Hi moms,
We are currently going through evaluations through the regional center for our almost 2.5 year old son for speech delay. There is also a possibility that he may fall on the spectrum which means we can get Advanced Behavior Analysis and Training. I'm just wondering if anyone here has used ABI and what your experience was? Also, is you used a different agency, what was it called and how was your experience?
Also, how many hours of intervention did you get each week.
Thanks.
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AS an Early Interventionist I will tell you that you are fortunate to start your child now. I am not sure what regional center you are with but check out the different agencies as we are all different in our approach and scheduling. If you would like more information about my agency please feel free to either email me or call and I would be glad to take the time to explain who we are and what we do. I can send you a brochure if you would like.
Thanks,
Penny Amic CEO/Clinical Director
Special Beginnings, Inc.
An Early Intervention Network
email: ____@____.com
Cell: ###-###-#### (please leave vm and I will return the call)
I am a professional--not affiliated with Regional Centers, school districts, or any of the ABA provider organizations--who is in the position to evaluate children who may be on the spectrum and to make referrals to ABA providers. In my experience (15 + years at this point), ABI is one of the more reputable providers out there. There are others that I think fall into this category as well, including CARD, CUSP, and AP--these providers all seem to, more often than not, have well trained staff who are closely supervised, follow clear protocols for intervention, and demonstrate the ability to modify interventions to fit the child's needs. They also have well established protocols for collecting and analyzing data, which is one of the essential components in any ABA program and serves as the basis for accurately determining progress in treatment.
You may want to contact LA FEAT (Los Angeles Familes for Effective Autism Treatment), if your son is diagnosed on the spectrum. This is a parent advocacy group that may be able to help you make sense of what services are available, and what providers are out there that are in your area, and that provide high quality services. Their web address is www.lafeat.org. (No, I'm not affiliated with them, either.)
I was an ABA tutor and am now a Kindergarten teacher. I tutored a little boy for a 1 1/2 years. When he started his program he had lost all of his verbal skills. It took him about 9 months of tutoring, before he was verbally communicating, etc. This little one receives up to 40 hours a week of ABA tutoring, speech, and OT services from private companies for the last 3 1/2 years. I believe in ABA! However, I think states only provide the minimum amount needed. If the state says they can give you six hours, then he probably needs 12 to 15. (My opinion...)
My son gets 6 hours of aba per week and 30 min of "speech therapy" through the school. We have opted not to send him to tthe special p-k so he gets 30 minutes "educational one-on-one" also at the school. I am not happy at all with the services through our school district and will be working on getting that fixed. I will do more aba when a therapist's schedule permits.
We had a therapist who came to our home and used ABA therapy with our then two year old son, there were days when we had 5 hour days, it was pretty intense therapy, it was difficult at times. Sometimes I would cry, my son would cry...but if you could see where my son is today after a solid year of therapy...he is a different child. We went from a child who would not make eye contact, would not respond to his name, would not play with toys to a sweet interactive child. Of course everyone is going to have different outcomes and differing opinions, ABA therapy can be considered controversial. Our own pediatrician would not sign off on it. But she is also an older school pediatrician and had the audacity to tell us that she did not believe in the number of Autism diagnosis's being made...
The agency we went through was First Steps. They used therapists from our local Ozark Center for Autism. I have nothing but the best to say about everyone we encountered both through first steps and through the Ozark Center.
If you have more questions about what therapy entailed you may private message me.
This will change your sons life for the better, my son will be 4 in June and has no speech delay at all now, from almost no spoken words at age 2.
We did utilize PECs http://www.pecs.com/ picture exchange system. We also used sign language. When Alex had a way to communicate his needs we saw the tantrums go way down in frequency. ABA therapy also helps you deal with problem behaviors.
Please run, don't walk, to www.tacanow.org as this is a support group for families of autism, especially in their beginning stages, run by families of autism who have been through it all before.
You will get someone who can mentor you, hold your hand, through all of this and they will be on your side, not a service who will not offer all that is available to you.
