ABA Provider Red Flags

ABA Provider Red Flags: Sherman and the surrounding area needed ABA services for so many years. A lot of families had to drive long distances to get their child the services they need. As this area continues to grow, other providers will open up and provide services to the autism population. The question is, do you know the ABA provider red flags?

1. the ABA company phone number is a cell phone that goes to a personal voicemail service

2. they spend 5 minutes in the presence of your child and say they can't help him/her

3. there is no treatment plan (which is required by insurance)

4. they tell you they will cover the cost

5. they don't communicate with you and give you a daily update of your child's progress for that day

6. they send your child home for behavior

7. they try to hire you as an employee when you are seeking services for your child

8. they don't try to schedule parent training (which is mandatory and required by insurance)

9. the intake process is unorganized and there is no formal meetings

10. something in your gut tells you something is not right!

Function!

The “why” behind behavior. Behavior is anything you and I say and do. Behavior is all around us. Kiddos on the spectrum often use behavior as a form of communication. We call these maladaptive behaviors. I wanted to talk about this in my blog because I see a lot of posts in parent support groups about behavior and frustration behind why it is not decreasing. Well the truth is, it is easy for you and I to inadvertently reinforce a behavior if we don’t know the why (function) behind what is causing the behavior to happen. That is why your practitioner emphasizes the importance of consistency across environments. Is your kiddo in ABA? Attend parent training sessions? Then you know what I am talking about. There are 4 functions of behavior that we look at in the field of ABA. Attention, Escape, Sensory, Access to Tangibles. Every behavior has a function. 

Example: Mom sits bottle on counter, baby sees bottle and cries, baby gets bottle. Hypothesized function is access to tangible. Baby saw the bottle and was hungry and used communication (crying) to get access to the bottle. 

Example: Teacher puts math worksheet in front of Jackson, Jackson swipes the worksheet off of his desk, Jackson is sent out into the hall. Hypothesized function is escape. Jackson doesn’t like math and has learned that if he swipes the paper off the desk that he will get sent out into the hall and he won’t have to do the math worksheet for a little bit longer. 

Routines

Routines! Make your life easier!

So… I am always asked if I implement my knowledge in ABA at home. The truth is, I didn’t for a long time. After a long day reciting green and red choices on the job, I just wanted to come home and be a mom. Jackson’s behavior continued to decline and then I realized that he needed me just as much as my students (when I was still working in education). I knew that there needed to be consistency at home which meant routines. Routines for the whole house, because even neuro-typical kids can benefit from routines. The morning routine was the same everyday and I even had a dear friend in the field create a task analysis for Jackson’s morning routine. Jackson’s clothes were always in the same place as well as his backpack and lunch box. After school everyday it was homework (if any), dinner, bathe, and then 30 minutes on device (if he had a green day). Years of implementation, Jax no longer needs the visual. He dresses himself, has his lunch box laid out for me, and gets up without behavior. Routines and consistency are key! 

Village

It is true, it really does take a village. Sometimes you don’t get to choose your village (meaning…your family is yours and you didn’t get a say at conception or adoption). My village to this day sometimes has to be reminded that Jackson’s discipline looks a little different. Parts of my village are super helpful, others avoid keeping him for a variety of reasons or what I call excuses. He really is quite simple if you ask me, and a lot less dramatic then the other three (all girls). 

Dear Grandma

Every year around the holidays, the texts start pouring in. “What do I get Jax for Christmas?” To be honest, I dread it. I don’t even have the answer to that question for myself. His interests are limited and unless it is technology then he doesn’t want it. Not to mention, I have no idea how to play any form of a game console. Here and there he likes weather and space, so of course everyone latched onto that and bought him books and toys about weather and space. Does he touch them? NO!!! Is there still unopened boxes of some random space lego set from 2020 sitting in his room? YES!!!! I am sorry Gigi and Nana, if you are reading this. Christmas 2021 came and the same questions were posed. After multiple eye rolls from me, the unthinkable happened. I would like to think it was a momentary lapse in thinking. This year, Jackson, who is very literal, and still believes in Santa, opened his presents from grandma (which one not being disclosed) and the gifts were still left in the amazon prime box… not exactly my idea of breaking the news. Thanks, Grandma!

Parenting High-Functioning Autism

There it was like a punch to the gut. Jackson, my sweet, whitty, child on the spectrum came to me and was no longer that little boy. He was growing up, getting older and wiser by the minute. I truly believe that he is smarter than me. But…back to the point of this post. It was after a long day at school that wasn’t ideal due to some frequent outbursts Jackson was experiencing, that he looked at me still very much not in a good place, he screamed while pulling his hair, “why me, what is wrong with my brain?” My son at that moment realized his brain was different. A brain I deem a gift from God, he sees as flawed. A burst of emotion hit me, all I could do in that moment was cry and rub his head. I needed a strategy in that moment that wasn’t in some playbook for parenting a kid on the spectrum. What was I going to say to him that would take away his pain? Would I make it worse or better? Who was to blame for this? After I composed myself, I thought about what I would tell another parent in my shoes. It was time to educate Jackson about Autism, but not just Autism in general. It was time to sit my son down for the first time and educate him on his Autism. I told him about how smart his brain is, and showed him the greats in the world on the spectrum that went on to create amazing things. His eyes grew bigger and his emotions came down. I told him, you too will make a difference. That evening ended, but this conversation was far from over… stay tuned! 

Autopilot

Never a dull moment I always say when asked how I do it all with 4 kids. The truth is I really don’t know how I do it all. There is no playbook on parenting. The good Lord gives you babies, you buy diapers. That cute baby stage, endless sleepless nights….. You spend all that time teaching them to stand up and talk and then you go oh my gosh, I wish you would just sit down and hush! You can judge that comment, but you all know it is true. I say the best way I can sum up how I do it all is…. I am on autopilot! My nights are the same, my mornings are the same. MOM, MOTHER, MOMMY, MOMMA!!!! They all start to sound the same and I lost count on how many times I hear it a day. I am the snack opener, the butt wiper, the booboo fixer, the friend mender. I wear many hats and most moms do. But wait….what is this new found self-love movement??? Do baths with my toddler playing with my bath water count? Does going to the bathroom for 2 minutes of peace and my 4 year old trying to wipe my butt count? The truth is… parenting is hard but so worth it in the most interesting ways. Most days we are just on autopilot…then you get a curveball! 

Curve Ball

A young mom of an awesome little girl, my “mom” life started when I was 21. Thank you for the creator of non-alcoholic beer and making my 21st birthday somewhat enjoyable. My daughter threw me into adult life sooooo fast and being a mom was the new normal. A couple years later,  I had a beautiful little boy with blonde curls and bright blue eyes. He came into the world in a very special way aka known as a labor and delivery disaster! His first year of life was full of illness after illness and a lot of onesies thanks to this lovely thing called reflux. Jax was an easy baby and toddler. He kept to himself, didn’t cry much, and was content in his playpen watching colorful cartoons. When Jax was just a baby, I started working with individuals with special needs. Not my first career choice, but one that landed in my lap and one I absolutely fell in love with. Little did I know, one I would soon learn landed in my lap for a reason. After being in the field for 4 years, I was thrown a curveball. Jax wasn’t talking like kids his age. He was running out of the pre-k building and having meltdowns on the ground. But wait, I work in the field… I should have seen the signs, realized something was off. I did and didn't. Maybe I didn’t want to see it, think about it, or acknowledge it. I knew the people to call, the people that were going to tell me that he is what society deems as normal. THEN BOOM! The field I grew to love impacted me in a whole new way and his name is Jackson and he is my son. My son has autism.