Autism Spectrum Disorder Shadow Aide Cost?

Question

I read online that some parents can get their children shadow aides to help them with their Autism. As a parent with a child who has ASD I would love to be able to provide that for him but I worry that I won't be able to afford it. Anyone who has any information, please write! How much does it cost and how do you go about it? My son starts school tomorrow in a special program to "attack" his symptoms and get him recovered. I'm very hopeful and excited to see him interact with other kids and get "better". Any parent of Autistic kids or even if you know someone dealing with this how have you coped? Help me do the same. Thank You

Answer 1

This part of your question was a bit concerning: "school tomorrow in a special program to "attack" his symptoms and get him recovered."

I hope that you have done some homework and looked at studies (and not just the ones from that company) to look at how effective the 'cure' is.  Some are no more than a sham, some may have some decent strategies that will help mitigate some of the behaviors or re-program.  

Recent comments by some famous folks might lead people to believe that do this magic thing and your child is not autistic, I would counter with any intensive, systematic 24/7 approach would likely yield some positive results.

It's hard when you want whats best for your child to also remember you have to be a good consumer.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I am a Special Ed teacher for young children with autism, and in my experience, a Shadow Aide is not the most effective educational resource for students on the spectrum. About 1/3 of my caseload has a primary placement in a Gen Ed classroom; we've found that shadow aides in this environment actually hinder independent functioning and interaction with peers. Instead, specifically designed opportunities for interaction and a collaborative approach towards addressing the unique needs of each child on a regular basis has resulted in a greater degree of progress and initiation. In addition, the shadow aide often creates a dynamic where the teacher puts the learning on the student on the aide and doesn't take responsibility for the autistic child's learning; as well as the student looks to the aide for instruction rather than attending to the teacher.

Answer 3

many schoolls like you describe already provide a 1:1 ratio or 1:2

If there is a low teacher:student ratio than a shadow would not be appropriate

shadows are generally used to put a student in a mainstream class

it is more appropriate to adapt and compensate for autism as opposed to recover.  just like epilepsy or diabetes--the condition itself does not go away-but some people become indistingushable-only having signs if you look for them or on rare occassions..

If you are at the point where a shadow is appropriate -this is somethign that would be put in the IEP and paid for by teh school district

depending on training and experience-a shadow can make from 12k-40k+ (for a certified teacher) per year (full time)

You can apply to teh division of developmental disabilities for assistance programs (which can range from babysitting to home improvements to a monthly stipend) and for SSI through Social Security which is about $600/month

Answer 4

If the program is designed for autism, the classroom should provide aides. If he is in  a regular district school you can have it put in your child's IEP and the district will provide the aide.

Answer 5

If he is in a special program, to my knowledge you can't get a shadow.  I am in the midst of this dilemma right now myself.  My son is on the fence of qualifying for the Autistic Program.  He has not qualified twice.  He is serviced in the full inclusion TAM classroom.  This is the least restrictive environment (LRE) you can have because its the regular classroom, 2 teachers (one is special ed.) 1:16 ratio and 1/3 of the class is identified with special needs.  His recent eval. said he had pretty significant cognitive defecits (which I contest they are doing further testing paid for by them, if I disagree with that the district has offered to pay for an independent eval)  and is off task 77% of the time.  So I asked for a shadow at the IEP meeting.  However I rescinded the request.  After researching I have found that a lot of times a shadow can hinder the typical social interactions with peers because this adult is attached to your hip, also having a 1:1 has shown to foster dependence rather than independence.  My son is starting a picture point card in which every 8 minutes he is on task he gets a reinforcer, which in his case is a puzzle piece of Star Wars R2-D2 (my son is obsessed with anything star wars).  After 32 minutes he can cash in and choose something of his choice (computers).  He is going to be monitored pretty closely getting reinforcers every 8 minutes.  We have not tried the point card yet because in kindergarten you really don't need it, the demands are so much less.  I am a nurse and as a nurse when someone is starting medication they start low and one thing at a time to see what is working and to be on the lowest most effective dose possible.  Same principle, I could have asked for the shadow and based upon him being off task 77% of the time I probably would have had no trouble getting that request (for free) but we haven't tried the point card yet, he is also getting these accommodations;  a break card, speech language therapy, social skills training, visual cued paper (highlighted), occupational therapy, Willbarger brushing, pressure vest, core disc, weighted pencil with grotto grip, slantboard, preferential seating, ear muffs, a timer, a corrale around his desk and a peer mentor, picture schedule on locker and desk, pre-teaching material, scribing material, 1:1 multi-sensory reading instruction (Orton-Gillingham Crack the code), in addition to the maximum amount of spec. ed hours he can get so he is getting a lot of support.  I am cautiously optimistic. According to IDEA each child is to have a free appropriate education.  The trick is providing data that shows a shadow is appropriate.  Which if my son can't handle it then we have even further data that he needs a shadow and you can request an IEP meeting any time of year. Good luck! Yeah I don't know about that top contributor but you can't get SSI on a 299 diagnosis (Autism) usually you can't even get medicaid.  Also about level of functioning and recovery, as the sensory integration organizes about age 10 lots of gains are made per neurologist.  The spectrum is a continuum and your child will get steps and steps closer to typical behavior and then plateaus around 10.  Then another jump happens for some spectrum kids around puberty.

Answer 6

ive got Asperger syndrome if that helps and im in year 9