Friday, August 23, 2013

Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Writes Off Child With Autism AND Global Developmental Delay (Intellectual Disability)


CHEO: No Teddy Bears & No Autism Program 
for Severely Challenged Children 

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario has been added as a respondent in a human rights proceeding, and accused of discrimination, after it kicked an autistic child with global developmental delay, severe intellectual disability, out of an early intervention program.

In an Ottawa Citizen article Don Butler reported:

"CHEO declined to comment specifically on the case Thursday. But in an email, it said the hospital’s care providers are “incredibly committed to the well-being of kids and would never discriminate against a child because of a disability. “Our clinicians have to make difficult decisions about the appropriate care for each child, and they always strive to base their decisions on the child’s unique needs and best interests.” The only reason a child would be discharged from the intensive behavioural intervention program, the hospital said, “is if the treatment were not working for him or her.

The CHEO did not indicate what "the appropriate care" would be for a child with autism and global developmental delay OTHER THAN early intervention behavioural intervention.  It would be nice if the health "care" providers of the CHEO could indicate what other care was "appropriate" for this or any other child with autism and severe intellectual disability.

In the absence of any indication as to what other care would be of assistance to a child with autism and GDD, in lieu of early intervention,  the only reasonable conclusion is that the alleged health care providers of the CHEO have simply written such children off as unworthy of assistance.  

4 comments:

  1. All of Ontario's gov't funded ABA programs do that... If you child is not learning or your child can learn just as easy in the school setting with supports... you're done.

    ABA isn't for everyone. I know of another family that just left the program. This is a strict, rigid, well documented (on their part), unforgiving program where children do not come first.

    Not something built using an IEP to address the child's strength's and weaknesses.

    So... out you go. That's why they fought so hard to keep us. My kid was learning under it but he hated them and it wasn't worth it to us or him. Then they told us he'd never learn without them... Yet, in June I got a 5pg document that says "severely autistic, no longer ID"... who got the last laugh now???

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  2. Anonymous9:06 pm

    No ABA isn't for everyone, but I know M.B. and his GDD is officially "DSM - IV for Mental Retardation" as diagnosed by CHEO. Accredited research show children with MR do learn, just not at the rate of 75% expected by CHEO and their "acquisition of learning targets."

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  3. Anonymous3:24 pm

    Once again, we see how the APA sticks it to us. How many people have fought long and hard to access programs with "Autism" in the description, only to discover it doesn't apply to "their" autism? and how many programs accept people with autism, only to discover they had no idea "those" people could be like "that"?

    Even before the latest DSM iteration, we would battle over transfers (military) because the only requirement was that services be available - so if ANYONE had "autism" in the description, it was appropriate (another problem: there was no consideration of wait-listing).

    BTW, what is a "rate of 75%"?

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  4. Anonymous3:31 pm

    The CHEO IBI program seems to be designed to give service for around 1 year and then discharge the child on the grounds of "too much" or "not enough" progress. My child was discharged for the latter. I believe its politically motivated to move the wait list along so that the politicians can cite large numbers of children serviced.

    Its like they believe the only children worth helping are the Lovaas best outcome 40% (when the evidence shows that mostly all children benefit from ABA).

    They also like to hide behind a dubious distinction between IBI and ABA. Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) is an intensive application of the principles of ABA. Well duh...Professionals from other jurisdictions in the ABA field scratch their heads at IBI moniker (by demonstration ABA is supposed to be intensive in the early years for the most efficacy).

    Harold is absolutely correct! People should be up in arms on how CHEO and the Ontario IBI program is treating children with autism.

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