[Dave Collyer]

Hi Michelle,

I'm neither a consultant nor a therapist… However as a parent I have found this to be a good place to start (and I do mean "start" as I seem to be never done with this issue): http://www.lovaas.com/faq.php (half way down the page is a blurb abour EL and "no" ).

There are many many iterations and reiterations regarding the differences, advantages, and risks presented with the varous strategies in the journals and on various web pages…. some of which are very fair and balanced while others are sort of hysterical-emotional or wishful in nature.

Here is an OK online source of info: http://seab.envmed.rochester.edu/jaba/jabaindx.asp (once there search "errorless learning" or whatever combo of keywords crosses your mind… front page: http://seab.envmed.rochester.edu/jaba/index.html ).

Dave.

[Dave Collyer]

Shaw Test Post 4…

[Dave Collyer]

….from my end (after some lengthy phone conversations with Shaw Tech support and a few emails regarding the bounced mail and "trusted" ISP status) it appears that Shaw Cable has corrected the email "filter" that was preventing notification of FEAT posts… I am now (as of this morning) being updated as members post to the FEAT "chat board". Is this the case for other FEAT members who use Shaw email addresses?

D.

[Dave Collyer]

SHAW CABLE test post 3.

[Dave Collyer]

Shaw Test (again)…

[Dave Collyer]

Test Post re Shaw issue…

[Dave Collyer]

Hi all,

***Junior Therapist needed to join our Victoria based Team.***

Our home based program is under the direction of Dr. Sara White (PhD, BCBA, Institute for Child Development, Binghamton University) and assisted by Michelle Karen (or fantastic FEAT Trainer). Under the dynamic, focused guidance of these two dedicated and insightful women our son has flourished!… This position will provide the successful candidate with an excellent learning opportunity to continue to develop new therapy skills and refine old skills.

Our son is 4.5 years old. He has DS and AD. He is VERY smart, funny, playful, affectionate and silly… a real joy to be with.

Position would suit psychology students (or those in related areas of study… C&YC, SW, ECE etc). Candidates should be willing to work on a collaborative team as an active participant. Sense of humor required. Ability to play with children required. Previous experience working with children in ABA programs an asset but training will be provided. Additional experience working with children with Down Syndrome also an asset. CRC required.

Dave Collyer
drcollyer(AT)shaw(DOT)ca

[Dave Collyer]

Yes….Issac is "on target". In my rush to post (running off to the school to pick up #1 son while #2 was wanting his snack) I may have not placed sufficient emphasis on the importance of having a skilled consultant. Even though my wife and I have graduate level training in related fields I do not think we are qualified to run an ABA program as we both lack direct supervision in application (CRITICAL). Beyond this issue even though our course work was related it was not ABA specific. Later after many more thousands of hours of training (yep… .it is being considered) maybe… but even then it may not be a great idea as Moms and Dads often do not see their own children objectively.

Based on my limited experience I offer the following… when looking for a new consultant:

Be cautious of those who hold graduate degrees (ie master degrees, PhD,) in related fields but who lack specific course work in ABA (asking for a detailed list of course work is not a bad idea…. my current consultant has a 14 page CV listing degrees, coursework, supervision, clinical work, research publications, grants, current research projects, published research, awards, experience, conference presentations given, psych tests she has experience administering and so on…). Compare credible grad program course work to courses listed on the potential consultants CV.

Be cautious of those who present as consultants but who lack direct supervision under a senior consultant or clinical director (check up on the senior consultant-director to).

Be careful of those who ONLY have experience in related areas (ie school special ed teachers, SLPs,, OTs, Social Workers, Counselors, School Psychologists) or those who have worked with ASD children but who have limited experience in ABA programming. These folks can often "talk the talk" and some can "walk the walk" but in order to figure out who is a "talker" and who can "walk the walk"" you need to do some serious background checks (call references, call other ABA folks, call other ABA families affiliated with FEAT or alternate groups). Ask about experience SPECIFICALLY related to ABA programming… For example It is not a sufficient depth of experience in my opinion to have been an educator (ie Special Ed Teacher) or social worker (Crisis Intervention Worker) or related profession even if the candidate has worked with ASD children (ie by this standard neither my wife or I would make good consultants even though we have both worked with ASD children). You are looking for ABA experience with ASD children not just experience with ASD children in generic eclectic programs (I really don't know of any Spec. Ed. Teachers who run ABA programs in their school "classrooms"… are there any? If so hook me up as I intend to check them out and if they are good I'm moving to their district).

You may be well served to take some degree of caution when the potential candidate has ABA experience but not ABA with ASD experience (the field of ABA extends beyond application to just ASD…).

Be cautious of those who hold certificates or diplomas in ABA or have such qualifications in progress. Some older Certificates-Diplomas have validity but these credentials are more difficult to evaluate in my opinion. (I know of one well respected old school ABA consultant who holds a master level diploma from the 70s… initially this made me leery of considering him/her… but after a deeper background check (references from many FEAT families, members of the council, and others) this person is on my list as a good potential candidate based on resume, checking with others in the field about the nature of the diploma and FEAT parents references… )

Be cautious of those who have master degrees in progress or other credentials under way (ie diplomas or certificates). I personally would not consider them as fully qualified consultants and would look for additional supervision form a senior well qualified supervisor.

Be cautious of those who offer consulting services but who only hold under graduate degrees… in these situations the quality of the supervision the undergraduate is under is critical… Some of these folks will hold BCABA credentials but in my opinion this is not sufficient. I would want to be completely certain that significant amounts of high quality supervision is occurring on a regular basis prior to contracting. If possible hours of supervision per week could and perhaps should be specified.

Call grad schools (office of the registrar) to confirm degree status as sometimes what is claimed is not what has been granted.

Call families who have established programs to see if they have worked with the consultant you are interested in… and call more families… the informal FEAT network of parents can help… also call those who are outside of the FEAT groups for different perspectives in case the FEAT community has missed a critical pc of information (yes… I know this is unlikely but you never know ;0) ).

OK… There are more cautions while trying to find a good consultant but I am about out of time. To sum up finding our new consultant was one of the hardest bits of sleuthing I have ever done… but it was absolutely critical to do.

D.

[Dave Collyer]

Hello Peter, ??We have also just been thru a very similar process… we now have a new consultant and a consultant-in-supervision who are both simply excellent. I suspect that each time a family transitions form one consultant to another the process will be different in each case. In our situation simply finding a new consultant who had the experience, training, supervision and practical real world hands on proven effectiveness was a long process…. One of the best sources of finding a good consultant is thru the FEAT associated network of parents. References from these long time ABAers really helped us sort out the well intentioned but not so skilled consultants from those with requisite experience and expertise. ??If your friends family intends to use funds from the Ministry of Children and Family Development Autism Initiatives branch and the child is under 6 years of age you will need to hire a consultant from the Qualified Service Providers list (QSP list). This list is maintained by ACTBC and can be found here: http://www.actbc.ca/serviceunder6.htm. ??MCFD has a bunch of information about the "regulations" here: http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/autism/index.htm ??Does your friend have a contract with the old consultant? If so they might want to review the terms of ending the contract in order to avoid any potential issues down the road (ie small claims court). ??Once we found our new consultant they reviewed the old program material, did another assessment as to developmental and functional skills and we proceeded from there. Our old program was in such a state of befuddlement, disrepair and poor design that we "threw it out" and started "fresh". This was the best idea ever. Under the direction of a decent consultant our son has made huge gains far exceeding the rate of learning and skill development the old program and old consultant were able to support. The contrast was/is as significant as night and day. ??Regarding your second question… read the MCFD parent guidebook as it specifies who can provide services if you are using MCFD funds. For the under six children and thru the MCFD program you will need to hire a consultant from the QSP list. ??If your friends family is not using MCFD funds they are not required to hire a consultant HOWVER it seems to me that in not doing so they may be swimming against the current. It has been my experience (which is limited) that a good consultant who has the training, experience and supervision is critical. In our situation both my wife and I have years of experience in education, social work, guidance and counseling as well as educational program design… it was NOT enough in my opinion for us to run our own program. Later… after a few more thousand hours of reading, watching and program exposure I MIGHT consider going it on my own without a consultant but not now…. and even then I think I woudl want a consultant on call as a resource person for when we are "stuck". ??I hope this helps… I suspect you will have lots of other responses… ???D.

[Dave Collyer]

Hi again folks…

For those of you who are interested…. ACT BC seems to be hosting the new L2 criteria and ASD Needs Determination matrix as of this late afternoon. So… if I have not yet responded to your email re sending you a copy you can now download it at ACT BC. All three documents appear to be on the ACT site. Spread the word… http://actbc.ca/newsreleases_moe_asd_funding.htm (front page info @ http://actbc.ca/ )

Dave

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