manuals dealing with disorder.  No mention is made of the very severe challenges facing those with autism disorders.

Silberman has been busy writing articles online for several years promoting the neurodiversity,  alternative way of thinking picture that all too often is posted online, and in the mainstream media, as representing autism.  It has worked well for him and has landed him a book deal on autism and neurodiversity for Avery/Penguin to be published in 2013. Way to go Steve! Maybe you will land a movie deal too?

Bold prediction: assuming Silberman acknowledges the existence of those who actually have, and suffer from, the neurological, mental health disorder, soon to be officially recognized as Autism Spectrum Disorder, there will be nothing in Silberman's Penguin Neurodiversity Manifesto to help them. 

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K.G. v. Dudek (Florida Medicaid Injunction Order): ABA Proven Effective, Medically Necessary Treatment for Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Following are some significant excerpts, including court summaries of expert evidence in the proceeding, and findings of the US District Court in Florida K.G. v. Dudek,  on the status of ABA as a medically necessary, proven effective treatment for Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder.  The expert evidence as summarized, and the conclusions of the court, will of course have no effect on the views of anti-ABA activists like Michelle Dawson, Dr. Laurent Mottron and their followers. I hope though that Canadian public decision makers, particularly MP Mike Lake, who I have copied with this blog commentary and himself a father of a 16 year old son with autism,  and the federal Conservative government in Canada will revisit the need for a Real National Autism Strategy to ensure that all Canadian children with autism and ASD have access to ABA treatment. I especially hope that parents of newly diagnosed autistic children who have been influenced by the often times irrational and non evidence based arguments of anti-ABA activists will speak to their children's health care professionals about the possiblity of ABA as a treatment for their autistic children. 


"ABA is "medically necessary" and is not "experimental" as defined under Florida administrative law and federal law. ... (p 11).

Dr. Vasconcellos, Dr. Bailey, and Dr. Mulick all testified that ABA is the standard means of treatment for autism and ASD. Dr. Vasconcellos testified that she prescribes ABA to all of her autistic patients and believes it would be medical malpractice not to prescribe ABA for a child with autism. Dr. Bailey testified that “we know ABA works. It’s been well established. It’s accepted in the medical community.” Furthermore, Dr. Mulick testified that the consensus in the medical community is that ABA has been the standard means of treatment for children with autism and ASD since the 1990’s, evidenced by consensus statements from the following sources: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, United States Surgeon General Schachter, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute for Mental Health, the American Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association. Kidder testified that she did not consider any of these consensus statements when determining the standard means of treatment for autism. In sum, the Court finds that AHCA’s failure to follow its own unwritten but formal standard practice for making treatment coverage decisions, failure to apply Florida’s definition for “experimental,” and failure to use “reliable evidence” as defined by Florida law, was unreasonable, arbitrary, and capricious. .... (pp 21-22).


The “reliable evidence,” as defined by Florida law, conclusively shows that ABA is not “experimental.” Plaintiffs have established through their expert witnesses that there exists in the medical and scientific literature a plethora of peer-reviewed meta-analyses, studies, and articles that clearly establish ABA is an effective and significant treatment to prevent disability and restore developmental skills to children with autism and ASD. Dr.Bailey testified that the four peer-reviewed meta-analyses listed at the end of the Hayes Report (two by Eldevik, one by Reichow, and one by Virues-Ortega) show that ABA is effective though they received scarce attention in the Hayes summary report. These metaanalyses included findings of large to moderate changes in IQ, intensive ABA intervention leads to positive medium to large effects in terms of intellectual functioning, language development, acquisition of daily living skills, and social functioning in children with autism and ABA is the treatment of choice. Dr. Bailey further testified about three additional studies (by Dawson, Zachor, Smith) that show that ABA is effective. For example, Dr. Bailey testified that the Zachor study is “well-conducted,” “well-respected,” “highly cited,” and “published in a good journal . . . with peer review,” and that the study concluded that the children receiving ABA “showed significantly greater improvements” than those children in the eclectic group. Further, Dr. Bailey stated that AHRQ did not acknowledge the significance of the Zachor study or its findings. Dr. Bailey testified that he is aware of 25 to 30 reviews of the literature and an additional 30 to 50 meta-analyses showing that ABA has been proven effective for children with autism. Notably, all the experts that testified for Plaintiffs and Defendant stated that they have never seen a study in the peer-reviewed literature where the authors concluded that ABA was ineffective as a treatment for children with autism or a study that characterized ABA as experimental. ... (pp 23-24)."

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Medicare's Orphans: Dr. Melvin DeLevie On Canada's Archaic Approach To Autism Treatment

Medicare for Autism Now! is featuring a series of interviews in connection with the Medicare's Orphans series.  Interview 3 features Dr.  Melvin DeLevie a practicing British Columbia physician with extensive experience with autistic children.  As summarized on the Medicare for Autism Now! web site:

"Dr. Melvin DeLevie, long-time Vancouver paediatrician with extensive experience dealing with children with autism. This 20 minute interview is a powerful indictment of Canada’s archaic approach to the treatment of autism which is in stark contrast to the treatment of children with any other disease or disorder. He gives examples of why social services personnel are ill-equipped to deal with what is in-fact a medical condition. He eloquently expresses frustration with the “people in charge” who are both “blind and deaf” toward what he terms the “lost children”."


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You Listen Mister: Best Autism Advice This Autism Parent Ever Received

Following is a re-posting of an earlier comment: Irrational Neurodiversity Ideology Harms Children with Autism Disorders. As the title indicates it is my personal opinion, not as a lawyer, which I am, not as a medical professional which I am not. It is my view as an autism parent, of an ideology that I feel is harmful to many children with autism disorders, particularly those most severely affected by their autism. For these children solid research and medical opinion has told us for several decades now that early Applied Behavior Analysis is an effective treatment for autistic children. Yet there is an ideology promoted in the mainstream media, and even by US government appointments to the IACC, which reflect the misconception that anti-cure high functioning autistic persons can speak on behalf of severely autistic children, other people's children. In the most extreme cases the Neurodiversity ideologues even discourage parents of newly diagnosed autistic children from seeking early ABA intervention for their children. When parents exposed to this irrational ideology turn away from early intervention they may be harming their autistic children.

I was fortunate, and my son Conor was fortunate, that not too long after his autism diagnosis I attended an autism parent meeting where I met a registered nurse named Dawn Bowie. Dawn's autistic son was a couple of years older than Conor. When I began expressing some of my doubts about early intervention, doubts inspired by reading Neurodiversity literature, Dawn Bowie responded as perhaps only a nurse can do. She looked me right in the eye and in a very firm tone said "You listen mister you get treatment for your son, if you can, as much as you can".

There weren't many autism treatment resources available in Fredericton 14 years ago when my son was diagnosed at the age of two. But I sought out the treatment that Dawn recommended and I became an advocate for autism services in New Brunswick along with Dawn Bowie and many other autism parents. As the parent of a now 16 year old son I don't know if he could have attended school all these years, or if he would still be living with us, if he had not received the ABA he has received and if we had not learned how to manage his behavior through our own efforts to apply ABA principles at home. 

Early effective ABA intervention for your autistic child. It's the best advice I received for my autistic son. Absolutely check with your child's treating professionals but I suspect you will receive the same advice ... get as much early ABA treatment for your autistic child as you can. It was the best autism advice this father of a severely autistic son ever received. 

My previous commentary on the irrationality of, and harm caused by, Neurodiversity follows. It includes references to an American Medical Association commentay in which Dr. Magaret Moon questions the ethics of parents refusing available effective ABA treatment for their autistic children, parents who have imbibed the anti-cure rhetoric.  My comment also includes an earlier reference to Dawn's advice ... the best autism advice I ever received. 

 Irrational Neurodiversity Ideology Harms Children with Autism Disorders 

The American Medical Association has a commentary titled Can Parents of a Child with Autism Refuse Treatment for Him? by Dr. Margaret Moon on its Virtual Mentor AMA Journal of Ethics site, in which Dr. Moon discusses a clinical case where parents of a 6 year old boy was being treated for an earache confirmed to the attending physician that the behavior he displayed during the visit reflect his autism diagnosis two years earlier. The doctor advised the parents of an opportunity for treatment for the autism disorder but the parents refused. because his son's condition was an example of neurodiversity and was not pathologic. Dr. Moon discusses the ethical implications of the parents refusal to provide available treatment for their son's autism disorder including the question whether child protection agencies should be contacted by a doctor confronted with such a situation: 


"When Dr. Pittman questioned Dayton’s parents about his behavior, they told her he had been diagnosed with autism at age 4. His development, they said, was delayed. 

She asked what treatment Dayton’s parents had sought for him, and the answer shocked her. They were members of the autism self-advocacy movement and believed that Dayton’s condition was simply an example of neurodiversity and was not pathologic. They clearly adored their son, doting on him during the clinic visit and telling Dr. Pittman how they home-schooled him after the public school system failed to meet his social and educational needs. They accepted Dayton as he was and were determined to provide him with lifetime care. 

 Dr. Pittman viewed Dayton’s situation differently. She knew that with proper therapy and medication his condition could improve considerably—but only if treatment were begun as soon as possible. She worked at a nearby autism clinic, where Dayton could probably qualify for long-term treatment. When she mentioned this to Dayton’s parents, they wanted nothing to do with it. They were adamant in their belief that Dayton’s condition required no medical intervention. 


Dr. Pittman had encountered many adult patients with culture-based opinions about their health problems that she found hard to understand, but this was the first time she’d disagreed so fundamentally with parents about a situation that she believed would harm their child by limiting his future opportunities. She fought the urge to reprimand them for what she considered their neglect of his debilitating developmental problem. Did their treatment constitute child endangerment, she wondered? Would she be justified in contacting a child protection agency? 


 Parents and doctors will have to wrestle with the ethical implications of a parent refusing treatment for a child's autism disorder. Personally I don't really see an issue. A parent has no more right to refuse available treatment for their child's autism disorder then they would to refuse treatment for their child's broken foot. To suggest otherwise is simply to express the belief that mental health disorders are not as important as physical health issues. That is in itself a form of discrimination against those with mental health disorders. 

 The parents in that clinical case commentary are responsible for what happens to their child and they must wear the blame for their refusal of available autism treatment for their child, treatment that could help their child live a better, fuller life. The parents refused treatment even though it was available and assistance was offered by the doctor. 


Blame also rests squarely on the shoulders of those who have promoted the Neurodiversity ideology from Jim Sinclair to Ari Ne'eman and the large media institutions like the CBC, CNN, and New York Magazine for promoting the Neurodiversity ideology which harms children with autism. As applied to autism Neurodiversity is fundamentally irrational at its core. 


 Neurodiversity is irrational in that it accepts that a person can receive a medical diagnosis called autism, embrace the diagostic label "autism", identify with "autism", and in the same breath reject autism as being a medical condition. Neurodiversity is pushed by some very high functioning people who have been diagnosed with mental disorders listed in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. ND ideologues embrace the label of "autism" and yet reject the idea that autism is ... a medical disorder ... a mental disorder. 


When my son Conor was first diagnosed I read some of the ND literature, particularly commentary by Jim Sinclair. I was unsure whether to seek treatment for my son Conor or not. I attended a parents support group meeting where the topic was raised and I expressed my reluctance to seek treatment for my son Conor. I was fortunate because at that meeting was a registered nurse with a child with an autism disorder named Dawn Bowie. Dawn looked me square in the eye, pointed a finger at me and said "you listen mister, you get treatment for your son, if you can, as much as you can". 


I am a lawyer, a big guy who has seen a few things and I am not afraid of confrontation. Few people in my life have talked to me as Dawn Bowie did at that meeting about getting treatment for my son. She got my attention and I listened. Conor is much better off because Dawn had the guts to tell me, very emphatically, to snap out of it and do what had to be done to help him, to get treatment. The parents in the clinical case commented on by Dr. Moon did not apparently have a Dawn Bowie to read them the riot act. Many will also be exposed to Neurodiversity ideology, not just through internet bloggers but also through major media institutions that add a false air of legitimacy to this harmful ideology pushed by frequent big media interviews with very high functioning autistic persons who do not want to be cured. 


Even the administration of US President Barack Obama has legitimized this harmful ideology by promoting a very high functioning young man with Aspergers named Ari Ne'eman to sit on influential health and autism committees. Mr. Ne'eman has told the world that "WE", meaning all children and adults with autism do not want to be cured. He promotes the idea that autism and Aspergers are social conditions not medical conditions. 


Neurodiversity harms children with autism by promoting the view that autism should not be treated and influencing the decisions of parents such as those in the case commentary to refuse available autism treatment for their son. It is sad to think of the development opportunity lost by the boy with autism in the case study commentary by Dr. Moon. 

It is time for organizations from the CBC, CNN, New York Magazine to the Obama administration to stop romanticizing autism and to stop promoting the anti-cure nonsense of the harmful and irrational Neurodiversity ideology. Autism disorders are exactly that medical disorders, mental disorders. If treatment is is available parents of autistic children should seek effective, evidence based treatment from credible service providers for their children. If it is not readily available they should consider doing what was done in many states and provinces, including New Brunswick, they should advocate and fight for government sponsored autism treatment for their children. 


Do not subscribe to the Neurodiversity ideology. Your child with an autism disorder will pay the price if you do.

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Meaningful Access: Yude Henteleff (2012) Critiques Full Inclusive Education as a Non Evidence Based, Discriminatory Philosophy and Recommends A New Paradigm


The image above is the cover page of the paper MEANINGFUL ACCESS, INCLUDING THE PROVISION OF A WIDE RANGE OF PLACEMENTS, AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF INCLUSIVITY IN EDUCATION by Yude M. Henteleff C.M., Q.C., LL.D. (Hon.). The paper is available in PDF format on the Atlantic Human Rights Centre web site by clicking on the title. 

I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Henteleff at the recent Atlantic Human Rights Centre inclusive education conference in Fredericton at which he presented this paper.  His earlier work on this subject provided a thorough analysis of Canadian jurisprudence, including Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence, concerning the accommodation of students with special needs in inclusive education.  His earlier work was the road map I followed in trying to chart a path for my severely autistic, developmentally delayed son toward achieving a meaningful  education in the extreme inclusion Province of New Brunswick.  

Mr. Henteleff's latest work updates that road map and should be mandatory reading for anyone involved in the education of students in New Brunswick schools. I absolutely recommend it for parents and their legal counsel should legal proceedings be necessary to ensure the protection of their children's best interests in New Brunswick school. 

I was able to thank Mr. Henteleff face to face for his contribution to my son's positive education experience during the AHRC inclusive education conference in Fredericton. I would like to acknowledge that contribution again publicly in this commentary and say Thank You Mr. Henteleff.

I will not summarize Mr. Henteleff's entire paper in this comment.  Following though are some statements which he stated in his paper he strongly supports and principles derived from high legal authority in Canada and the United States. 


I humbly agree with the statements Mr Henteleff supports and with his interpretation of relevant legal authorities and the principles derived from them.  I have, in my own way, articulated these principles during my participation in the Mackay, Ministerial Committee and Porter Aucoin inclusive education reviews in New Brunswick and in more recent media appearances. 

These comments reflect the fact that full inclusion is a philosophy that requires regular classroom placement for all students regardless of their individual situations. As such full inclusion philosophical education practice discriminates by failing to provide an evidence based an evidence based determination of each student's best interests with respect to the place of learning.  It is a simplistic philosophy with an egalitarian feel good tone that makes "true believers" of otherwise learned educators.  

Following are some of the brief introductory comments by Yude Henteleff which highlight the problems with full inclusion, philosophy based education practices:

R. v. The Board of Education for the Region of York

This is a decision of the Ontario Special Education (English) Tribunal File #10. It was appealed to the High Court of Justice 63 O.R. (2d) 767 and to the Ontario Court of Appeal 69 O.R. (2d) 543 on issues unrelated to the issue of best interests. Accordingly, the decision by the Ontario Special Education Tribunal as to placement remains. 

The Tribunal in respect to segregation v. integration and the child's best interests found as follows: It is the firm opinion of this Tribunal that the wholesale integration of exceptional pupils into regular classes, solely on the basis of philosophical principle, untempered by due and informed consideration of each individual situation, is directly counter to the best interests of all pupils. [My emphasis] 

In The Journal Focus on Exceptional Children2, the authors, James A Kaufman and Patricia Pullan, explored a number of widely held myths about children with disabilities and special education. One of the myths they explored is the devotion to the ideology of full inclusion. They stated that the myth is appealing because of the simplicity (that is one placement for all students) and egalitarianism (students are not physically separated from the mainstream) so they are assumed to be integrated and treated equally. They stated that the consequences of this myth include the placement of students with disabilities in general education classrooms in which neither they nor their classmates can be well-served, and the abandonment of pull-out programs such as special classes in schools that were in fact the least restrictive environment most appropriate for such students.

Henteleff provides a thorough analysis of the relevant jurisprudence to support the critique of full inclusion practices.  He also goes beyond criticism and sets out the principles, all supported by the case law, and supported by education authorities and proposes a new paradigm for inclusive education, a paradigm which supports the legal requirements of meaningful access for all students including special needs students:

In order to assure that the best interests of SSN are met in its school system, provincial governments must establish a legal framework within its School Act for the application of the concept of meaningful access to educational services that incorporates the strands of Canadian jurisprudence to date including the international considerations which are relevant in the Canadian context. 

Meaningful access to educational services is the compilation of principles enunciated in the legal decisions, namely the paramountcy of education, the best interest of the child principle, and the right to necessary resources (to enable access) to the point of undue hardship. Such a context specific and substantive legal framework would be in line with the evolving Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence of Berg, Eaton, Eldridge, Grismer, and Via Rail, and in light of US case law previously referred to, which has interpreted the concept of "meaningful access" in the education context. Accordingly, it is critical that provincial governments establish a clear framework for the application of the legal concept of meaningful access to educational services and that the objective to achieve inclusivity in the school system must incorporate the right to meaningful access. 

Meaningful access to educational services is achieved when SSN receive an education in a most enabling environment. A most enabling environment is one that: is based on correctly identified needs; is implemented by appropriately trained persons in a timely fashion, with input from caregivers and where appropriate the student; is carried out in an environment best suited to that student's needs, socially, physically, emotionally, mentally, behaviourally and cognitively;  provides those resources that reasonably enhances the student's ability to make the fullest use of the programs provided by the school system to all students;  and provides a range of placement options, each being particularly suited to meet the child's identified best interests.


Each strand as noted has the force of law. The foregoing strands collectively comprise meaningful access incorporating the fundamental principles emerging from the court decisions noted. Meaningful access, as above defined, is a legal paradigm that is context specific and which provides substantive remedy in accordance with the Charter and therefore positive outcome for all SSN.

It is critical that the School Act incorporates the right to meaningful access as above noted as an integral part of inclusion, so as to assure that all students with special needs receive the services they are entitled to in the most enabling environment and in a timely fashion. This will in turn assure that the social contract with every SSN, namely the receipt of all those resources that facilitate the fullest access possible to education services is fulfilled.

In the best interests of students with special needs, nothing less will do.

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