FAQ about BI Work?
How do I know if my child needs this?
There’s no one right answer to this question, it's more witnessing if there are specific struggles that one might be having. If we look at the younger range of individuals it could be as simple as no eye contact to not wanting any physical affection. This same want/needcan also be shown through limited verbal responses or none at all at different ages. It may look different between different children as well as at different ages. Atolder ages when emotions or situations become too overwhelming, and there may be a major shut down where the individual may become non verbal as well. Perhaps in some social settings with other kids or individuals you may find that your child doesn’t interact or has a special interest. This special interest is something they constantly are focusing on and wanting to learn more about it also may be something they are verbal about. Overall, with this one it involves looking at if there are significant impacts to the child’s developmental milestones, including but not limited to socialization, emotions and communication skills.
Funding and money
In short, funding comes from the government specifically when looking at BC. Funding is used towards getting tools and services for your child. This includes things such as paying for a BI or also could be going to a speech therapist. It also could be as simple as getting fidgets, workbooks or an iPad for communication. The amount of funding unfortunately changes once a child reaches the age of six below is a link to the BC funding guidelines.
How will this help?
ABA and BI (behavioural interventions) are there to give tools to help aid you or your child in their day to day. The tools are not there to change your child or get rid of Autismthey are there to help navigate through life as one processes things differently. It’s not a way of taking away from the person but rather to give them different tools to express their needs in a way that is unique to them. Due to the programs being so tailored to each individual, it gives the flexibility to do so.
Time commitment
This can range depending on how much support you are looking for. On average if we are looking at kids through the age range of six and under it would most likely look like 2-4 sessions a week. The time length could vary from 1 hour to 2.5 hours (this includes snack breaks etc). Then including a monthly team meeting which usually spans anywhere between 1.5 hours to 3.5hrs (this doesn’t include the child for the entirety of the time) usually just parents and team. If we look at the range of ages 6 and above, most will be attending school and usually looks closer to 2-3 sessions a week depending on a child’s need with the same team meeting.
Does this affect school?
ABA and BI work doesn’t interfere with the school day. This work would be done outside of school hours. However, there are times schools may notice specific areas that the child may need more support with. When this occurs, school teams may reach out to parents or the child’s team for discussion/consultation to help better support the child
Is there medication for this?
There’s no medication for Autism specifically. Although occasionally individuals with Autism may also have severe anxiety or other mental health concerns. These other mental health concerns often can be treated with medication.