Main Page In-home main page
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.
Families for Effective Autism Treatment
FEAT of Minnesota
15612 Highway 7, Suite 260
Minnetonka, MN 55345
A. Therapy:
1. How would you characterize your therapeutic approach? Applied Behavior Analysis. We are a UCLA-NIMH Young Autism Project Replication Site.
2. How do you work with children who are nonverbal? Our primary option is to rely on imitation training. Any verbal programs are decided upon on an individual basis.
3. How do you accommodate the child's sensory defensiveness? Sensory needs are incorporated into the structure of the therapy session and play a strong role in choice of reinforcers.
4. How do you deal with a child's aggressive behavior? Using individualized techniques proven through Applied Behavior Analysis.
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? 24 hour therapeutic support.
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 make an individualized decision but seek to serve children in early intervention (list of early intervention prognostic indicators was attached, write above agency for this information).
2. What testing do you require initially? A full battery of IQ, speech and adaptive testing, and a neurological exam, all by an external evaluator.
3. Under what circumstances will you accept testing by other agencies, such as schools or private therapists? Always.
4. What are the current out-of pocket expenses that a parent must pay for the entrance testing? Negotiated with external evaluator.
5. Can parents arrange to have these expenses spread out over a longer time period? NA.
6. How is the number of therapy hours determined? As a general rule, intensive services are 42 hours of behavior therapy, 17 hours of Senior Behavior Therapy, and 4 hours of Clinic Supervision per week..
7. Do you require that the child may not be in any other educational program when he begins therapy? If so, for how long? This is an individualized decision.
8. How is a child's progress evaluated, and how often is this done? Weekly clinic meeting, monthly clinical summary and semi-annual progress review, with standardized assessment.
9. What are your criteria for a child exiting the program? Mastery of all early intervention goals.
10. Under what circumstances can a child be dismissed from your program? Lack of clinical effectiveness. Lack of full participation by parent.
Therapists:
1. What are the minimum educational requirements for line therapists? Passing of Behavioral Therapy competencies prior to independent work (generally 3 months).
2. What kind of training are the line therapists given? Who provides the training and what are their qualifications? Competency - based training and academic instruction. Senior behavioral therapists and clinic supervisors who have met criteria for their position.
3. What should parents do if they have a complaint about a line or senior therapist? Go to clinic supervisor.
Parents:
1. What kind of training is given to parents and other family members? How much training is provided? Clinic meeting and weekly overlap.
2. Must one parent be in the home during therapy sessions? What alternate arrangements are acceptable? Any person designated by parents may serve as a safeguard for child's safety.
3. What, if any, support services, such as respite or counseling, are offered to families by your organization? How are these services paid for? NA
4. Do you provide prospective families a list of families who have used your services and have agreed to be contacted? Yes.
Other Agencies 1. How do you coordinate with area school districts that the children you are supporting attend? Within a structure of district’s representative
2. How do you coordinate with private therapists that the family employs who are not a part of your organization? All therapists attend weekly clinic meeting, meet clinical competencies and receive weekly overlap as needed