The ever-increasing number of children who experience significant developmental problems requires a proportional addition of skilled professionals for assessment and intervention.
At The Child Development Center, we have noted the emergence of certain patterns of treatment choices. Intelligent, involved parents express their concern about the paucity of well-trained professionals, the cost of treatment, the lack of insurance, and frustration with the speed or course of their child’s progress.
Applied Behavioral Analysis
The general consensus is that the proven protocols of behavioral intervention are most likely to result in significant symptom reduction in patients with ASD. As reported in the 2001 publication, Educating Children with Autism, “teaching parents how to use pivotal response training as part of their applied behavioral analysis instruction resulted in happier parent-child interactions, more interest by the parents in the interaction, less stress, and a more positive communication style. The use of effective teaching methods for a child with autism can have a measurable positive impact on family stress. As a child’s behavior improves and his or her skills become more adaptive, families have a wider range of leisure options and more time for one another… To realize these gains, parents must continue to learn specialized skills enabling them to meet their child’s needs.”
Why does utilization of ABA lag behind other treatments
in so many regions around the country?
The prevalence of children with autism is outstripping the number of qualified, interested therapists. Economic pressures appear to dictate direct provision of services by paraprofessionals who are properly supervised. Therefore, the most efficient providers frequently observe, evaluate, and mentor the less-experienced staff. For-profit companies may find such practice difficult to maintain.
Insurance companies regularly find a way to weasel out of their commitments, many times in spite of outside mandates or even advertised benefits. Denial of payment for services may take the form of incorrect coding, credentialing, and timeliness of payment. Providers are, therefore, less likely to accept their (lack of) coverage.
There are a variety of types of behavioral intervention; including DTT, EIBI, PRT, VBI, DIR, TEACCH, OT, Sensory Integration Therapy, Speech Therapy, and PECS. Devotees of each claim superiority of their strategy. Such a smorgasbord may confuse even the most attentive parent.
Discussion
Recovery from the major challenges that accompany an autism diagnosis is an exhausting journey for the whole family. Traditional therapies are the proven tools to enable a successful transformation. They are an important consideration that must be offered to every patient. Parents should use their common sense, plus their unique understanding of the child, to assess whether the plan of action really applies. Does the suggested intervention make sense? Does the child ‘click’ with the therapist(s)?
When professionals continue to insist that 1) you are not doing the right thing at home or 2) your child can’t improve in some particular function, it’s imperative to seek additional assistance. Maybe the provider is correct, but little progress will occur if the parties continue to debate.
I often advise parents who are concerned about some ‘magic’ 25-40 hour ABA requirement, that a good OT, or PT, etc., has learned to be effective by utilizing a variety of techniques. Therefore, you can add up the various interventions, and will frequently find that you don’t need to feel guilty about that numeric stipulation.
As children improve, the challenges of proper socialization and self-control become the most difficult and lingering concern. This may require an entirely new and unique skill-set to come to the fore.
Conclusion
All interested professionals; including chiropractors, acupuncturists, alternative and traditional practitioners, can be important members of the village trying to get your child on the right track. Because the present state-of-the-art is in such flux, the correct combination of traditional and alternative protocols provides the best chance for a successful outcome.