Dear Editor:

Re: Fighting to save a child
from silence (North Shore
News, Sunday Nov, 15)

My name. is Heather
MeCracken. | am the mother
of an autistic five-vear-old boy
named fain.

I though it important to
give you some of my thoughts
surrounding treatment of
children with autism,

My. son sounds almost
exactly like Hayden: all the
same characteristics, language

delays, climbing, seemed to be

_ deaf, tantrums,
“nine "yards.
‘However what is’ different

is the waysin which his treat-

ment is conducted: We use a

~ Hanen-based approach- to

Tain’ '§ treatment.

~Voday it seems that ABA
‘(applied behavioural analysis)

the whole

lain is living proof,

‘There are many families
that have chosen not te sdo
ABA therapy for many reasons
such as cost, time or, i our
family, chac ABA did not fit
into our beliefs for what was
best for lain as a person.

My concern is that organi-
zations tike FEAT represent
ABA as the only treatment for
children with autism.

Can you image where that
Jeaves a family that is just find-
ing out about their child and
dealing. with the grief, then
hearing about ABA and trying
to figure out how they will
afford this treatment.

Relieve me when | say that
the treatment must’ fit the
child not the | diagnosis.
Parents need to get into their

_ child's head and figure out
what works best for that child.

heart stupping, exhausting

diagnosis tor parents but it ts

not the end of the world.
fain is now five years old.

After almost four, years of

speech therapy, sign language.
music therapy, play therapy,
playcare. special needs pre-
school (which has been closed
due to finding cuts) and
behaviour management. skill
training for everyone working
with him, we, along with. the
many professionals thar have
worked with Lain can say that
ig was worth all the work,
sweat and tears.

Today Tain attends typical

kindergarten with an aid. He
has friends that he sees often,
He is very verbal, he can read

“and write and can use a com-

puter much better than his
mother. He is a bright, beau-
tiful, healthy boy and we
would not’ change a thing
about him.

Parents or others looking
for information about types of
treatment should contact the
Autism Society. They
always extremely helpful and
keep an open mind tor the
good of all,

Heather McCracken
he-mecracken@home.com

are *

Chickenskin head
correcis Yarns info

Dear Editor:

“Ttscems a “ype” error may
have occurred in) Timothy
Renshaw’s (Nov. Ripping —
Yaras cotunia) article oe me
and the Chickenskins.

The article should read:
“Most (not all) aboriginal
native tibes or First: Nations
tribes are racist. because they
restrict Membership ro race and
blood relationships.” 1 hope

that all aboriginal people don’t
fecl “tarred by the typo”
because | only meant to be erit-

You'll always
Save a bundle!

ical of those who did not rec-
ognize equality, Many
Canadian Indians do nor jike
the apartheid svstem we five in
and have “dropped out™ atthe |
reserves too try to fend) thr
themselves. It seems odd how
the big shots back @ast_ laud
Nebon Mandela: bur ler our
awn treaty negowations “blow
fight by their noses.”

Richard Schaller
Chickenskin

Native Network

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“is the only: treatment that is [tis so important that parents

Written about. But it is impor-
tant thar familics and society
iunderstands’ that there are
other ‘choices in treatment
that work j just as wel as ABA.

make informed decisions: for
treatment and be willing. to
try, ty and try again until
they fi find what works.

Autism i is a gut- wrenching,

Canada Post isn’t
delivering. service |

Dear Editor: :

Open fetter. to Canada Post:
: ‘a Complaint’ about »
* poor mail delivery service:

was: in touch: with you:

ome. time ago about the low

“level ‘of service we. get in
‘receiving’ our. ‘mail.
-teplied by. placating me:with -
‘an assurance that a would be:
well: Bur it ‘is not welt.”

nce eer a the’ post’
about 4 partictilarly late °

delivery and « he* replie ‘that’

“Te \didn’t: matter
had rece’ red i it.”

ecaus :

You *

i

What ¢ criteria do you have’

for providing an efficient mail
delivery service? Are we forev-
‘er doomed to receive our mail.
inan afternoon and by that I
_ meéart after noon. Do you have:
anly"goal for making the. ser-
vice more efficient? It used to
be more efficient in past years.
Why has there been this ‘dete-
rioration? I suspect two: caus-
. One -is -inherent ‘within
: your ‘organization. The: sec-
ond relatés to the mail carri-
Jen's performance on the job. .
“T would appreciate it if the
“Candda ‘Post. Corporation -.
“would i improve the quality. of ©
its service and i investigate why’:
‘the . present situation > exists.
My neighbours and Tare not :
> happy about it)”
Gard A, Edge. :
North Vancouver °

ye

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