Choosing a service provider

After understanding the goals of early intervention and how to choose a therapy approach comes the question of how to choose a service provider for the therapy delivery and what to expect as you start working with them. Here are some thoughts that can help.

Multifunctional Approach

As we saw earlier, all the goals and needs of a child cannot be addressed by one therapy or approach. When working with multiple therapy providers, the parents end up having to coordinate between different therapists. In such cases, it is important to ensure the therapists are willing to work with you for this purpose. A better case would be when therapists are willing to talk to each other. The best is when a single service provider brings together the multifunctional team needed to meet all the therapy needs of your child.

Family Centred

While it is the individual with autism that receives the therapy, it is the entire family that is dealing with autism. A service provider willing to take a family centric approach should be preferred. The service provider should understand the importance of co-opting the family, keeping them involved, and support and train them, as necessary. Parental involvement and training become especially important when young children are involved as the children may benefit more when therapists and parents understand each other and work together.

Assessments and plans

When the therapy providers start working with your child, they should assess your child’s needs and develop an Individual Education Plan. Please ask the service providers what kinds of assessments they conduct to ensure they identify the specific needs and goals of your child. These assessments are necessary, so an individually designed therapy plan is developed for your child. This plan should also include details of how they plan to track and communicate the progress to you. Please insist that this plan be made and shared with you in a reasonable time. It is also important that the providers explain this plan to you in a way you can understand. Ideally, this plan should include your input and requirements as well.

Clear communication

At all points of time, the service providers should provide clear and transparent communication regarding the goals, the program, and the progress. Service providers should be willing to include parents and other caregivers in the therapy program.

Respect and dignity

Any practice that does not respect the individual with autism and the caregivers needs to be questioned. Individuals need to be treated with dignity and respect, irrespective of the goals and efficacy of the therapy. Parents and caregivers must be treated with respect and recommendations delivered respectfully. Most importantly individuals and parents should never feel pressurized or bullied by professionals.

Training and qualifications

Whether the therapy is provided by a single provider or by different providers, it is important for the parents to ensure that the therapists are well trained and qualified to deliver the therapy. Please do not hesitate to ask for details of certification and training.

References and history

When choosing a service provider, please ask for references and learn about the experience of other parents who have worked with them before. Please learn about how the providers deal with children, parental questions, and concerns and what the outcomes of the therapy were.

In summary, the therapy provider you choose should take a multifunctional approach, involve the family, provide comprehensive therapy plans and progress tracking and be respectful to the individual with autism and the family.