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 fact the only) tertiary care psychiatric hospital in New Brunswick and export out of province and country to Spurwink (Maine) facility.  In the long run the continued neglect of the needs of severely autistic adults in NB will continue to  reduce the their quality of life and cost New Brunswick money ($300,000-$500,000 per year per person).   The Liberal Party may well Move New Brunswick Forward but for severely autistic adults there will be no forward movement under the Liberal banner.

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 silent on the topic of adult autism care. 

Gordon Porter was a member of the Alward government transition team.  He has relentlessly pushed his own  non evidence based inclusion philosophy on all NB students since the 1970's and he has collected many ribbons around the world for doing so but I am quite sure that various world authorities are not told of the harm caused by his simple (his word) inclusion philosophy.  Under David Alward's government he worked with Education Minister Jody Carr (who seldom speaks without mentioning inclusion several dozen times) to put more and more pressure to place all kids in the regular classroom, to reduce the range of learning environments necessary to ensure full accommodation for all students.

The picture by Diane Crocker above and accompanying quotes are from the Newfoundland paper the Western Star article, "Inclusion in the classroom ‘simple,’ says educator", with highlighting added by me for emphasis:

"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 inclusive education.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."

Some kids with autism can function well in a regular classroom, some can not.  Some, including my son suffer from sensory challenges resulting in many instances in self injurious behavior.  Putting some with autism disorders, particularly severe autism, in the regular classroom can result in them being overwhelmed and hurting themselves as my son did by biting his hands and wrists and hitting his head forcefully until he was removed from the inclusive classroom.  Mr Porter and his disciples Alward and Carr like to gather ribbons and brag about inclusion.  None of them accept responsibility for the harm they cause some students overwhelmed by the regular classroom, including those who are sent home after 911 calls, with police, fire and ambulance responders present and subsequently charged with assault.  If anyone wants to know how I know this I can not give you the statistics which they do not publish but as a lawyer I have represented some of those children.

As with reduction of learning placement options to accommodate children with serious neurological and learning disorders so too with respect to adult care.  The Alward-Carr team loves to talk, and talk, and talk about community. They even created a new department to enshrine the word community in a department title.  It is not clear what that department does but neither it nor any one else in the Alward government provides autism staff trained group homes or an enhanced autism facility in Fredericton with autism expertise to provide permanent residential care and treatment for severely autistic adults.  As a result the great "community" government continues to send autistic adults to the psychiatric hospital in Campbellton on NB's northern border with Quebec, far from the greatest number of families in the south. 

The PC election platform has nothing of value for autistic children or adults. It simply continues the oppressive and ill informed philosophies of the Alward-Porter-Carr administration.

Everyone must make up their own minds.  This father of a severely autistic son says NO! to the misguided philosophies of Alward-Porter-Carr.

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 - adult autism care:

PREVENTATIVE CARE:

We will establish a provincial centre for the care of adults with autism.

A provincial centre for the care of adults with autism would fill a huge gap in our autism services in New Brunswick.  At present adults with autism at best can hope for care in a Level 4 group home where they may encounter difficulties with untrained staff who can not deal properly with the complex challenges of autism care.  The commitment to a centre while a huge step forward in the public discussion of autism care being the first serious mention of an adult centre for autistic adults does not indicate the quality of care to be provided eg. autism trained staff, autism appropriate professional oversight including medical attention for frequent comorbid conditions such as seizures, serious self aggression, wandering and security issues and adult education and recreation.  Nor does it address the always contentious issue ... the undeniable reality that some severely autistic adults will require permanent residential care and treatment.  The commitment however is a major step forward and it is difficult to expect more specifics in an election platform covering all aspects of life in the  province of New Brunswick. 

I enjoyed meeting and talking with Brian Duplessis, below, the NDP candidate in the riding of Fredericton North where I live.  The fact is most politicians or workers in political organizations have little real world experience with autism, fewer still with severe autism with intellectual disability a huge component of the autism spectrum.  Brian Duplessis however, has a family member with severe autism and he was already fully informed about the challenges facing persons with severe autism including adults and their families.  It was refreshing to discuss autism challenges with someone with close personal knowledge of those challenges.

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 not a lot of details on how specific changes would be put in place the statements of principle are encouraging:

ACCESSING HEALTH CARE

Establish regional residential facilities for autistic adults who are unable to care for themselves.

Regional residential facilities for autistic adults would be a major step forward for many autistic adults.  The proposal still lacks a central facility in Fredericton near the autism expertise located there which could develop the expertise to accommodate the most severely autistic adults and share their expertise with the regional facilities but it is much better than we have now with generic group homes with untrained staff as one option and the Campbellton Regional Psychiatric Hospital as another and placement outside the province as yet another.  A good start but autism disorders are heterogeneous in  nature and can be very complex at the severe, lower functioning end of the spectrum including sensory challenges, self injurious behavior, severe intellectual disability, epilepsy, gastro intestinal issues in addition to the social communication and repetitive cognitive, focus and speech patterns. It is the kind of complexity that requires varying expertise in both autism behavior and common comorbid medical conditions  ...  and requires a facility that can provide both residential care and treatment as required in the most severe cases.

 A Green Government would:

Provide the resources required to fully implement the provincial inclusion policy and ensure all children can achieve their full potential. For those children who are unable to function successfully in the regular classroom even with increased resources, provide alternative education settings within the schools.

The full implementation of "the" provincial inclusion policy would be helpful for many with autism disorders.  The Green Party also accommodates those, like my son, who are severely autistic and require alternative education settings within the schools.  We fought successfully for such accommodations for my son and the Autism Society New Brunswick has long advocated, over much resistance, for the alternative education settings within schools for those who can not function in the regular classroom.  An excellent step forward for all autistic children in NB schools.

I went for a stroll on the North Riverfront Trail early this evening.  I have deviated from autism occasionally on this blog site to feature pictures I have taken on the NRF Trail that I love.  On my walk I noticed the Green Party candidate in my home riding of Fredericton North busy with her Green Party colleagues putting up the sign in the picture below.  Although she was kind enough to stop and pose for a picture she had been working hard herself at getting the sign in the picture set up.  One of her colleagues, an acquaintance from my Brunswickan days at UNB by the name of John Bosnitch, came across the access ramp and chatted.  It was interesting to learn that the pleasant lady in the picture is also a level 3 mechanic.   She was not native to this area and was stranded here a few years ago with a damaged vehicle.  She was told it would take a while to effect the repairs. She then asked if she could work at the shop because she could not afford to pay for the work otherwise.  Since then she has worked up to a level 3 mechanic; very impressive to this son of an excellent army mechanic who lacks my father's skills.

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 Rehabilitation have unilaterally decided to stop accepting referrals of pediatric patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Our understanding is that currently 20% of the pediatric referrals to Stan Cassidy are for those with ASD. 

Needless to say, if this decision is allowed to stand, it would be a devastating development for those families that rely on this centre for services such as speech and occupational therapy. These families would be left without services in some cases and forced to fend for themselves. It would also leave a hole in an already insufficient network of services for individuals with ASD.

We find it unacceptable that the Autism community was not consulted on this decision. We request that this decision be reversed until such time as we in the Autism Community have had an opportunity to make the case that this decision will unduly punish many individuals who rely on the treatment they receive at the Centre.

I would respectfully request an immediate meeting with members of the Autism Community including representatives from the Autism Society of New Brunswick to discuss this matter.

Your prompt attention to this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Luigi Rocca President
Autism Society of New Brunswick

In New Brunswick parents facing the realities of autism disorders grouped together, at times under the name FACE (Family Autism Centre for Education) and most often under the name Autism Society New Brunswick (ASNB) to advocate successfully for evidence based autism services.   One substantial accomplishment of NB's parent advocacy movement, which began with the letter above from then ASNB President Luigi Rocca, was the revival of the autism team at the Stan Cassidy Centre.  This facility provides a range of services needed by many autistic children and youths with complex autism disorders and associated conditions.  

An extension of the Stan Cassidy model of treatment, from its cut off at age 16 to the adult level and an expansion to include permanent residential care are what is needed for severely autistic adults in NB.

Will it happen? 

As previously noted by former Bernard Lord cabinet minister Tony Huntjens, costs actually favor such a facility and the need is real.  For years we have been sending severely autistic adults to a facility not designed for their needs at the Restigouche Psychiatric Hospital and to expensive facilities outside New Brunswick.  An adult care facility would end the discrimination against severely autistic adults, reduce costs for their care, bring them closer to families, provide employment for NB'ers and expand NB's status as a leader in autism service delivery.  It should happen and NB has seen the right thing done for early intervention autism services and autism trained TA's.  

Health

Province to fund dedicated autism team at Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation (06/08/17)

NB 1149

Aug. 17, 2006

FREDERICTON (CNB) - The provincial government has approved a proposal from River Valley Health for ongoing funding to establish a dedicated team at the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation to provide services to children with autism, Health Minister Brad Green announced today.

"The creation of an interdisciplinary team of health-care professionals with a specific mandate to serve children experiencing severe autism symptoms was recommended by a provincial working group that included community representatives," Green said. "I am very pleased to announce that annual funding beginning at $350,000 will be provided by government to support this specialized team."

Green said government recognizes that the provision of services to children with complex autistic spectrum disorders requires the specialized expertise of a team of care providers.

"The specialized team will comprise one full-time professional with specific autistic spectrum disorder expertise in each of the following: developmental psychology, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, dietetics, and applied behavioural analysis," Green said.

The team will offer functional assessments as well as design, model and perform interventions for children who have the most complex forms of autistic spectrum disorders. It will work closely with families, pediatricians, extramural and hospital-based therapists, educators and all autism support groups to ensure that services are well integrated. Part of the team's mandate will include education, consultation and support to health-care professionals in the province.

"We are very pleased by this decision, and look forward to making a significant contribution to the well-being of children faced with the challenges of autism," said Dr. Ron Harris, administrative director of the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation. "The presence of a dedicated team with the highly specialized skills needed to address the challenges is a great step forward for New Brunswick."

Green said that funding for the team is over and above the $2.8 million the provincial government has been investing annually since 2003 to provide services for preschoolers with autistic spectrum disorders.

The Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation is the only facility in the province with teams of highly specialized health-care professionals and the equipment and technology required to treat patients with complex neurological disorders.

The new Stan Cassidy Centre is located beside the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, and opened in June. It was built at a cost of $28 million.

06/08/17

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 11 years (at least)

 that an adult autism residential care and treatment facility is badly needed.  

We are still waiting.

On June 18, 2014 I posted on Facing Autism in New Brunswick and on my Facebook page a letter I  sent to NB's political party leaders in which I commented on the long overdue need for an adult autism care facility in NB that could provide care for the most severely autistic and expertise to group homes around the province as articulated by Professor Emeritus Paul McDonnell whose 2010 comments are also re-posted herein: 

Prior to the commencement of the official election period early autism intervention issues have already received some needed attention in a new early intervention policy which provoked considerable reaction and vigorous discussion. What was not mentioned, what has never been mentioned, what never gets any serious attention, is the desperate need for an adult autism centre that could assist in providing providing ongoing training, leadership and supervision for adult autism group homes and assisted living arrangements and would also provided permanent residential care and treatment for those with severe autism disorders. 

On my personal Facebook page I received commentary from two people with considerable involvement and knowledge of autism issues from the government side of the discussion with former Education and Early Childhood Development Deputy Minister Wendy McLeod MacKnight and former Family and Community Services Minister Antoon (Tony) Huntjens 

Will Adult Autism Care Issues Be Considered During #nbvotes 2014?     Wendy McLeod MacKnight August 24 at 12:31pm Harold - it is an embarrassment to me that you and I started discussing this back in 2003 after the preschool program started and no one has yet addressed it. We came close about 5 or 6 years ago, but got shut down. it is more than overdue...

 

Antoon Jozef Huntjens August 24 at 1:16pm totally agree...It is long overdue...could save the province a lot of money, employ NBers, and have the people close at home and family. When will they ever learn?

Paul McDonnell, CBC Interview, September 2010

"Our greatest need at present is to develop services for adolescents and adults. What is needed is a range of residential and non-residential services and these services need to be staffed with behaviourally trained supervisors and therapists. In the past we have had the sad spectacle of individuals with autism being sent off to institutional settings such as the Campbellton psychiatric hospital, hospital wards, prisons, and even out of the country at enormous expense and without any gains to the individual, the family or the community.

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 who are mildly affected as well as permanent residential care and treatment for the most severely affected.  Such a secure centre would not be based on a traditional "hospital" model but should, itself, be integrated into the community in a dynamic manner, possibly as part of a private residential development.The focus must be on education, positive living experiences, and individualized curricula. The key to success is properly trained professionals and staff."  (Bold highlighting added - HLD)

As I have stated many times if an  autism centre is not developed to help enhance the group homes and provide permanent residential care and treatment for those with severe autism as Professor McDonnell has advised people with severe autism, including my wonderful, happy 18 year old son,  will continue to be sent to live  out their lives in Campbellton at the Regional Psychiatric Hospital. Apart from the  hospital character of that facility it is also located in a corner of the province 3 to 4 hours drive from most communities in New Brunswick and has no direct access to autism expertise.   Previous ASNB member polls  on the desirable location for an autism centre saw votes for Fredericton for several reasons, the two most critical being proximity to the autism expertise developed at UNB and the Stan Cassidy Centre, and the central location providing easier access for most families to their loved ones who would reside there temporarily and in some cases permanently. As it is those with severely autistic adult loved ones currently travel out of province or to the Restigouche Psychiatric Hospital on NB's Quebec border.

Will NB ever learn to save money and help our severely autistic adults by building a residential care and treatment facility in Fredericton or will we continue to spend money sending them out of province or send them far from family on the NB-Quebec border?

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 leader Brian Gallant. It was a lively, well organized event and the optimism was clear. I enjoyed my brief chat with the charming greeting ladies pictured outside the Fredericton Ex building. In a general sense I enjoy elections, I firmly believe, despite the many legitimate bases for criticism that they are the foundation of our amazing freedoms that our soldiers have fought for and died to preserve.

There are many important issues in this election as in many others.  It will be easy for our political party leaders to overlook the needs of adults with complex severe autism disorders for whom group homes are not always an option.  In the past our "inclusive", "community" oriented province has sent severely autistic adults out of the province or to the psychiatric hospital on our northern border with Quebec far from most families in the much more heavily populated south of New Brunswick.  Maybe, just maybe, beginning with this election, our leaders will accept the reality that NB includes severely autistic adults in need of permanent residential care in a facility with professionally trained staff and oversight, a facility located in Fredericton close to the autism expertise  developed at the Stan Cassidy Centre and the UNB-CEL Autism Intervention program.

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 on the Autism Speaks Science Digest site:

"We are finding more solid evidence, based on higher quality studies, that these early intensive behavioral interventions can be effective for young children on the autism spectrum, especially related to their cognitive and language skills,” says lead author Amy Weitlauf, a clinical psychologist with the Vanderbilt [University] Kennedy Center. (The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is part of the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network.)

Dr. Weitlauf and her co-authors are members of the Vanderbilt Evidence-based Practice Center. It's one of twelve federally funded centers conducting scientific reviews to help patients, clinicians and policy makers make informed decisions about healthcare services.

Their review updates a 2011 report that noted gaps in the research needed to assure the effectiveness of often-costly autism therapy programs. In particular, they examine new scientific findings on the effectiveness of intensive early intervention therapies based on applied behavioral analysis (ABA). Their update includes 65 studies published since the 2011 report.

“This review speaks to the clear consensus on intensive early intervention,” comments developmental pediatrician Paul Wang, Autism Speaks senior vice president for medical research. “Kids with autism clearly benefit from these behavioral interventions, and we need to make sure that they’re provided.

“In the long run,” Dr. Wang adds, “intensive early intervention saves money by promoting greater independence later in life. Autism Speaks continues to sponsor research to show how we can further enhance intervention methods and their cost-benefits.” 

Lorri Unumb, Autism Speaks vice president for state government affairs, notes the importance of the new report for advocacy efforts. “The new Vanderbilt study further reinforces the overwhelming record of evidence supporting the efficacy of Applied Behavior Analysis in treating children with autism,” she says. “In study after study, ABA continues to be confirmed as a beneficial intervention that can vastly improve the lives of kids with autism. And with each study, insurance industry claims that ABA is somehow ‘experimental’ become ever more untenable.”"

Here  in Canada parents have argued for more than 15 years for government provided ABA treatment for autism based on the studies reviewed at different points in time by the US Surgeon General, the MADSEC (Maine) Autism Task Force Report, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Now recent studies published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (January 2014) and this review by the US Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality Research further strengthen the evidence basis of ABA as an effective autism treatment.  None of this is likely to  matter to strident anti-ABA Advocates but for government service providers and parents of autistic children this further strengthening of the evidence basis in support of ABA for autistic children will provide yet more guidance in how to help autistic children.

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) AAP (reaffirmed 2010) autism reports reviewing the evidence, or lack thereof in support of various autism treatments.  The 2000 MADSEC (Maine) review did expressly assess Son-Rise Program® as described in my initial commentary on this somewhat startling embrace by the Globe and Mail of a weak to non evidence based autism "treatment".  By tweeting his papers opinion that "Science has yet to catch up with this particular therapy. But for some families, it's breaking through the walls of autism" Picard appears to have condoned his papers rejection of evidence based autism treatment in favor of emotionally appealing anecdotal heart tugging stories which prompt emotion to trump evidence and analysis. 

Picard is entitled to his own opinions. Unfortunately his opinions reach and influence many Canadian parents whose autistic children may be exposed to the risks of lost development time if  their parents abandon evidence based autism treatment for the as yet still weakly evidence supported Son-Rise Program®.