What to look for/ask ABA therapist? | Autism PDD

Hey u guys,

   Well until the school district gets moving with evaluating my ds for in-home services, I will get the ball rolling by paying for ABA myself. I am in the process of haing him independently evaluated and will also be interviewing a couple of ABA therapists?? Now what do I look for in ABA therapist, what kind of questions do I ask?? What should I expect them to do ??? I appreciate any input... U guys are the best...

a pulse.  LOL

LOOL!!!

Do they beleive in maintence? after a child has learned a task or whatever you want to callit, they need to go over it again and again periodically just to make sure they still know it.

Do they use the verbal approach? how do they feel about PECS and  signs in relation to verbal language.

Do they use ABLLS? it is a great path to take it breaks down all skills needed for K.

Are they certified? there are some out there charging for services they are not certified to give?

and of coase how much and hour?

the list goes on let me know if you need any more info and just remember quality ABA is the most importat, don't waste yout money or your childs time on ABA that will frustrate.

 

Laloo,

I pm you but wanted others to know that for us the most important thing was how Sarah felt about them..I had some that never showed up on time so I got a big clock on the wall for them to see when they arrived:)

I insisted data be taken everyday and got rid of those that refused to do so..

I let one go for having too many personal issues she wanted to talk about her problems forever before doing anything with Sarah.. and eating lunch on our time...

One I let go for not having no energy or desire to engage Sarah..undecided in her choice to be a therapist...and took terrible data... so I let her go:) 

 I have had some excellent ones that have stayed for 3 years straight that were like family to me and love Sarah dearly.  When you are paying up to /hr you get to be picky and time is way too precious to waste on someone you or your child dont like.  I always contacted prior families or consultants they worked under and told them I would give them a few weeks to see how it went because it all depended on Sarah:) I loved the young energetic, perky ones because that is what it took to motivate Sarah...she responded well to cheerleader loud praises and jumps for joy:)  We still find ourselves yelling Yahoo! you went potty!! YEA!! WAY TO GO!!...she has been potty trained a couple of years now.

Good luck!

ShelleyR39285.6725231481Going off of Rachael's response-DO NOT discard OR hire therapists based on certification. A LOT of GREAT therapists are not certified (I for one am not, and no one I work with has any specific certification.) Do what Shelly did-look for therapists with EXPERIENCE, contact the families and supervisors that they've worked for/under. I would also avoid any therapist who wants to work out of a curriculum straight out of a book (such as the ABBLS, or Catherine Maurice.) Obviously it's important to have a good curriclum to follow, but they need to be flexible enough to work towards what you and your child need.

Good Luck!
That they be open and 'trainable'.Check up on their references. Check up on where they were trained. I like
private ABA agencies versus School District trained. Hire at least one senior
therapist that has some supervision experience if you need them to write
out programs. (unless you have a BCBA as a consultant you will need that)


Some of the LA agencies will offer consulting services as well.
Look at the resource information under LAFEAT. They have sone good
agencies/eval/attorneys listed. Good Luck I. Lovaas believed parent training was essential.  We look for that in addition to all the stuff mentioned so far.  You've got to get everyone on the same page. So look for parent training/consult time.  We got that into our IEP.

We don't care about credentials.  If there is something in the person that does not feel right we let them go.  Every child is different and the ABAs have to be willing to understand and work with the child.

A pulse is helpful, too.
Dad2Luke&Alan39285.9259837963
Copyright Autism-PDD.net