The Workings of Government

Welcome back to the Audacious Aspie. Today, we will be looking at a Canadian provincial plan to help curtail ABA, though it may not be actively trying to replace ABA like Son-Rise, it’s still offering a better option (though this being the government, I would not put too much stalk in how will it goes. Ask the phoenix pay system). Yes, we are going to look at the Ontario Autism Program. Deep breaths everyone.

 

I was trying to find comedic pictures of people holding their breaths on Pixal, but I found a whole lot of pictures of women drowning in water instead. More psychologically scarring than uplifting if you ask me.

 

What is the OAP (pronounced oap, like oats but weird, like someone is trying to make it sound cool in a song?) From what I gathered from a source who first told me about it, it puts the focus on families needs, like support at home or in the community. And although it is now law, it is still somewhat vague, mostly just taking the emphasis from IBI (a part of ABA, but three letters away from copyright lawsuit), it is still being rounded out. The site itself contains a number of resource kits and hubs, like the autism parents resource kit.

 

The APRT (Autism Parents Resource Kit) is an online kit, made to help parents with autism or autistic kids (does not specify) by: increasing understanding of autism and “range of programs across Ontario” (http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/specialneeds/autism/aprk/index.aspx, sounds like they are talking about farm ranch of locally concieved ideas, using only the freshest brains), providing tools, strategies and resources (not as locally grown), and reassurance that you are not alone through “the voices of other parents” (their words, definitly factory made, also sounds a little creepy this close to Halloween).

 

Excited yet? I am. So is this pumpkin-coloured spider. Deathly so.

 

How is the kit organized? , will, in their words, it’s organized “as a starting point or gateway” to help parents, caregivers and professionals useful and “credible” (their words) resources on the ASD, though with wording like that, my first thought was that it could have been an opening ad to a “gateway” drug: “government systems failing so hard you might as well dance naked and sprinkle olive oil on your child to make things better? Try this!” Must have been the word “gateway”. Heh Heh, gateway. (clears throat), anyways, the site gathers this information by the child's age and/or transitions, and gives you a bunch of websites containing information on the age or transition.

 

In the next post, we will go back to some of the older posts of yester...months. Look, the blogs not that old yet, okay? So get in your time machine (or call The Doctor and get in his, or Marty McFly, or any other famous time traveller) And join me as we travel back to the very recent future, and rehash old joys, sorrows and utter nightmares (dear lord, not Barney again). Until then, this continues to be, the Audacious Aspie.  

Sources used:

http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/specialneeds/autism/aprk/index.aspx