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Information provided by the Autism Society of Wisconsin is for information purposes only. You are responsible for the choice of any treatment or therapy option or service provider. Reference to any treatment or therapy option or to any program, service or treatment provider is not an endorsement by ASW of the treatment or therapy option, program, service or provider. You should investigate alternatives that may be appropriate for a specific individual. ASW assumes no responsibility for the use made of any information published or provided by ASW.

QUESTIONS FOR IN-HOME AUTISM TREATMENT PROVIDERS

Responses are in italics. Spelling and typographical errors are the sole fault of the webmaster.

Wisconsin Early Autism Project, Inc.

Madison 6402 Odana Rd. Madison, WI 63719 608-288-9040

Milwaukee 150 N. Sunnyslope Rd. Suite 100 Brookfield, Wi 53005 262-432-5660

Eau Claire 2125 Heights Drive, Suite 2F Eau Claire, WI 54701 715-832-2233

La Crosse 1113 Riders Club Rd. Onalaska, WI 54650 608-781-6500

De Pere 1141 W. Main Ave. Suite 201 De Pere, WI 54115 920-338-1610 phone 920-338-1616 fax

A. Therapy:

1. How would you characterize your therapeutic approach? We provide research based ABA in-home treatment combined with play-based interventions (e.g., Greenspan, Koegel, Son-Rise), as well as Carbone style verbal behavior analysis and fluency rehearsal. We also integrate other therapeutic approaches as appropriate for individual children. Dr. Sallows and several supervisory staff studied with Dr. Lovaas at UCLA. We remain connected with UCLA as part of the international team working to replicate Dr. Lovaas’ research. Our four-year study was published in the November 2005 issue of The American Journal on Mental Retardation.

2. How do you work with children who are nonverbal? Our goal is to give each child a mode of communication. We use the same strategies to teach receptive skills as we do for children who are verbal, but use augmentative communication strategies to build expressive abilities. We use signing, PECS, voice output and other strategies as appropriate for individual children.

3. How do you accommodate the child's sensory defensiveness? We can provide opportunities for children to meet their sensory needs during treatment. We can also work on increasing tolerance and use desensitization strategies when appropriate. We will also consult with a child’s Occupational Therapist to work collaboratively on long-term treatment plans, if necessary. We have not found sensory problems to interfere with progress of children in our program.

4. How do you deal with a child's aggressive behavior? Aggression and tantrums are often the result of demands being too difficult for the child's current level of skill. We therefore, have used a combination of reducing demands, teaching needed skills, increasing rewards and play. All therapy team members are trained to respond consistently to targeted behaviors.

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? We offer pre-waiver consultation services so families can begin working with their children before the waiver. We also offer consultation by speech therapists and special educators, help with IEPs, school transition shadows, social skills groups, sibling support groups, counseling for families and siblings, recruiting and screening of staff, academic tutoring and, med-line internet searches. These services are available to children who do not meet waiver requirements, and to children who have not previously been WEAP clients.
 

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 accept all children under the current age limit unless significant medical challenges will severely impede the delivery of services and the child’s progress. Our psychologists evaluate every child before beginning the program and communicate any concerns about the appropriateness of our program with the family.

2. What testing do you require initially?  We require testing to set a baseline or “starting point” so that we may measure progress. This testing also assists us in determining each child’s areas of strengths and challenges. The three tests we require are an IQ test, a language test, and a test of adaptive skills (e.g., Vineland). This testing can be completed at our clinic or may be submitted from an outside source.

3. Under what circumstances will you accept testing by other agencies, such as schools or private therapists? We will always accept testing by other agencies.

4. What are the current out-of pocket expenses that a parent must pay for the entrance testing? There is no out of pocket expense for initial testing. Testing is billed to Medical Assistance and to the family’s private insurance. If a family does not have MA or insurance (or if these sources will not cover the costs for testing), we do not bill the family.

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 dictated by the requirements of the state waiver. Children in the intensive program usually get about 30 hours a week. Children in the post intensive program vary in the amount of therapy they receive.

7. Do you require that the child may not be in any other educational program when he begins therapy? If so, for how long? Parents may have the child in any program they wish, as long as we can provide the number of hours necessary to achieve maximum benefit.

8. How is a child's progress evaluated, and how often is this done? Formal testing is done annually. Evaluation of ongoing progress is completed by Senior Therapists weekly, by Clinic Supervisors at least monthly, and by a psychologist every other month. Based on annual testing by psychologists not affiliated with our program, our outcome data is very similar to Lovaas'; average IQ increase of 22 points in one year, and approximately 42% of children achieving "best outcome."

9. What are your criteria for a child exiting the program? This is typically decided by the parent. The child either is doing well enough to no longer need treatment, or is in a school program the parents are happy with and parents have acquired the skill to continue what treatment is needed without us. Many children stay in our program for post intensive services including ongoing therapy at reduced hours, social skills groups, counseling, and school consultation.

10. Under what circumstances can a child be dismissed from your program? We have never dismissed a child for slow progress. In a few instances, we have had parents hospitalize their child temporarily due to dangerous behavior, but we have always been willing to resume treatment upon discharge.
 

Therapists:

1. What are the minimum educational requirements for line therapists? These are set by the state and are the same for all providers. Line therapists must be 18 years old, and have a clean police record. We complete criminal and caregiver background checks for all of our therapy staff.
 

2. What kind of training are the line therapists given? Who provides the training and what are their qualifications? Who provides the training and what are their qualifications? We provide 30 hours of training (this is also set by the state for all providers). Training is provided by experienced Senior Therapists and by Clinic Supervisors. Classroom training covers the basic theory of behavioral treatment, data collection, and professionalism/confidentiality. Several readings are required and the Senior on the case provides 10 hours of one on one direct training regarding the specific child. All WEAP Seniors have completed over 2000 hours of face-to-face therapy and have completed our intensive 16-week internship prior to permanent hire as a Senior Therapist.

3. What should parents do if they have a complaint about a line or senior therapist? Parents can tell a line therapist to stop what they are doing and should then call the Senior Therapist. Complaints about Senior Therapists can be made to their Supervisor, the Clinic Director, or Michelle Sherman, Director of Clinical Services, the child’s supervising psychologist, or to Dr. Sallows. Parent's requests that a particular line therapist be removed from their team are always honored.

Parents:

1. What kind of training is given to parents and other family members? How much training is provided? Parents attend the initial workshop and are trained along with the team. Parents also attend orientation groups at the clinic and may attend other group discussions covering treatment issues in greater depth. Parents can also receive 1:1 training with their child’s Senior Therapist, if they wish.

2. Must one parent be in the home during therapy sessions? What alternate arrangements are acceptable? We generally require a parent or substitute caregiver at least 18 years old to be in the home whenever therapists are there. If parents have a specific need to leave for short periods (to pick up another child, etc.) the supervising psychologist may approve this on an individual basis.

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 offer counseling for families, couples, individuals, and siblings by doctoral and master's level clinicians. We bill insurance for these services, or families may choose to purchase them.

4. Do you provide prospective families a list of families who have used your services and have agreed to be contacted? In the interest of protecting client confidentiality at all times, we do not give prospective families a prepared list of WEAP parents. We have many families who have offered to speak with new or prospective families and regularly share their names and contact information on an individual basis. Newcomers are often invited to observe treatment by our families.

Other Agencies

1. How do you coordinate with area school districts that the children you are supporting attend? We have experienced special educators on staff who serve as liaisons to area schools. We also train "school shadows" to serve as transitional aids for children entering school. Our Seniors regularly contact teachers to coordinate home and school programs, and make visits to schools as appropriate.  We have worked hard to make the school-home relationship a positive one.

2. How do you coordinate with private therapists that the family employs who are not a part of your organization? Senior Therapists collaborate with outside therapists regularly to be sure our goals and strategies are moving in the same direction.
 

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