Pilot for autistic students a Band-Aid fix

Re Pilot will let autistic kids get therapy at school,

Oct. 26 It is not merely a question of “lack of school services” but lack of compliance with the legal requirements currently in place through the Ontario government.

Applied behaviour analysis (ABA) principles can be applied to any and all students. Education on how to effectively apply ABA principles cannot merely be taught through online courses. One must learn how to observe students effectively in different contexts to determine what is needed; determine how the child learns best; and how the environment is affecting the child before an appropriate plan can even be developed to support the child in learning.

What the government is providing here is solely a Band-Aid approach to a much larger problem. What the government needs to review is: how it can effectively ensure compliance with legal requirements; how teacher education can be improved so that all teachers can teach using differentiated instruction techniques; how educational assistants must be educated to perform the duties nec- essary to effectively support students and teachers; and how to respectfully and actively engage families in authentic, collaborative partnerships to better inform and improve the educational system in this province.

This government must begin to listen and take action to truly achieve the social justice that Premier Kathleen Wynne talks about. It’s time to walk the talk. It’s past due. Janis Jaffe-White, co-ordinator, and Reva Schafer, resource parent, Toronto Family Network