Jodie Wickens, a Coquitlam mom, is the executive director of the new Autism Support Network.
image credit: SUBMITTED PHOTO
Finding autism service providers can be one of the most stressful jobs of a parent whose child has been diagnosed with the neurological disability but a newly formed organization headed by a Coquitlam mom plans to offer some critical help.
Jodie Wickens, who unsuccessfully ran for school trustee in Coquitlam during the recent civic election and whose son has autism, is the executive director of the Autism Support Network, which launched this week across the province. Aimed at the parents of some 400 School District 43 children with autism nearly 7,000 in B.C. the new parent-run organization intends to be a one-stop shop for information, networking and advocacy.
What were focused on is finding good information on quality autism treatment, said Wickens, who is a trained behaviour interventionist and works one-on-one with children who have autism using applied behavioural analysis (ABA).
Wickens was among a group of parents that asked the School District 43 board of education for new training requirements for special education assistants who work with children with autism in 2013 but was turned down.
Now, with the new organization the result of a merger of two autism organizations, the ABA Support Network and the Autism Education Society Wickens is working with parents of autistic children of all ages and hoping to spare families the grief and frustration from mistakes that she and other parents have made since their childrens diagnosis.
Thats why we exist, because we are parents and we know what works and what is promising something that doesnt work, said Wickens, noting that parents face a great responsibility in spending wisely the $22,000 they receive in provincial funding for services for children under six and $6,000 for children six and up.
HELP FINDING SERVICES
According to Wickens, parents typically dont know what will work best for their child or who to hire and costs can quickly add up. And she cautions against turning to Google for expert advise.
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New group promises autism support for B.C. families