AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)

Autism – A Succinct Description

Autism is a complex developmental disability that causes problems with social interaction and communication.  Symptoms usually start before age three and can cause delays or problems in many different skills that develop from infancy to adulthood.

Autism – A Spectrum Disorder

Different people with autism can have very different symptoms.  Health care providers think of autism as a “spectrum” disorder, a group of disorders with similar features.  One person may have mild symptoms, while another may have serious symptoms.  But they both have an autism spectrum disorder. The autism spectrum disorder includes (1) the autistic disorder known as autism, (2) Asperger Syndrome, and (3) Pervasive Developmental Disorder or atypical autism. Sometimes health

Providers are using the broader term, pervasive developmental disorder, to describe autism. In that case this category (PDD) includes the autism spectrum disorders as well as something called Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Rett syndrome. In most material autism spectrum disorder and “autism” mean the same thing.

CRIMINALS AND LAWBREAKERS

Today's post has been contributed by Ray Ferris who provides occasional and always informed and helpful counsel to parents who seek him out for advice to deal with the personal crises they are encountering when dealing with the social service agency known as the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Today he deals with the Justice/Law and this is worth the time to read it.

What is the difference between a criminal and a lawbreaker? Is it just a term, or is there a real difference? Well it seems to me that lawbreaker is a generic term, which applies to anyone who breaks any law, but a criminal must specifically break the criminal law. We know what happens to criminals, because they go to prison, or get fined, or put on probation. Some countries put them to death.

What about all the other laws which are not criminal. Civil law and administrative law? What happens to breakers of these laws and who are typical lawbreakers? Well we know all about speeding tickets and parking fines. We know all about income tax penalties and divorce and custody orders. There can be unpleasant consequences if you fail to pay maintenance or fail to return a child on a court ordered access visit.

Do we find lawbreakers in family court in child protection cases?

SHOULD FOSTER CAREGIVERS BE CALLED 'PARENTS'?

Subsequent to yesterday’s blog statement I found a Master of Social Work thesis written by Serena Kullar in which on page 24 using her research she supports the notion I presented yesterday. I said that the term ‘foster parents’ is confusing, not to adults but rather to the children. Caregivers for children who are removed from their biological family are generally of acceptable character and respectable intention and performance. Nonetheless, a child with a mom and or a dad, is abruptly expected by virtue of title to accept one or two strangers as parent. Whether the biological parent-child relationship has been satisfactory or deplorable, to identify someone else as mom or dad is a problematic expectation. It can break a child's heart or reinforce a horror. In a wholesome family like Derek's, the longer this foster relationship is sustained the more cavernous the distance between the biological parent and his child. In a case like Ayn’s this is an injustice for which the government will never be called to account.”

Serena Kullar has written, “When children are brought into care, the caregivers are referred to as foster “mothers” and foster “fathers” by the children and this results in birth mothers being stripped of their mothering role (Greaves et al., 2001). Instead, the authors suggest that foster carers should be referred to as aunts or uncles because this still allows children to acknowledge them in a close way, but more importantly, allows the mother to keep her title (Greaves et al., 2001). In the United Kingdom, the term foster parent is foreign, and the terms foster carer or caregiver are used to maintain connection to biological parents.”

Although in her paper entitled, "THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF SUBTANCE USING WOMEN IN BC’S CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM," the subject of Ms. Kullar’s paper is women in B.C. and particularly aboriginal women, prompting her to write that this nomenclature, ‘foster parent’, “symbolizes the devaluation of mothering by women of colour,” I contend that the terminology devalues biological mothering and fathering. A foster care-giver is not synonymous with mom and dad. My position on this I grant you is coloured by cases with which I am focused, namely those in which the parent or parents are able and responsible and in which the best interests of the children would be met by their return to their true mom's and dad’s care.    

 

Ms. Kullar is a senior member of the Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society

745 Clark Dr

Vancouver,  BC V5L 3J3
Canada

TIME IS POURING FROM HIS HAND

The image represents the loss of time. Time that Derek spent with his daughter Ayn, time that he should be with his daughter has virtually melted and liquefied and slipped from his hand.  

It is already May 28, 2012 and Ayn Van Dyk is still not home, but rather in the care of foster parents and of greater concern, under the supervision of the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

In that previous sentence there are identifiable issues that should concern us. First, Ayn is not at home. Back in June of 2011 she was not at home – for three hours, and that absence became the catalyst for the ill-advised action by our provincial child protection agency. MCFD removed her from her father and two brothers. Ayn had scaled her well-fenced family back yard and set out to explore her neighbourhood. Derek called for police assistance to locate her with a successful result and her return to her dad until days later when MCFD showed up her school and took her from there without notifying Derek. Did her 3 hour absence that day, justify these eleven months wrested from the family unit? No!

Second, the term foster parents is confusing, not to adults but rather to the children. Caregivers for children who are removed from their biological family are generally of acceptable character and respectable intention and performance. Nonetheless, a child with a mom and or a dad, is abruptly expected by virtue of title to accept one or two strangers as parent. Whether the biological parent-child relationship has been satisfactory or deplorable, to identify someone else as mom or dad is a problematic expectation. It can break a child's heart or reinforce a horror. In a wholesome family like Derek's, the longer this foster relationship is sustained the more cavernous the distance between the biological parent and his child. In a case like Ayn’s this is an injustice for which the government will never be called to account.

Third, Ayn remains under the supervision of the Ministry. Parting words of explanation by the social workers around the time of their seizure of Ayn from her dad, Derek, were to the effect that they were providing relief for him, suggesting that he could not manage the care of three children two of whom are autistic. After eleven months in Ministry care has the Ministry action affected that relief for Derek, or, has it imposed an enormous psychological, mental, emotional and even physical burden upon Derek, and his sons, and upon Ayn’s mom?

Image by Therseus

Fourth and finally for now, the Ministry of Children and Family Development is a misnomer when it comes to cases such as Ayn’s. No attempt has been made by Ministry personnel to improve the capacities, the circumstances, the efficiencies, the resources of the five principal people in this family network. Rather, the Ministry treats Derek and Ayn’s mom Amie as adversaries, challengers in a dispute over child custody that the ministry aims to take all the way to court, albeit, in December 2012 when a court date is available. By that time more of the dissolving clock will have slipped away. Somewhere, sometime, someone within this system will need to become a whistle-blower, a change-maker, and a champion for the innocents whose best interests are not being addressed but rather disregarded.

OUR FIRST HYDRO BILL IN OUR NEW CARRIAGE HOME

If I make one claim now, you will know where this piece is going. “We hardly had any lights on and we didn’t use any electric heat, and yes we take a shower each day.”

That’s right. You’ve got it. We have lived in our new condo/townhouse/ carriage home complex for 60 days and yesterday we received our first hydro bill. We immediately took issue with the exorbitant total amount. A punch line is coming but before I deliver it, get this.

Smart Meters they’re called. BC Hydro in British Columbia, is implementing Itron smart meters to all customers by the end of 2012. They enable hourly remote 2-way communication between the meter and the central information gathering hub. BC Hydro promoted to consumers that smart metering offers potential benefits including an end to estimated billing, a major source of our collective complaints. When Christine called BC Hydro she was met with a congenial response and then this predictable default but now superfluous answer. “It is only an estimate.” Really?

INSIST ON WRITTEN RECORDS AND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

Today's post is once again contributed by Ray Ferris who still provides informed and supportive gratis encouragement and counsel to parents who seek him out for advice to deal with the personal crises they encounter when dealing with the social service agency known as the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Of concern today is the dispute that parents have with the representation of them contained in a social worker's documents.

Written records.

You should ask for a copy of his notes

Today I want to clarify what is a written record. The main body of the written record on the social worker’s file often consists of written material generated by the social workers and their colleagues. When a social worker records client contacts on the file, it may contain a number of things. It may be partly factual, but it can also be partly perception, opinion or conjecture. For example --- “I phoned Mrs. Jones at two this afternoon and she only answered the phone after ten rings, so I nearly hung up. I thought she sounded a bit depressed and reluctant to talk to me. I wondered if she had had a relapse into heroin use, but I decided not to ask about that, but just to ask her how she was doing and if she needed any help.” Sounds okay doesn’t it? But is it really?

The fact was that she phoned at two P.M. and it took ten rings to answer the phone. The rest was all conjecture and perception and opinion.

TV SHOW CALLED 'TOUCH' - A Touch of Autism

I am fascinated by the story line of a new TV show this year. The story concerns an ex-journalist and single father Martin Bohm, a widower, and his mute son named Jacob. The father is played by Kiefer Sutherland in a role that is significantly different from his role in ‘24’. His son, played by David Mazouz, is an 11–year-old challenged child yet gifted. The story is not explicit about the possibility that Jacob is autistic, but some viewers with sympathy for autism want to believe this. Jacob sees the world in numbers, and seems to have a special ability to predict future events and make sure that people who are destined to meet, do so. His obsession with numbers - 318 in particular - turns out to be the way he communicates with others, mainly his father. Though he has received no formal training in complex mathematics, he has discovered the Fibonacci sequence on his own simply through observation and his unique perception of the world around him. The autism spectrum indicators are his aversion to being touched, little exhibition of emotion and he does not speak.

What makes this show so intriguing is the fact that Jacob’s gift permits him to see things that no one else see because he sees the patterns that connect everything in life and his way of communicating is through numbers. Martin must decipher the meaning of the numbers and find the people whose lives they affect. In each episode, there are always several standalone yet interconnected storylines to which Jacob’s gift and Martin’s timely intersections with these people bring about resolutions of long standing issues and often healing of one kind or another.

What makes the autism premise of Jacob’s condition more plausible is the fact that the show’s creator, Tim Kring, has experiences of his own son who has autism. For this reason there is some assurance that as the episodes continue, he will insure that the fictional aspects are based upon scientific fact. It would appear that Jacob represents a side of the spectrum on which the misdiagnosed individuals may have the ability for more advanced forms of communication than we understand.

You can watch the first ten episodes at this FOX website

FUNDRAISING FOR AYN'S RETURN

This post is my attempt to raise awareness that you as a reader may be able to assist Derek to recover his daughter named Ayn. She is autistic. He has two sons as well, one of whom is also autistic. His close friends observe and believe that he is an able and responsible and loving father. That is his life commitment. The children's mother Aime, from whom Derek is estranged, is still very much a part of the children's lives, and with respect to Derek's care of the children she is in full support. Ayn, however, was removed in June 2011 by the Ministry of Children following Derek's own call for police assistance in locating his child when she left the locked back yard one afternoon. She was located down the street 3 hours later, safe and enjoying a neighbour's yard. The Ministry's and the judicial system's wheels grind callously and cruelly at times. A court date is set for this case in December 2012. Can you believe it? He needs an excellent lawyer. He also needs funds to hire such a lawyer. Many people are seeking to help this cause. Perhaps you will read the options below and consider a gift or some activity that raises monies. Thanks for reading the story.

Fundraising

By Teresa Olvera, Derek Hoare and 5 others in Help Bring little Autistic girl back to her daddy 

We are not quite there to be able to help Derek and Ayn. Please help with fundraising if you can. Bake sales, garage sales and bottle collecting are all easy and fast things to organize in you area. please contact  aynsfreedomfund@gmail.com if you have questions or ideas.

For donations you have the following 4 options:

1:) You can mail cheques payable to Ayn's Freedom Fund to the following address:
Ayn's Freedom Fund
67-13822 102 Ave
Surrey, BC
V3T 1P1

2:) The Fundrazr Donation Page is found here:  http://goo.gl/gJ6Sz

3:) Email funds using www.hyperwallet.com

4:) Or donate directly to the PayPal account at aynsfreedomfund@gmail.com

Please contact the fundraising team at this email address listed above, if you have any ideas in your area for fund raising and would like support. Again thank you everyone for your support and I pray for a quick recovery of my niece.
~Mandy Pelkie~

Any and all proceeds from fundraising will go towards all efforts to Bring Ayn Home. If any funds are remaining after her return,  they will be donated to an Autism Charity of the families choosing.


Freedom for Ayn shirts and postcard packages are available for a set donation:

Postcard Package ~ $7.50 (mailing cost within CDN & USA incl.)
One postcard package contains:

• 1 large size Ayn magnet
• 2 Ayn stickers
• 3 standard size postcards (mailable and w/ story incl.)
• 4 large size postcards (non-mailable w/story incl.)
• 5 citronella wristbands (repel mosquitos)
• 6 Ayn balloons

T-Shirts ~ $15 + shipping costs
T-Shirts are available in Black, White or Beige in sizes S - L (limited number of XL in white & beige) These are sized generously and are 'man style' shirts.

Buy both & Save!!
$20 + shipping for one of each!

HAPPY VICTORIA DAY WEEKEND

In 2012, Victoria Day falls on Monday, May 21.

Victoria Day celebrates Queen Victoria's birthday (May 24th). Canada is still a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, of which the Queen is head.

Victoria Day is always on a Monday, and thus the holiday is part of a long weekend, which is commonly referred to as the Victoria Day Weekend, the May Long Weekend, the May Long, or the May Two-Four (a case of beer in Britain is called a "two-four" and many of these are consumed over the holiday). The weekend is also called the May 24th weekend, although it does not necessarily fall on May 24th. And, the Cloverdale Rodeo close to my home happens on this weekend as well.

The Victoria Day Weekend always falls on the weekend before Memorial Day in the U.S.

The Victoria Day Weekend is the first popular weekend for spring / summer travel. Lots of people open up their cottages, plant gardens, or just get away. Expect crowds at resorts and hotels and busy highways. Fireworks displays are common, especially on Monday night.

Banks, schools, many stores and restaurants are closed on the Monday. Call ahead to find out about other attractions and tourist spots. Public transportation will run on a holiday schedule.

HAVE A HAPPY WEEKEND.

FOR PARENTS: Info & Suggestions - EVIDENCE, MEDIATION, ACCOUNTABILITY & INTERNAL REVIEWS - part

INFORMATION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS WHO ARE INVOLVED WITH CHILD PROTECTION AUTHORITIES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Written by Ray Ferris

Part Four of Four
EVIDENCE, MEDIATION, ACCOUNTABILITY & INTERNAL REVIEWS
Part 4of4

Evidence. 

Evidence:Dilate Peoples by Ezekiel Antoniewicz

The only really valid evidence is factual. Expert opinion is allowed on validation of expertise, but even expert opinion must state the facts on which it is based. You will note under sections 66 and 68 that the hearing may be as informal as the judge may allow, so it is not necessary to be as slavish to process as in criminal court. Section 68 allows a certain amount of hearsay evidence that the court considers reliable. The writers of the act did not intend this section to make the act into a free for all, with no regard for the rules of evidence, but that is what happens. Social workers generally get little training in the rules of evidence. They cannot distinguish between fact, opinion, hearsay and rumour.

FOR PARENTS - INFO & SUGGESTI0NS - How to Help Yourself, Part 3 of 4

INFORMATION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS WHO ARE INVOLVED WITH CHILD PROTECTION AUTHORITIES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Written by Ray Ferris

Part Three of Four
HOW TO HELP YOURSELF

How to help yourself.

There is a lot you can do to help yourself. It helps if you understand the process and what to expect. Any person with a reasonable degree of literacy can research the act. Internet users can simply enter the name of the act (Child, Family and Community Services Act) into a search engine and access it on line and print it. You do not need to know the whole act, but you can quickly learn how some key sections of the act are supposed to work and how they are meant to protect you. You can and should insist on compliance, even if your lawyer wants to be more casual.

FOR PARENTS: INFO & SUGGESTIONS - DO YOU NEED A LAWYER? pat 2 of 4

INFORMATION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS WHO ARE INVOLVED WITH CHILD PROTECTION AUTHORITIES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Written by Ray Ferris

Part Two of Four
DO YOU NEED A LAWYER?

Do you need a lawyer?
There are both advantages and disadvantages to using a lawyer. If you are in agreement with what the protection workers are doing and you have social workers that you can trust, you probably do not need to use a lawyer. You do have a right to address the court, but you may have to insist on being heard. At least it becomes part of the record. Like any other profession, there can be a great variation from one lawyer to another. They all have different levels of experience and expertise in different fields of law. A lawyer does not have to be experienced in family court to take a case and may not be familiar with how family court operates and with important precedents. Lawyers will vary in diligence and perspicacity and in many other ways. A person with expertise in your field may be far too expensive for your budget. Legal aid lawyers may take the line of least resistance and come ill prepared. So how do you decide on a lawyer?

AMIE'S VISIT WITH AYN WENT BADLY

Today, May 16, 2012, Amie van Dyk, Ayn’s mother has a regularly scheduled visit with her daughter who has been in Ministry care since June 2011. Ayn is autistic as most readers know. Many supporters of Amie and Ayn’s father Derek Hoare believe that it was unnecessary to remove this child from her home and certainly inappropriate to hold the child for this length of time. The conduct of this child as described here does not speak to improvement resultant from Ministry intervention. Today, Amie wrote a saddening entry into the Facebook page known as ‘Help Bring Little Autistic Girl Back to Her Daddy.’ 

FOR PARENTS - INFO & SUGGESTIONS - CHILD PROTECTIOIN & THE COURT, part 1 of 4

INFORMATION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR PARENTS WHO ARE INVOLVED WITH CHILD PROTECTION AUTHORITIES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA.
Written by Ray Ferris April 29th 2012.

Part One of Four
THE CHILD PROTECTION AND FAMILY COURT SYSTEM

Introduction.

girlsportguide.com

These notes are aimed at helping people who have recently become involved with the Ministry of Child and family services directly or through others. The information is written in the light of a number of cases coming to me and to other child protection helpers. I have borne in mind many of the most common questions that have been asked me. In writing this, I warn readers that the child protection scene is ugly, not only in British Columbia, but throughout Canada and the whole English speaking world. Unfortunately, I have good grounds for this statement, which is based on contact with numerous cases and with consistent reporting on a number of child protection blogs. I am very blunt about it because I believe that people are better off knowing the stark reality of things, than in harbouring false hopes, only to be disappointed.

DEFENDING PARENTAL FREEDOMS IN A CHILD-CENTRED SYSTEM

Strain exists between the state and the parts which comprise it. As it pertains to the family issues aired for the past four years on this blog site, the question has become multi-faceted. What is the appropriate role of family within a free and democratic society? What is the appropriate role of the government with respect to families?

I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE YOU

Here is a recorded song by Robin Thicke, entitled, "I don't know how it Feels To Be U." I have placed it here to underscore that although the song was generated as a romantic motif, it contains sentiments that accurately summarize Ayn’s daddy’s innermost feelings. No one has sought more carefully than Derek and Amie, to understand how Ayn looks at the world, processes life, events and people and ultimately feels in that sensitive part of her being. They have been committed to meeting the needs of this child that struggles with the manifestations of autism. They loved her without conditions.

PAINFUL BULLETS OF FACT

Aime (mommy) and Ayn

On the day that Ayn was born in 2001 and Derek saw her for the first time, his heart was hers.

On June 16, 2011 Derek Hoare experienced the unthinkable shock of learning that his nine year old daughter Ayn had been removed from her school by the Ministry of Children and Family Services (MCFD).

He is not accused of harming her. In fact his life has been dedicated to nurturing and understanding her. Ayn is autistic.

Derek was informed that the action to remove his daughter from his care was designed to ease his load of responsibility but in fact it created an intolerable burden.