My Green Family. ramblings of one family's journey to green living

Here in Ontario the only service for autism is intensive behavioural intervention (IBI). I’ve talked a bit about it before: it’s a really intensive type of therapy that is usually one on one. Some might also know it as ABA, applied behavioural analysis. It breaks down tasks into very simple and small steps and rewards the child with positive reinforcement when a task is completed. It’s usually at least 20 hours per week. This is the only treatment the Ontario government pays for.

There are two problems. First, each child has to be screened to make sure they are eligible for IBI. Essentially the psychologists are looking for a child that would do better in an IBI program than if put into a mainstream preschool but also not have challenges that would be too much to address in IBI therapy. The second problem is there is a three year wait list for treatment. In three years Tristan will be 6, this is not early intervention, and children who benefit the most from this therapy start as early as possible.

The assessment was conducted by two psychologists, one played with Tristan and the other asked me questions for an hour. The play area was set up so terribly. I would never have known these people worked with kids with autism. There where toys everywhere. It looked like a toy box had exploded! Even for neurotypical kids I’m sure this would have been overwhelming but I can’t imagine how it would be for a child who has visual sensory issues. Luckily this was right up Tristan’s alley as he loves the visual stimulation. Although with all the toys he didn’t know what to do first so he did everything. The lady playing with him was just as appalling as the room setup. Tristan is really good at pointing and labeling when we read books and play. He has also mastered joint attention with his speech as well. Unfortunately this woman talked nonstop so he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. They weren’t able to see how great he is at this. It was so frustrating.

I can’t tell you how draining this was for me. To sit there for an hour answering questions about what Tristan can’t do yet. Skills he doesn’t have, social things he doesn’t do, words he doesn’t say. It was heartbreaking to me. I stay optimistic everyday; I focus on the positive everyday. I’m always looking for the silver lining and positive side in any situation. To do otherwise would put me in a place I don’t even want to think about. I visited that place during the assessment and it was a black hole. With the help of Odum and my mom I reset my system and reminded myself how far Tristan has come in such a short period of time and how much farther he’s going to go.

This whole experience was really a double edged sword for me. If they find him eligible I feel like they didn’t get a chance to see how great Tristan is. But at the same time he would be able to get this really incredible therapy that has helped so many kids. On the other hand if he’s not eligible we won’t have access to this therapy for him through the government. But that means maybe he’s just too advanced and would do well in a preschool. At the end of the day it’s still a three year wait, which is too long for any kid to wait for vital therapy. It’s hard to know how to feel.

Luckily we got the best of both worlds. Tristan is still on the wait list but they want to reassess him in a year’s time. The reason is because he’s right on the line between mild autism and “normal”. And they figure he should continue to improve and may not need IBI and just be alright with speech and occupational therapy. Needless to say we’re overjoyed. Just to know where he is on the spectrum in relation to everyone is nice to know. And it’s also comforting to know that all our hard work with Tristan is paying off.