Rowanbirch
March 27th, 2006, 06:22 PM
Hi. I am a certified parent coach/autistic paraprofessional who works in the home doing carryover therapies and ABA for preschool aged autistic kids.
I charge 25.00/hr with a min of two hours. *yes, it really does make a difference between an hour and two. With two hours I can set up, talk to the Mom/Dad/Caregiver before and after.
Here is my rant, bear with me.
I am constantly told by other therapists that I charge too little. ( I have a degree in youth ministry everything I learned was learned via experience/workshops and additional classwork, I just think charging 90-175 dollars per hour would be ridiculous at this point).
Today, I just found out that a workshop that I would like to attend with a parent is now 2,500 for three days, not including lodging and food.
I am so frustated. On average, the parents I work with spend around 4,000 dollars a month in therapy, with insurance covering only about 2,000 of that.
To me, I feel like parents of ASD children are being exploited by the people who want to help them. And, let me say I am really starting to get torqued at this so called "therapists". One of my little clients, I went to pick up at his therapy office, and since I have open privleges there, (I can go back anytime and observe his therapy) I went early to observe. What turned my stomach was that my three year old guy who is capable of so much and who needs help with things like getting dressed and oh, let see, throwing a ball and pushing a car..was sitting at a table sucking applesauce through a straw. I asked the OT how long he had been doing that, and she said-all session. Now, I am honest, and I said, "so, let me get this straight, this little man needs to learn how to be a child and do the work of childhood-play" and you are letting him sit there at 140 dollars per 50 minutes sucking applesauce through a straw, and not even teaching him how to use a spoon?"(which he needs to do too) I got some bs about sensory integration, and proceptive skills, and working his mouth...and new tastes..
And I said to the OT-"I am calling you on all this BS. Because you know what-he eats applesauce, his mouth was evaluated by a specalist and doesn't need any work on getting "loosened up, he is moving his tongue just fine and apples and anything to do tasting apples is an old taste to him. Do your job that you overcharging people for."
I am just so frustrated with these so called "autisic specialists" who work for years with one child, overcharge, and still don't get results. I think the whole field of autistic "experts" are just a bunch of money grubbing people who are exploiting parents who are the most vulnerable.
And for the record, I work hard for my 25.00 dollars an hour. In fact I would charge 15.00-20.00 but I also count that extra 10.00 dollars because I write monthly reports and write programs as part of my fee.
Okay rant over.
Thanks for listening.
Robin
I charge 25.00/hr with a min of two hours. *yes, it really does make a difference between an hour and two. With two hours I can set up, talk to the Mom/Dad/Caregiver before and after.
Here is my rant, bear with me.
I am constantly told by other therapists that I charge too little. ( I have a degree in youth ministry everything I learned was learned via experience/workshops and additional classwork, I just think charging 90-175 dollars per hour would be ridiculous at this point).
Today, I just found out that a workshop that I would like to attend with a parent is now 2,500 for three days, not including lodging and food.
I am so frustated. On average, the parents I work with spend around 4,000 dollars a month in therapy, with insurance covering only about 2,000 of that.
To me, I feel like parents of ASD children are being exploited by the people who want to help them. And, let me say I am really starting to get torqued at this so called "therapists". One of my little clients, I went to pick up at his therapy office, and since I have open privleges there, (I can go back anytime and observe his therapy) I went early to observe. What turned my stomach was that my three year old guy who is capable of so much and who needs help with things like getting dressed and oh, let see, throwing a ball and pushing a car..was sitting at a table sucking applesauce through a straw. I asked the OT how long he had been doing that, and she said-all session. Now, I am honest, and I said, "so, let me get this straight, this little man needs to learn how to be a child and do the work of childhood-play" and you are letting him sit there at 140 dollars per 50 minutes sucking applesauce through a straw, and not even teaching him how to use a spoon?"(which he needs to do too) I got some bs about sensory integration, and proceptive skills, and working his mouth...and new tastes..
And I said to the OT-"I am calling you on all this BS. Because you know what-he eats applesauce, his mouth was evaluated by a specalist and doesn't need any work on getting "loosened up, he is moving his tongue just fine and apples and anything to do tasting apples is an old taste to him. Do your job that you overcharging people for."
I am just so frustrated with these so called "autisic specialists" who work for years with one child, overcharge, and still don't get results. I think the whole field of autistic "experts" are just a bunch of money grubbing people who are exploiting parents who are the most vulnerable.
And for the record, I work hard for my 25.00 dollars an hour. In fact I would charge 15.00-20.00 but I also count that extra 10.00 dollars because I write monthly reports and write programs as part of my fee.
Okay rant over.
Thanks for listening.
Robin