After last Friday’s dental surgery, followed by nearly a week of 4x a day anti-biotics, and the occasional pain killer to deal with swelling and pain, (in addition to his regular seizure meds) it was great to get out for a Superstore trail walk with Conor on an amazingly perfect
Continue readingAuthor: H L Doherty
Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Severe Autism Reality: Wisdom Teeth Extraction At the Hospital
Conor and Mom had some fun with a couple of selfie shots above while waiting for further processing at the Oromocto Hospital today. In the car picture below Conor multi tasks giving Mom “five” while having fun on the Kindle and waiting for Dad to get the show on the
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Dear Premier Elect Gallant: Please Develop the Adult Autism Care System NB Has Needed for So Long
September 25, 2014 Premier Elect Brian GallantProvince of New Brunswick Dear Mr. Gallant: “We need an enhanced group home system throughout the province in which homes would be linked directly to a major centre that could provide ongoing training, leadership and supervision. That major centre could also provide services for those
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: I Am Hoping for NDP Voices in the NB Legislature to Help Families Advocate for An Adult Autism Care Facility
The picture above is from Conor’s 2nd Birthday on February 2, 1998. The next day we received his autism disorder diagnosis, described initially as Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, six months after various tests and six months after requesting medical attention because we did not understand his lack of
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Today I Voted For My Autistic Son’s Future; Today I Voted NDP
Conor 18 1/2 with severe autism disorder, profound developmental delay, seizures, sensory issues and self aggressive behavior. Few, if any group home staff would be able or inclined to provide the care he needs, A residential care and treatment facility for Conor and other severely autistic adults with complex needs
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism and the Liberal Party 2014 Election Platform: Nothing on Autism – No Adult Autism Care Centre
The Liberal platform is published and there are no commitments to address autism issues, no mention of autism disorders. In particular there is no mention of any intention to change the current system of adult autism care from generic group homes lacking autism trained staff, hospital wards, the Regional (in
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism and the PC Election 2014 Platform: No Adult Autism Care, More Harmful Forced Classroom Inclusion of Severely Autistic Students
The PC Plan for New Brunswick does not include any provisions that will help severely autistic students or adults, the same people who have been harmed by PC policies during the Alward-Porter-Carr administration. In fact the the Platform brags about the Gordon Porter-Jody Carr harmful, discriminatory, inclusion remake and is
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism and the NDP 2014 Election Platform: A Centre for Adult Autism Care
NDP Leader Dominic Cardy at the NDP 2014 Election Platform launch today at their campaign HQ’s on Regent St. As with each political party platform I immediately search out autism specific commitments or comments and the NDP have made a specific comment in a very neglected area in NB –
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism and the Green Party New Brunswick 2014 Election Platform
I was pleased to see some autism issues addressed in the Green Party 2014 election platform. Much as I like the Green Party, particularly leader David Coon, in standing up for NB’s environment, I didn’t expect anything relevant to my central “issue” … autism. I was wrong. Although there is
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Severely Autistic NB Youths & Adults Need Special Treatment & Residential Care After Age 16
From: luigi.rocca Date: 07/08/05 09:32:22 To: Ron.Harris@rvh.nb.ca; Robert.Lecky@rvh.nb.ca; sheila.bulmer@gnb.ca; mbmurphy; elizabeth.weir@gnb.ca; kentlib@nbnet.nb.ca; premier@gnb.ca; elvy.robichaud@gnb.ca; tony.huntjens@gnb.ca; news@timestranscript.com; letters@dailygleaner.com;newsroom@nbpub.com; cbcradionews@fredericton.cbc.cainfoam; Johnw.BETTS@gnb.ca Cc: abowie2408; dav.lin; deversandy; hammelhome; hchamb; lbrry; nancybl; yolandep Subject: Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation Dear Minister Robichaud: It has come to our attention that officials at the Stan Cassidy Centre for
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: NB Adult Autism Residential Care Facility Needed: "It Is More Than Overdue" "When Will They Ever Learn?"
My 18 year old severely autistic son Conor waits for his slow poke Dad while we were out on a trail walk (Fredericton North Riverfront Trail). NB has known for 15 years (at least) that an adult autism residential care and treatment facility is badly needed. We are still waiting.
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Will Adult Autism Care Issues Be Considered During #nbvotes 2014?
New Brunswick election 2014 is underway with the NDP, Liberal, Green and PANB parties going all out to replace the PC party. Party signs are proliferating around the city of Fredericton. The Liberal Party kicked off big time in Fredericton with special guest federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and provincial
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: More Science in Support of ABA Effectiveness for Autistic Children
The US Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality Review Therapies for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Behavioral Interventions Update has found a dramatic increase in the scientific evidence backing the effectiveness of intensive behavioral therapy for children affected by autism. The report some 519 pages in length has been reviewed
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: UPDATE: Globe and Mail Health Columnist André Picard Abandons Evidence Based Autism Treatment Principle, Embraces SON-RISE PROGRAM®
André Picard is a Globe and Mail public health reporter with the Glboe and Mail which is promoting the Son-Rise Program®, a purported autism program with almost no evidence based support of its effectiveness, a program which is not even mentioned in the recent CMAJ (2014) article or the (2007)
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Time To Divide The Heterogeneous DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder and Free the Invisible, Severely Autistic From Oppression
Associated Morbidity and Mortality Health care utilization and costs are substantially higher for children and adolescents with ASDs compared with children without ASDs,89–91 and available data suggest that mortality is increased as well (standardized mortality ratio: 2.4–2.6).92,93 The increased mortality in ASDs is thought to be largely, but not completely,
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Autism Canada, With Some Help From the Globe and Mail, Promotes "Weak Evidence" Based Son-Rise Program®
Autism Canada suggests parents of autistic children should change course and head down a different trail, away from strong evidence based interventions like Applied Behaviour Analysis, toward programs with weak evidence base in support of their effectiveness like the Son-Rise Program®. The Globe and Mail has kindlly provided some support
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Mother and Severely Autistic Son Evicted by Fredericton Non-Profit Housing Corporation Will Be Homeless Friday, August 1
“People with Autism Spectrum Disorder may be overly dependent on routines, highly sensitive to changes in their environment, or intensely focused on inappropriate items. … the symptoms of people with ASD will fall on a continuum, with some individuals showing mild symptoms and others having much more severe symptoms“ American
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: It’s Still "Gotta Be Genetic" as Autism Genetic Research Re-Invents Itself Yet Again
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Gene-Environment Interaction: Nearly all diseases result from a complex interaction between an individual’s genetic make-up and the environmental agents that he or she is exposed to. Genetic research has maintained a near monopoly over autism causation research dollars for many years and with
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Why ABA for Autism? Because Children with Autism Disorders Deserve Evidence-Based Intervention and ABA Meets That Standard
Autism Canada Foundation, a Canadian autism charity, promotes itself as “The PREMIER Resource for Information on Autism Spectrum Disorders” but typically downplays the importance of evidence support for ABA as the Premier autism intervention while promoting interventions with less substantial evidence bases as determined by study and credible authorities. Why
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Dear Canada Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance: Important Autism News for Your Members
The fight for a REAL National Autism Strategy including Medicare coverage of ABA for autism began more than 15 years ago in courts in BC and in the offices of Fredericton MP Andy Scott, joined by Nova Scotia MP Peter Stoffer, former PEI MP Shawn Murphy, and Ontario MP
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