My wife and I have been married for over 20 years. We have two children ages twenty and fourteen. Both our children hit their early developmental milestones. However, at the age of three, we noticed that our daughter was struggling with regulation, had difficulty interacting with other children, and was fixated on certain routines. With further investigation, she was diagnosed with Autism at the age of four.

 
After our move from Penticton to Kelowna, we attempted to access intervention resources. It was challenging to put a team together as we had to utilize various service providers including Behaviour Consultants, Behaviour Interventionist, and Speech and Occupational therapists.

When our daughter entered kindergarten in public education, she struggled to regulate in a large elementary school and quickly fell behind academically. Having average intelligence, we were concerned that she would fall further behind grade level achievement and not build her social skills. We decided to move her to a Therapeutic Learning Centre entering grade two. The small class size and specialization of staff who understand the behavioral needs of children with Autism was beneficial. We were thrilled to see her excitement to go to "school" and make huge gains in her self-regulation and social interactions. However, the learning aspect of the program was guided by online teachers and the academic program was facilitated by behavior interventionist not certified teachers. The academic rigor did not lend itself to optimal academic growth. Falling further behind in her reading, we were able to advocate for some intervention sessions by a Learning Assistance Teacher through the online school associated with the Learning Centre. This extra support was not enough to close the gap in her reading deficiencies. As a special education and reading specialist, I put a plan together to work with her at home to support her confidence as a reader. After a year and a half of this home intervention accompanied with the Learning Assistance through the centre, we are proud to say that she has cracked the literacy code and is now reading above grade level. Being a confident reader has opened up a world of information and enjoyment of reading that she never possessed previously.

Over the past ten years, I have visited various Autism education programs across North America. The reality is there are very few opportunities by highly trained reading specialist for Autistic students in public and private educational systems.

 

 

As an Autism education advocate, consultant and practitioner, I continue pursuing an inclusive wrap-around support models for students with ASD. I continue to seek partnerships in public and independent education facilities to provide insight, expertise, and collaboration to provide optimal learning opportunities for students with Autism and Dyslexia. In addition, I provide one-on one Orton-Gillingham tutoring for families in search of alternative options.