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Do not go here, this "Institute" does not offer a real stuttering program. The American Institute of Stuttering (AIS) was founded by someone who originally worked for Dr. Ronald Webster of the Hollins Communications Institute in Virginia, a real Institute associated with a University, AIS occupies a few rooms on one floor in downtown Manhattan.

The Founder of AIS delivered the Hollins Precision Fluency Shaping Program (PFSP) for Ronald Webster in NYC for approx. 8 years until Dr. Webster finally determined she wasn't delivering it correctly and he fired her. I went to the NYC PFSP in the 80's and knew her. And went back there several times for refreshers.

What I found out the hard way is that she never understood Dr. Webster's stuttering program, she never delivered it correctly and she probably was never really interested to deliver it correctly. She was too heavily influenced by her experiences at the Option Institute in Mass. that she heavily attended. The Option Insitute has a cult like environment led by a charasmatic leader who provides advice on how to be happy and successful using such techniques as "don't judge yourself or others" which you are supposed to do constantly all day long (how practical is that?).

With respect to her and Dr. Webster, she was fired as I said and she then started the Total Immersion Fluency Program (a rather bold title don't you think?) using the same information and technique provided by the PFSP without their important feedback computer to judge your voice and used the same material in new manuals with her name on it. SHE ADVERTISED HER NEW PROGRAM "AS THE RESULT OF TRAVELING ALL OVER THE WORLD"!! I took this program and she told me before I came that it was all new material!! She had dropped one PFSP speech target and I trusted her and then I walked around stuttering out of control until I put it back in and then my speech improved.

She then continued to change the PFSP program until it was called the American Institute for Stuttering program. The AIS Founder seems to think that she has the "option" to change the speech program she delivers for approx. $4,000 whenever she wants to and experiment with people who are hoping to have control over their speech as often as she wants. The American Institute for Stuttering program is yet one more program that the Founder came up with that does not work. But AIS has a board of famous people who stutter whose speech problem was mild in the first place (obviously) who you would think is active in the AIS stuttering program providing tips and such but they are not, they are just on the Board for show. The AIS program is a buffet of all and any techniques for stuttering determined over the past 100 years including a small part of the Hollins program (hey, what the heck!). AIS is actually guilty of false advertising indirectly since one of course assumes that either the people on the Board took one of her programs or that they use techniques that are in the AIS program or that YOU will be able to eventually talk like them.

This is not true. One major part of the AIS program is heavy use of Option techniques to reduce the nervousness associated with stuttering. Their effectiveness is questionable.

The AIS program is actually a glorification of the Founders personal experiences at the Option Institute where now SHE is the guru of HER Institute. People believe she is wonderful because they believe she has the right idea that stuttering cannot be cured or really controlled (it is neurological and genetically based) and that she is wonderful enough to know that and tell them that which is not true.

People love her because she doesn't make them do the unfortunate tuff work which one has to do to control stuttering (which the people on the Board may have done) and gives them recognition for their stuttering problem and "emotional" support for the problem.

AIS is a mini Option Institute and monument to the Founder of AIS who had an uncanny knack for charming people of all backgrounds and professions to do things for her like be on her board. The main stuttering technique is RANDOM FLUENCY MANAGEMENT. Go to Hollins and work hard.


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Controversial autism guru offers Scots a £7,000 'cure'

Published on 06/09/2008 19:36

AN AMERICAN medical guru who charges thousands of pounds to "cure" autistic children is heading to Scotland amid a storm of controversy.

Raun Kaufman insists he "fully recovered" from the condition and can show others how to do the same.

But medical experts and autism groups have accused Kaufman's organisation of misleading parents, claiming there is no scientific evidence.

A number of specialists – including one of Scotland's most senior consultants – have urged families to think long and hard before signing up for the Son-Rise programme, which can cost more than 7,000.

(this is pounds--depending on current rate of exchange, the pound is worth anywhere from 1.5 to 1.80 US dollars at a given time--Corboy)
More than 50,000 people in Scotland are thought to have some form of autism, typically leaving them with difficulty in communicating and interacting with others.

Autism is a neurological disorder and most scientists believe there can, therefore, be no "cure". The symptoms of the condition are usually addressed through education in specialised classes with small numbers of pupils. With years of expert support, youngsters can make significant progress and go on to gain qualifications and hold down jobs.

Kaufman, who runs the Autism Treatment Centre of America, based in Massachusetts, will give a lecture at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, on October 5 entitled 'An Autism Solution' and is also due to speak in London, Manchester and Birmingham.

UK tour coordinator Rachel Jacobson predicted that a capacity audience of 200 people would attend the free Edinburgh talk.

People attending the lecture who are interested in learning more will be offered a consultation session with a Son-Rise counsellor. They will then be given official books on the programme including A Miracle To Believe In and Happiness Is A Choice.

If they are still interested they can then sign-up to begin one of the intensive Son-Rise programmes.

Jacobson said Kaufman's speech would "debunk the myth" that autism is incurable.

"We have seen full recovery in many, many people since then, but it is challenging to give an exact number."

The Son-Rise scheme encourages parents to mimic their child's behaviour in order to increase trust.

Parents are also advised to create a distraction-free "playroom" in their home with toys and food being kept out of reach in order to compel youngsters to communicate.

Dr Iain McClure compiled NHS Scotland's guidelines on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) last year and examined a variety of outside treatment programmes.

He said: "There was no evidence found for a cure by any method.

"As far as mainstream clinicians and researchers who work with autism are aware, autism is not a condition that one recovers from."

McClure, a consultant psychiatrist with NHS Tayside, urged parents to consult the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network website before investing in any treatment.

"For every parent that Son–Rise presents as being convinced their child has been 'cured' or improved, there will be an equal, if not greater, group who will be dissatisfied."

Dr Richard Mills, director of independent charity Research Autism, also urged caution.

He said: "Anecdotal reports of recovery are not evidence. There have been no independently conducted, peer-reviewed scientific trials of the Son-Rise method so we cannot recommend it to parents."

And Carol Povey, head of adult services with the National Autistic Society, said: "I have spoken to Raun Kaufman and told him there is no cure for autism. To claim otherwise is to mislead families who are extremely vulnerable."

Dr Katie Cebula, of Edinburgh University, has conducted research into the impact of Son–Rise on families.

The committee member of the Scottish Autism Research Group said: "Around half of those involved reported that it caused some difficulties for their family life.

"Nearly all reported some financial impact."

Cebula said there were also anecdotal reports from parents who found the programme helpful, but said further independent evaluation was needed to get a complete picture.

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Abstract of article listed above

· Performing your original search, [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov], in PubMed will retrieve 24 records.

J Intellect Disabil Res. 2003 May-Jun;47(Pt 4-5):291-9.
The Son-Rise Program intervention for autism: an investigation into family experiences.
Williams KR, Wishart JG.
Source
Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. katie.williams@ed.ac.uk

Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Despite the increasing involvement of parents as therapists in interventions for their children with autism, research to date has focused almost exclusively on the outcome for the child, and little is known about the effects of involvement on the whole family.

This is true even of highly intensive home-based approaches such as the Son-Rise Program (SRP), the focus of the present paper. A longitudinal questionnaire-based study is reported which investigated a number of potential positive and negative effects for the family, how these changed over time, and their relation to child characteristics and patterns of intervention implementation.

METHODS:
Questionnaires examining family demographics, patterns of intervention use and perceived family effects were distributed three times over the course of a year to families who had attended an initial training course in the use of the SRP.

RESULTS:
The results indicated that, although involvement led to more drawbacks than benefits for the families over time, family stress levels did not rise in all cases. Few relationships were found between family effects and patterns of intervention use, although there was a strong connection with parental perceptions of intervention efficacy.

CONCLUSIONS:
The findings of the present study emphasize the need for those supporting families using home-based interventions to consider the needs of the whole family. This may be especially important if there are periods during which the family find the intervention to be less effective.

Families embarking on such intensive approaches may also benefit from considering ways in which any disruption to family life can be minimized.

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How Much Money Is Enough to Cover Costs of Autism Treatment?
From Lisa Jo Rudy, About.com GuideJuly 6, 2008

We are told, over and over again, that the cost of proper treatment for autism can range up to $70,000 a year. At the same time, however, parents of many children with autism have become, in essence, paraprofessional therapists - providing hours of therapeutic play and interaction based on various methods such as Floortime, Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) and SonRise. While there are costs for parents to be trained and supported in these methods, even the highest costs range somewhere in the vicinity of $10,000 per year - and that includes individualized consulting, conferences, and equipment.

In fact, the $70,000 a year pricetag is almost always quoted in connection with the cost of 40 hours a week of 1:1 Applied Behavior Analysis provided by a trained professional in a public school, home, or private setting. Added to that cost may also be the price of occupational, physical and speech therapy - but those latter costs are relatively tiny compared to the overwhelming pricetag for ABA.

(deleted for brevity-- Corboy)

But Kristin Jacobson of Autism Speaks California contends that the healthcare industry has "washed its hands of autism entirely." Parents of children who don't qualify for public programs "bear the full burden of the treatment costs and pay their premiums," she said. "They aren't asking for a free ride. They are paying premiums."

Is there any way to manage these costs? It seems to me that there must be options available that have yet to be explored. Insurance doesn't cover the full cost of any medical procedure; instead they negotiate a standard fee that's well under the cost that an individual would pay without that insurance.

Yet the cost of ABA seems to be figured at approximately $35/hour per child (assuming a $70,000 pricetag and 40 solid hours of 1:1 ABA per week for 52 weeks a year per child - surely an absolute ceiling relative to treatment).

Even the good folks at the New York State Health Department suggest that 25 hours a week of therapy may be sufficient for some children. (article entitled how much applied Behavioral Analysis is enough)

[autism.about.com]

And even school districts and agencies that provide ABA on a regular basis provide fewer than 52 weeks per year of solid therapy. After all, even children with autism have to get a little exercise... eat meals... go on vacation... and generally engage in some activities other than behavioral therapy.

What's more - 1:1 ABA therapy may be overseen by a Ph.D. professional - but it is almost always administered day-by-day by a therapist with relatively minimal training and experience. Does it really make sense that that individual should make something like $70,000 per year to work with an individual child - or that that therapist should work with that child 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year?

Even dedicated parents who have taken on the job of fulltime therapist to their child take occasional days and hours off - or choose to engage with their children in non-therapeutic ways from time to time.

In short, it seems to me that something is very wrong with the way we're figuring costs, managing resources, and negotiating fees for autism treatment. What are your thoughts?

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July 6, 2008 at 10:07 pm
(1) anonymous says:
your perceptions on ABA and its costs are actually incorrect. The $70,000 to cover the costs of Intensive Behavioral Intervention (a form of ABA specifc to treating children with autism and developmental disablities) does not go to one person. A child receiving this treatment is working with a team of 3-4 therapists and this team is supervised by a psychologist or professional with a Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis. Often therapists that are hired privately are students who still need to go through training and are typically paid $15/hr, not $35. IBI is scientifically proven to be effective when provided for 25-40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. That’s why it is called Intensive Behavioral Intervention, and its that intensity that makes it such an effective treatment for these children. Yes, it is costly, but in the long run, it is more cost effective to pay for the treatment while the child is young then foot the bill for institution/residential care when the child turns 18, is no longer part of the school system, and cannot care independently for his or herself. Not to mention that these parents have enough on their plates caring for a child with autism, should worrying about where to come up with $70,000 for necessary

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July 6, 2008 at 10:43 pm
(2) Lisa says:
ABA is a terrific teaching tool for kids with autism – but so far as I’m aware there’s no longitudinal research at this point that shows that people who go through such intensive ABA are in fact likely to live independently. The suggestion is “pay now or pay later,” but I’m not sure it’s really an either/or – in many cases it may be a “both/and” situation.

But setting all that aside – assuming that ABA is the best choice for all children with autism (and some people would disagree with that premise), surely there must be a way to lower or negotiate or otherwise support such enormous costs.
According to the IDEA, children can remain in school not until age 18, but until age 21. At that rate, the school district, insurance company, or other agency would pay approximately $1,330,000 in ABA fees alone for each individual child with autism. That doesn’t include, of course, any other costs involved with raising and educating a child. And that’s a per-child cost – not the cost of educating all special needs children in the district.

While I am the parent of a child with autism and care about him deeply, it’s easy for me to understand why taxpayers, parents, and insureds have concerns about this.

It’s not reasonable to expect parents with autistic children to pay individually out of pocket for ABA, any more than it’s reasonable for patients to pay individually out of pocket for surgery. But when you see your HMO’s bill for surgery, you see that the hospital charged some enormous sum… the HMO paid a far lower sum… and the hospital called the bill “paid.” The HMO negotiated the fee.

Surely there is room for negotiation when it comes to the cost of ABA therapy.
Lisa (autism guide)

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July 6, 2008 at 11:00 pm
(3) Sandy says:

From parent’s I’ve spoken with, many have one ABA therapist, not a team of more than 2.

Since all children are different, it’s hard to say of what any therapy will keep a child from institution/residential care when the child turns 18. ABA in no way means this still is not a possibility. Since all kids are different, my child diagnosed with severe autism, infantile onset has never had one minute of ABA therapy and I hardly expect his future is pre-planned as a result to an institution/residential care when he turns 18.

Such a statement being said to any parent would surely make them jump for ABA therapy, fork over the 70K and in the end the child’s fate may still be that they can not live on their own without living support.

I don’t necessarily even agree with 40 hours of anything that also includes a therapist.

It almost makes the child then dependant on the therapist. Many have said that much ABA results in a child more looking like they were institutionalized than that of a child never getting ABA. As for the cost, again it’s supply and demand. many do have little training and many claim to be certified when they’re not.

There really should be some watch dog reporting of this.

Most insurances will cover O.T and Speech and they do consider many other things alternative even if the autism community considers it mainstream intervention. If ABA is at all related to the education, then insurance companies are going to deem it an educational issue, not medical.