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QUESTIONS FOR IN-HOME AUTISM TREATMENT PROVIDERS
Responses are in italics. Spelling and typographical errors are the sole fault of the webmaster. Where indicated [sic], it was not clear what the word was. Word is in parentheses with a question mark when handwritten word was not clear.
Autism Resources and Services
Program Director Gary Downing
125 S Jefferson St.
Green Bay, WI. 54301
920-432-1230
Lead Therapist is James P. Heider. Note: Faye Blaser and Dr.Bruce Robertson are no longer with this agency.
A. Therapy:
1. How would you characterize your therapeutic approach? Autism Resources & Services believes in an ecclectic approach to the treatment of autism. Or program incorporates several approaches including but not limited to applied behavioral analysis, discrete trial teaching, use of visual cues, prompting and fading, etc.
2. How do you work with children who are nonverbal? Incorporation of an augmentative communication system, such as the PECS, may be implemented if no other communication system is in place. We use visual aids such as visual schedules and pictures to communicate. We place great emphasis on development of communication.
3. How do you accommodate the child's sensory defensiveness? Our therapists meet with the child's OT on a regular basis to collaborate on implementing an appropriate sensory diet. If the child doesn't have an OT, we refer to our personal autism consultant for advice and services. We also train our staff to identify common sensory issues.
4. How do you deal with a child's aggressive behavior? We feel that aggression happens to be that child's way of communicating to us, and we must simply assess what they are really trying to communicate and teach them a better and more appropriate way of doing it.
5. What services are offered in addition to the in-home therapy (i.e., social skills groups, speech therapy, etc.)? Are these services also covered by Medicaid? School consultations. Workshops pertaining to autism and teaching techniques. These are not covered by Medicaid, except for the workshops we do in the homes.
B. Entering and Exiting the program:
1. Do you accept all children under the current Medicaid age limit who apply? If not, what are your entrance requirements, such as age or IQ? We do accept all children under the current Medicaid age limit who apply dependent on staff availability. There are no IQ or age requirements other than those established by Medicaid.
2. What testing do you require initially? None. Only a diagnosis of Autism, Asperger's Syndrome or PDD-NOS.
3. Under what circumstances will you accept testing by other agencies, such as schools or private therapists? Testing may be arranged through our office.
4. What are the current out-of pocket expenses that a parent must pay for the entrance testing? N/A
5. Can parents arrange to have these expenses spread out over a longer time period? N/A.
6. How is the number of therapy hours determined? The number of therapy hours is determined through collaboration with the parents, staff availability, limiting factors such as other therapies, etc. Require between 16 - 35 hours per week of line therapy..
7. Do you require that the child may not be in any other educational program when he begins therapy? If so, for how long? No. The program feels that in most cases, other educational programs are very beneficial for the child. Therefore, we encourage participation and stive to keep communication open to ensure generalization.
8. How is a child's progress evaluated, and how often is this done? Each child has a treatment plan, which is broken down into individual programs that are each measurable and tracked. The lead therapist also evaluates each child's progress on a regular basis.
9. What are your criteria for a child exiting the program? The child shows independence in several important aspects of their life that are age appropriate, and can initiate communication from the system they were being taught without prompts. They may also overcome or be able to alleviate sensory issues on their own. Depending on their age, social skill mastery may be a criteria.
10. Under what circumstances can a child be dismissed from your program? If the parents/guardians do not comply with policies and procedures. If it becomes clear that the parents/guardians are not willing to follow through with the program in the absence of therapy.
Therapists:
1. What are the minimum educational requirements for line therapists? We follow all guidelines set by MA when Hiring. High school diploma plus 2,000 hours experience or 2nd year of college plus 30 hours.
2. What kind of training are the line therapists given? Who provides the training and what are their qualifications? We train in the Picture Exchange Communication System by a certified teacher. We also teach "teaching techniques" by our personal consultant, and various topics realted to autism via newsletters and through sr. therapists - who have been trained. There are also various continuing ed and workshop opportunities which some therapists take advantage of.
3. What should parents do if they have a complaint about a line or senior therapist? Complaint about line - talk to senior. Complaint about sr. - call Director of Program Development.
Parents:
1. What kind of training is given to parents and other family members? How much training is provided? We provide 2 workshops. One has to do with Autism as its topic. The other is related to teaching techniques. We are happy to educate family members with as much information as they allow us to give them.
2. Must one parent be in the home during therapy sessions? What alternate arrangements are acceptable? Parent(s) are strongly encouraged to be present during all therapy sessions. However, they may have someone else be present or able to be at the home in a short amount of time.
3. What, if any, support services, such as respite or counseling, are offered to families by your organization? How are these services paid for? We are currently expanding our services to include in-school therapy, although it is not official yet. We are starting a support group which enables its participants to communicate freely with one another (members waive confidentiality).
4. Do you provide prospective families a list of families who have used your services and have agreed to be contacted? No, client information is confidential.
Other Agencies 1. How do you coordinate with area school districts that the children you are supporting attend? Our senior therapists meet and collaborate about twice a month with the child's teachers, speech therapists, OT, and PT.
2. How do you coordinate with private therapists that the family employs who are not a part of your organization? At the family's request, we will do the same as we do with the schools.