James Clemens

The parents of an 11-year-old autistic child appealed the school board's placement decision, seeking a fully integrated regular classroom placement with a dedicated Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) program using the Lovaas method.

The school board proposed a life skills program in a segregated setting with integration as appropriate, arguing that a fully integrated setting was inappropriate due to the child's behavioural issues and that pure ABA was a therapeutic, not educational, program.

The Special Education Tribunal held that its jurisdiction was limited to placement, not program.

The Tribunal recommended placement in a life skills program with appropriate integration, daily language instruction, and that the board utilize the parents' expert's services for staff training.

The appellant appealed the identification and placement of her child by the school board's Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC).

After several days of hearings, the parties reached a mutually satisfactory agreement.

The Tribunal ordered, on consent, that the child be identified as learning disabled/behavioural, placed in a secondary school with appropriate support, and that an Individual Education Plan (IEP) be developed including two hours of daily remedial one-to-one teaching.