Ensure Children with Autism receive best practice in all places of education through Government sponsored school board training.

                                                                                   Petition   Dear Honourable Mitzie Hunter Minister of Education,         We would like to acknowledge the great impact that investing over $300 million dollars to improve Autism services for young learners will have for both children and their families within society. This new funding will provide thousands of young children with additional intervention therapies, primarily Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and Intensive Behaviour Intervention (IBI) therapies,  in a child’s and family’s life. The educational support team who have been in the child’s life since diagnosis will require adequate training and knowledge in these therapies to ensure that the child receives consistent support and all best practice considerations are implemented.        Currently Educational Assistant (EA) and the Special Education Resource Teachers (SERT) have for the most part been the lead support providers for learners in the school board setting, these educators currently do not require specialized Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) training, nor may they have any true knowledge or expertise in the behavioural field associated with IBI therapy. It is crucial that the government consider how best to seamlessly support young learners in an inclusive setting when the educator’s in the school board are not trained in the therapy that the government has chosen to implement. The IBI therapy typically consists of 25-40 hours per week using a one-one model, this leaves little time in a weekly schedule for the learner to attend curriculum based education in the school setting, however most children do attend regular classes within the school setting 1 to 1.5 days a week. During this time, best practice demands that consistency and evidence best learning strategies are used.        Issues contrary to best practice models arises, when EA’s and SERT’s have little behavioural background or expertise, who and how will this evidence based therapy be consistently utilized within the child’s day and how quickly will the current ASD based Individual Education Plans (IEP) be replaced with IBI heavy IEP’s depends in large part on the government subsequent leadership initiatives in this regard.         It is important that this issue be raised before too much time lapses between the old ASD curriculum outcomes and the new IBI strategies. We petition, that the Ministry of Education that experts in the field of IBI be hired as mandated by the Government of Ontario as part of their ASD Initiative, so that school boards can rely on the expertise of individuals in the behavioural field. Both SERT’s and EA’s should be provided intensive training in the fundamentals of the therapy and have a broad understanding of the goals and outcomes associated with the intervention.         The Government of Ontario, through the Ministry of Education should provide funding to provide at a minimum, workshops lead by experts in the IBI field to all staff supporting learners with ASD in the schoolboard setting.  This can be done using AQ Courses sponsored by the board (Advanced Qualification), seminars, workshops and group training sessions. It is only through this advanced knowledge that educators can provide young ASD learners consistency from one education site to another. IBI supports parents in a similar fashion, offering group and one-one training, as parents are encouraged to use the same strategies at home as are used during their child’s unique IBI sessions. According to Autism Ontario, experts in the field realize that without consistent behavioural strategies that the child will not achieve its full potential. Children with ASD are typically repetitive, rigid thinkers who struggle with transitions, by assuming to have these children learn two sets of ASD standards we are doing a disservice to these children and in fact may be hindering their overall development, which is not best practice.        The forward momentum that the governments ASD initiative has in providing all children an equal opportunity to succeed both academically and as able bodied members of society will undoubtedly have huge benefits in the years to come, yet these benefits will only be socially valid if a comprehensive collaborative approach is used within the school setting and beyond.        We look to you, the Minister of Education, to provide inclusive learning opportunities incorporating all best practice standards for all children.   Thank you .