My 2 year old son we diagnosed with autism on Wednesday. How do I hire a full time ABA specialist?

Question

My husband and I are still in shock but we need to everything possible to help him. How do I hire a full time ABA specialist? What do I look for? Do you know about a pay scale? Any information will be greatly appreciated. If you have not delt with autism in your life and you do not work with autistic children please do not reply. We are upset enough.

Thank you :)

Answer 1

Please do your research very carefully.  Not all restrictive programs are the same.  

Your first stop should be your school there are preschool programs and services that you will be amazed by AND since one of the primary issues in Autism is Social Connections and Interactions - how will isolating your child resolve that?

With some students it may be a better fit than with others - make sure that you explore all your options before you get locked into one philosophy.

Most programs are ABA based whether they are school based or not - Applied Behavior Analysis is basically rewarding or giving positives reinforcement for preferred response.  One of the earliest examples of this is Pavlov's dogs - ring a bell and food showed up - so dogs would start to salivate when the bell rang.  

Too many programs teach students on the spectrum in isolation, teaching rote but in an artificial setting without the interaction of peers - I will tell you that is the most critical element of the journey you are beginning.  Remember one thing about private pay therapy - and I say this even though we all know that some children can benefit from it.  If they say that your child is doing better - has learned a lot etc.  You leave and they do not get paid by you anymore.  I know that it seems heartless to say that but it will be important that you work with your school and other parents in your area - they will be the best referrals points for you.

Good luck

Answer 2

You might want to contact your local chapter of the Autism Society of America for referrals for ABA providers. Here is their website: http://www.autism-society.org/ To find local chapters, click on the image on the left hand side that says, ASAchapterNET.

The pay usually depends on the area of the country and the education and experience of the providers, so it's really hard to say. You'll want to look for someone who has at least a master's degree, has experience with both special education and ABA, and is a BCBA (board certified behavior analyst). This person should serve as more of a "consultant" type role, and you can actually implement the ABA program yourself and/or hire someone to also implement the program (college students in education or behavior analysis are good options).

Here are some ABA websites for more information:

ABA Info from AutismWeb: http://www.autismweb.com/aba.htm

ChristinaBurkABA.com - http://www.christinaburkaba.com/

ABA Info from the Association for Science in Autism Treatment: http://www.asatonline.org/resources/proc...

The free newsletter, Positively Autism, will also be doing an issue (in Feb.) about ABA, so this may have some helpful info. http://www.positivelyautism.com/

Here are some of my favorite autism resources that may also help.

"Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew" - http://www.ellennotbohm.com/ten_things_a...

"Positively Autism" (Free newsletter and printable lessons/activities) - http://www.positivelyautism.com/

"Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism" by Temple Grandin - http://www.autism.org/temple/tips.html

Website of Paula Kluth, Ph.D. - http://www.paulakluth.com/autism.html

Answer 3

www.bacb.com is the national certification for behavior analysts. They have a registry search where you can type in your zip code and they will give you a list of certified behavior analysts in your area and you can contact them via email using the website.

On this website www.behavior.org

there are guidelines for selecting behavior analysts as well as consumer guidelines for parents looking to start intensive home programs.

http://www.calaba.org/autismconsumerguid...

Also have consumer guidelines for parents looking to start an ABA program.

Depending where you are there may also be parents support groups such as FEAT (families for early autism treatment) or similar and many families use ABA and would have good references for you..

Cost ranges greatly depending on where you live and how many hours of therapy you want for your child. a 30 hour program can run from $25k-$50k a year. Unfortunately school districts are not mandated to get involved until the age of 3 years old but there are often infant and toddler services for children under 3 that may be provided by the state, county or regional center. The agencies vary greatly again depending on state and location.

Answer 4

Although I know nothing about an ABA, I do want to recommend contacting your local school system about the possibility of putting your child into a head start type program. I currently have an autistic child in my pre-k class who has been receiving special services and attending a special class since he was identified as having special needs. My best friend's child who was also diagnosed with a form of autism was also able to get therapists that went to her home when her child was 2 and then sent him to a special preschool program when he was 3. The programs available in each state vary, but your local school system should be able to give you more information. Good luck, I know this diagnosis is devastating but he has been diagnosed so young that intervention will help him so much. Congratulate yourselves for being willing to recognize that there is a problem and get help for it. Many parents have difficulty doing that.

Answer 5

I taught autistic children for a number of years.  People come from all over the world to Chapel Hill, N.C.for hands-on training for their autistic children, even preschoolers.  If you could avail yourself of this opportunity, you should take your child there for a complete evaluation & training for yourself & your child.  Project TEACCH (an acronym for Training & Education of Autistic & related Communication-Handicapped CHildren).  TEACCH is a division of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (the #28 university in the nation), & is a division of the UNC Dept. of Psychiatry.  They started this program in the early '70's.  When I studied there, there was a group of teachers from Japan who were there to learn.  You can also get a lot of information regarding toilet training, information on autism, etc. today just by reading their site.  Their superior staff will, no doubt, be able to assist you in finding an ABA specialist.

This is the link:

http://www.teacch.com/

Another site worth mentioning is http://www.do2learn.com/

However, I cannot emphasize this enough, TEACCH is your definitive answer.

Good luck & God bless!  :)