Archived Newsletters

November 2003

In this edition
 Report from the Chairperson
 Thank You
 Human Rights Resources
 Other Interesting Links
 Live Each Day.......
 About Occupational Theraphy in Nova Scotia Schools Committee
 Partnerships for Inclusion
 New Information from Canada Customs and Revenue Agency for Families
 Parents Corner
 Thinking About Advocacy
 Wonderful Ways To Love a Child

Report from the Chairperson

Since the report in the last newsletter in April 2003, EINS has continued with a number of initiatives that began in the winter of 2003.

This year the major initiative of EINS is in the area of policy development for community early intervention boards. A policy handbook is in the process of being developed that references present board policies and current information in the area of human resources. At the present there are great variations in personnel policies and the way in which programs are run in the sixteen programs in the province. When a draft personnel policy is completed, the draft will be presented to each community board for input. After revisions, the final version will be presented to each board for adoption. Since each community board is an independent unit, it will be the decision of each board to decide whether or not to adopt the policies. If boards adopt common policies, a basis for discussions for more formal arrangements with the Department of Community Services will be established. This initiative was recommended in Focusing on Our Future in the winter of 2003 and is part of the EINS action plan.

Another initiative is in the area of information The Information Systems and Data Management aspect of the project which continues through the website to assist in the dissemination of information to parents and professionals. It has been a busy year with computer viruses via email and the internet. Because of this we have begun to send virus alerts to programs to help combat these never ending threats. These virus alerts coupled with the development of an information security policy for EINS should aid in keeping all our computer systems functioning properly and reduce the possibility of unauthorized access to information. We have also explored the development of a bulletin board system. This will be incorporated into our website for parents, program coordinators and board members to post questions and answers. We are well on our way with the use of technology. We are in the process of developing an information management system that will enable our organization to pass along valuable information to parents, professionals and any others that may be interested in EINS.

This year EINS took on the management of the Partnerships for Inclusion project with SpeciaLink. The original project was for one year, but has now been extended until April 1, 2004. Carolyn Webber, provincial coordinator of the project, has prepared information which is included in this newsletter. Partnerships for Inclusion is an initiative to improve quality child care in centers which in turn helps with the successful inclusion of children with special needs.

In June, the professional development committee of EINS, under the direction of Caroline Gallop, joined with partners at the IWK to organize a conference on the topic of multimodal play communication and adaptive play for infants, toddlers and preschool children. Over the two days of the conference, Linda J. Burkhart presented to over 130 participants. The hands on information was greatly appreciated by participants.

In early October, EINS sponsored a conference with Dr. Louis Rossetti, an internationally recognized authority on effective services for infants, toddlers, and their families titled: Effective Practices in Assessment and Intervention for Infants and Toddlers with Special Needs. Close to 200 participants attended and comments on the content of Dr. Louis Rossetti’s two day presentation were very positive. We look forward to having him return within the next few years.

In the spring we lost one of our staff members, Antoinette Duplessis, who moved to Ontario. She has been replaced by Verna MacDonald who began in June. Verna comes to EINS after her most recent role as Executive Director of the United Way of Pictou County. Verna's background includes the fields of health care, university advancement and not for profit fundraising. She has a Masters degree in Public Administration from Queen's University.

EINS is fortunate to have all of the board members returning this year. These members in addition to the executive, include: Caroline Gallop, Mark McClelland, Lauren Sprague, Karen Roberts, Mary Delaney, Joanne Ross, Carolyn Howard, Karen Walsh and Jamie Parker. Lisa MacKenzie of Halifax has joined us as a parent representative from the Central Region.

I would like to thank the EINS board, the committees and their chairs for all of their hard work over the past year. Finally, I would like to thank the rest of the executive, Brenda Putnam, vice chair, Sarah Melanson, treasurer, Margaret Ann Green, secretary, and Barb Boiduk, past chair for their time and commitment to the mission of EINS. A special thanks goes to Barb Boiduk for her continued efforts in producing the EINS newsletter.

Have a happy holiday season!

Isabel

Isabel den Heyer
Chairperson, Early Intervention Association of Nova Scotia

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Heartfelt thanks are extended to Blair Cook of Emera Energy who shared his time and knowledge of matters financial with our own EINS financial wizards!

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The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada has prepared an excellent resource for
anyone involved or interested in court cases involving disability :
http://www.ldac-taac.ca/english/ldac.htm

New resource for human rights: http://www.hrconnection.orgHuman Rights Connection is a new site that aims to be a "web based community resource centre" for human rights activists.
It is a collaborative effort of the activist groups Digital Freedom Network and Forefront, and the Centre for the Study of Human Rights, at Columbia University, New York City, USA. The site provides information on working with the media, implementing advocacy strategies, and using technology to call attention to human rights issues.

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The Canadian Association for Williams Syndrome has launched their website. Check out
http://www.caws-can.org

For information for boards of directors on the benefits and requirements of maintaining status as an incorporated society in Nova Scotia through the Registry of Joint Stock Companies please see the government website at http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/rjsc/ Information can be found there on annual requirements as well as sample current by-laws if your local board should wish to review procedures and by-laws currently in place.

Other sites of possible interest to boards include :

http://www.lin.ca/htdocs/index.cfm
http://www.mentoringcanada.ca/
http://www.ncnb.org/
http://www.mncn.org/
http://www.ccp.ca/splash.asp
http://www.volunteer.ca/index-eng.php

WATCH for EARLY INTERVENTION WEEK in NOVA SCOTIA in FEBRUARY !!

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Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, they serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are and who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be: your neighbor, child, long lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger who, when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you and at the time they seem painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential strength, will power, or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul.

Without these small tests, whether they be events, illnesses or relationships, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere, safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life and the successes and downfalls you experience create who you are, and even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the poignant and important ones.

If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart....

If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and opening your heart and eyes to things you would have never seen or felt without them.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again...talk to people you have never talked to before, and actually listen, let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high...

Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself....for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you either. You can make your life anything you wish.

Create your own life and then go out and live in it!

"Live Each Day As If It Were Your Last... Tomorrow is Not Promised"

Commitment...is what transfers a promise into reality.
It is the words that speak bodly of your intentions.
And the actions which speak louder than words.
It is making the time when there is none.
Coming through time after time, year after year.
Commitment is the stuff character is made of...
The power to change the face of things.
It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism.

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What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy focuses on occupation- the tasks we perform during our daily lives. For our children, occupations include printing, writing and drawing, getting dressed and ready for school, doing homework, making and playing with friends, organizing his or her things, playing sports, extracurricular activities and using computers. Children who cannot perform their occupations or daily tasks can become frustrated, discouraged, inattentive, distracted, and withdrawn. Continuing problems can strain a child’s self-esteem, along with his or her relationships with peers, teachers and parents.

Occupational Therapists can help to maximize your child’s successes in their school environments!
- Occupational Therapy school based services are provided to varying degrees in every province and territory in Canada.
- Providing Occupational Therapy school based services is part of the Education Act in various provinces in Canada such as Ontario and British Columbia.
- The Special Needs Report in Halifax recently identified a lack of funds available for children with special needs in the education system. (The Chronicle Herald, November 5, 2003)
- $17 Million was allotted last year to help with the education of students with special needs what is this money being used for? Is the assistance they are currently receiving enough? Effective?
There are currently no Occupational Therapy services in the HRM and limited services available in other parts of the province.

The Occupational Therapy in Nova Scotia School Committee’s Purpose
- To create awareness of the value and impact of Occupational Therapy services within the school system
- To get parents, teachers, therapists, community organizations and students involved in advocating for more Occupational Therapy services in Nova Scotia schools
- To identify supports and barriers to the inclusion of Occupational Therapy services within the Nova Scotia school system

Our Plan
Distribute information pamphlets to community organizations
- Attend the Nova Scotia School Board open forums
- Lobby the government
- Hold monthly or bi-monthly meetings
- Increase media awareness of the benefits of Occupational Therapy services in schools

Join the Occupational Therapy in Nova Scotia Schools Committee to help advocate for more Occupational Therapy services in our schools and help to create a better future for our children!! All are welcome! The children of Nova Scotia need you!!

If interested, please contact :Advocate4ot@yahoo.ca
Heidi Haldemann at 492-8939 or Alison Durocher at 425-4130
(Committee Chairs) Student Occupational Therapists, Dalhousie University

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Partnerships for Inclusion

Partnerships for Inclusion
Suite 203, 95 College Street, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, B2G 1X6
(902) 863-6958 Toll Free 1-888-711-5910 Fax (902) 863-0975

Partnerships for Inclusion has been working in 22 licensed child care centers around the province since January 2003. The goal of this project is to provide high quality child care for all children, thus creating a foundation for high quality inclusion in early childhood environments. Partnerships for Inclusion is funded by the Early Childhood Development Initiatives and administered by Early Intervention Nova Scotia in association with SpeciaLink: the National Centre for Child Care Inclusion.

Over these past 10 months, facilitators have made regular visits to centers participating in the project. A baseline evaluation of child care environments was made in February, using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale - Revised. Facilitators then worked with centers to develop a Collaborative Action Plan (CAP). In developing the CAP, facilitators and centre staff determined what the priorities of the centre were and how these areas could be enhanced. The facilitator’s role is to support centers in their efforts to develop a program that demonstrates best practice in early childhood education. Facilitators do so by providing resources, books, articles, and materials that centers have identified as being needed for their programs. They have also created community linkages in order to provide centers with the professional support that they need. Facilitators have taken time to talk with staff in centers about the challenges of providing high quality care for all children. They have met with administrators, parents, and boards and have gotten to know staff by attending staff meetings and assisting with work parties. Facilitators have also taken time to interact with the children and model some ideas for program development. Opportunities for professional development for centre staff have been created either through on-site presentations or by accessing staff training events within the child care community.

After five months of on-site support, project facilitators conducted a second ECERS-R evaluation in centers in June. It was found that scores rose in centers after the Support Period of the project. The average overall ECERS-R score at the time of the baseline evaluation in February was 4.56 out of 7.0. In June, the average score rose to 5.49. Centers therefore have gone from an average rating of minimal to good to a rating of good to excellent. This confirms that the on-site intervention model has supported beneficial changes within the child care environment.

At this time, project staff are completing a third ECERS-R within their centers. This evaluation will determine whether or not centers have been able to sustain the changes made during the support period. The project has also received funding to begin this enhancement process with a new group of centers around the province. Facilitators have made contact with those centers that have expressed interest in being part of the project. They are eagerly preparing for their first visits with these new centers.

The staff of Partnerships for Inclusion are excited to see this project continue. There has been an expressed need for this type of support in the child care community. One director who has been part of this process is quoted as saying, “The success of this program is that it is on-site and on-going.” In recommending the project to new centers, an educator said, “I’d tell them it’s great, but it is a lot of work. Your schedule is going to change. You’ll have to make time. You have to be open to change?If they agree to do it, they have to be really willing. Not just for one day, but for every day. Not just to look good. If they are not really committed, it won’t work.” This project has been extremely successful thus far. Participating staff appear to understand that it is not the change but the reason for the change that makes the difference in the long run. This program is providing high quality child care for all children in child care centers in Nova Scotia.

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New Information from Canada Customs and Revenue Agency for Families..........

Child Disability Benefit

A new Child Disability Benefit (CDB) was announced in the February 2003 federal budget.

The CDB is a supplement to the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) and will also be added to the Children’s Special Allowances (CSA) amount. It is a non-taxable benefit for low- and modest-income families to help with the costs of raising children with a severe and prolonged mental or physical impairment.

As administrator of the CCTB and CSA, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) is committed to ensuring that all individuals receive the benefits to which they are entitled. For this reason, it is important for us to help our clients understand who is and who is not qualified to receive the new CDB.

To receive the CDB, an individual must receive the CCTB for that child and the child must meet the eligibility criteria for the disability amount, commonly referred to as the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). You will note from the Disability Amount Fact Sheet that the presence of a diability does not automatically make a person eligible for the DTC.

The CDB will provide up to $133.33 per month in financial assistance for each child that is eligible for the DTC. The first CDB payments will be issued to elibible families and agencies in March 2004, and will include a retroactive amount for the period of July 2003 to March 2004.

We have created a web page that describes the CDB in greater detail and provides links to the CCTB, the DTC and all relevant CCRA forms and publications. This page can be found at www.ccra.gc.ca/cdb. Not only will this help raise the awareness of the CDB for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities, but it will also raise the awareness of qualified health professionals who may be approached to complete Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate, which serves as an application form for both the DTC and CDB.

If you have any questions about the CDB or the CCTB, please call 1-800-387-1193 for service
in English or 1-800-387-1194 for service in French. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions concerning the promotion of the CDB, please email us at
BenCommPrest@ccra-adrc.gc.ca. Thank you.

Maureen Tapp, Director, Special Programs and Partnerships Division
Benefits Program Directorate

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Take good care of yourself ...

Please remember you are a special person too ... be kind to yourself.
Danger signs can be exhaustion ... cynicism ... being less efficient ... taking longer to complete the same task ... feeling indispensable ... devoting an excessive number of hours to caring for others ... instantaneous irritation ... quickness to anger ... taking more risks ... feeling imprisoned ... increased use of drugs or alcohol ... insomnia, headaches, worry ... feeling guilty. Many of which probably sound too familiar!

Remember :

Keep in mind that you have a spouse, family, friends and interests. Maybe a job, other children. All those parts of your life were there before your child with special needs and they are still there. They need you and you need hem! As you go through the grieving process for the typical baby you dreamed of and for the hope that the problem was temporary or curable (both of which are natural processes in reauthoring you life with a child with exceptional needs) you may find that you and your partner are grieving differently. Fathers may withdraw into work, respond with anger, refuse to talk about it or say practical things like “We’ll just have to accept it since we can’t do anything about it.” Mothers may be tearful and emotional and think their partners are unfeeling. Occasionally these roles are reversed. It is essential that each understand that they both are grieving but in different ways. Seek professional help if the differences start to undermine your relationship.
Try not to look too far ahead. Worrying about what the future will bring your child will not help your child, your state of mind or your present life. Go ‘day by day’. None of us knows what tomorrow may bring. Your goal may be to help your child but also make it your goal to find some happiness in each day.

"Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have."

Making progress

There is an enormous difference between going slow and stopping completely. Even if you are making just a little bit of progress, that is far better than being at a standstill or falling behind.

Even when you cannot do everything, you can still do something. When you cannot move as fast as you would like, that is no reason to stop, no reason to give up. Go ahead and continue moving at whatever pace you can. Making just a little progress will, over time, put you much farther ahead than making no progress at all.
When you are faced with more than you can possibly do, feeling overwhelmed and letting it grind you to a halt is not going to help. Pick one thing and start to work on it, then the next, and little by little you will be getting it all done.

Running swiftly is great when you can do it, yet even when you cannot there is no reason for despair. Because walking slowly will just as surely and steadily move you forward, and will keep the positive momentum alive.

Chip away at the mountain, steadily and with determination. Not only will you get through it, you will end up stronger and wiser for the experience.

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All parents must advocate for their children, but parents who have children with exceptional needs probably spend lots of time over and above the average advocating for their children. Since you will spend much of your time as a parent advocating on behalf of your child and your family, why not be as effective as you can possibly be?

I remember being at a parent support meeting where we were introducing ourselves and hearing for the first time (when asked what she "did") a mother saying that she was her daughters advocate. I was very impressed and thought "Yes that's what you call what I seem to spending much of my time on lately". I think at that moment I stopped thinking of myself as "just the mother" or "Mom" (as some professionals insisted on calling me even though I was not their mother) and began to think of myself as "the advocate". It gave me a certain feeling of dignity and helped put me on more of an equal footing with those professionals that I encountered. Even if that feeling of equality was only in my own mind, it was very powerful.

Nobody knows your child like you do. Nobody, no matter how learned or experienced they may be professionally, can speak as effectively as you can about your own family. Advocacy comes from the heart and the mind. It feels natural because you do it out of love and concern, but like many natural processes there are things about it that you can learn. Developing your skills is the next step to becoming a more effective advocate :

• Focus on solutions, not problems.
• Be clear, factual, simple and persuasive.
• Form alliances with people and organizations who have similar concerns.
• Advocate a value (ie. equity).
• Good research about the issue is important d o your homework.
• Accuracy is essential lack of it damages your credibility. Once your credibility is damaged it is very hard to get it back again. Sometimes in the heat of the moment one can be inclined to exaggerate resist!
• Pluck the opportunities of the day. (ie. Has there been any recent press on the issue? Can you use it? What about research?)
• Advocate for and not against something.
• Ask questions.
• Listen. Strive for dialogue not debate. Adapt your approach to your audience. This is not possible unless you have taken the time to find out who they are and what their position is. Assume nothing.
• Appeal to the right and left brain. Use reason and emotion.
• Acknowledge the strengths in the other positions. Look for common ground.
• Strive to be open minded.
• Don't preach to the converted.
• Advocate for a balanced solution. How can we try to meet some/most of the needs of all parties? (ie. Can we focus on values and cost effectiveness and look at achieving both?)
• Ask yourself : who has the power in this situation? What power and strengths do I/we have in this situation?
• Remember Advocacy requires long term commitment.

A Template for Advocacy :

1. Define the issue. Be as specific as possible.
2. Develop your strategy.
3. Define the message that you need to communicate.
4. Present the message effectively. Sustain the strategy.

Good luck a little of that never hurts either !
(adapted from www.familynet.on.ca/advocacy.htm)

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Give Your Presence Laugh, Dance and Sing Together
Listen From a Heart Space
Encourage Understand Call Them Love Names
Send Love Notes
Really Love Yourself Allow Them to Love Themselves
Ask Their Opinions
Learn From Them Say Yes as Often as Possible
Say No When Necessary
Honor Their No’s, Stop Yelling Apologize, Touch Gently Build Lots of Blanket Forts Learn About Parenting
Open Up Fly Kites Together Change Your Routine
Lighten Up Believe in Possibilities Take Time Away
Read Books Out Loud
Create a Circle of Quiet, Teach Feelings Remove Guilt
Share Your Dreams
Play Hooky Together, Walk in the Rain Go Barefoot
Celebrate Mistakes
Admit Yours
Frame Their Artwork Hang it on the Walls
Stay Up Late Together, Eliminate Comparisons
Delight in Silliness, Handle With Care
Remember They Have Not Been on Earth Very Long
Protect Them, Honor Their Differences
Cherish the Innocence Giggle
Speak Kindly, Go Swimming a Lot, Splash, Let Them Help, Sing During Dinner
Let Them Cry, Don’t Hide Your Tears, Brag About Them, Answer Their Questions, Show Compassion
Let Go When it’s Time, Let Them Come Back
Keep Them in Your Hearts and in Your Prayers

The next edition of the EINS Newsletter will be published in mid-April 2004.
Please send all submissions by March 30, 2004 to :
Barb Boiduk, Newsletter Editor
P.O. Box 997
Amherst, NS
B4H 4E1
fax to 667-0661 or email ceip@ns.sympatico.ca

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