I just can't seem to let this one go and it's bothering me so much that I'm not sleeping.
My son is NOT a CASH COW because he has Autism. People think that because a lot of Autism Families receive funding that it doesn't matter what they charge to work with our kids because it's not really our money..
NEWSFLASH! If we HAD money we wouldn't QUALIFY for FUNDING dumb asses, um Hello? ALSO IMPORTANT is the concept that the more money you charge per hour the LESS HOURS the child can receive!
A true behaviorist that is whole heartedly in it for the RIGHT reasons makes their focus on getting the child their HOURS FIRST. We've seen it time and time again with the Lovaas Center out of Vegas. We cannot say enough about the quality of the consultants they employ and the amazing tutors they've helped train to work in our homes.
I've really come to respect that fact that they've learned like everything else in life it's about finding a balance among their client list between families that have money and those of us that don't. If a current tutor/aspiring BCBA is doing it for the right reasons they will have equal of both types of families because they recognize that all kids deserve the chance at a future and not just kids who's parents make bank.
Personally if it was up to me wages would be paid on a sliding scale based on each families income so that everyone pays the same % end of story. (I also feel that way about taxes but that's another post entitled Brandi's Utopia that will never see the light of day!)
Please don't get me wrong: I whole heartedly support higher education and I am in no way minimizing the personal and financial costs it takes to complete all of the hours of studying and test taking and hands on observation people go through to get their degrees and certifications. But I've learned over the years that credentials don't mean anything if you suck at your job or just suck in general as a human being, sorry.
ABA is something you either really get or you don't plain and simple. What matters to me first before credentials as a mom is does this person SEE MY SON, do they SEE HIM AS A HUMAN BEING, or is he just another stat, a number, extra hours to add to a resume, research, $$ in their wallet?
When you know that a parent can't put a price on helping their child; denying that child help based on their parents income is, well let's be honest it's emotional extortion because you're relying on the parent's fear and,hope, guilt desperation and sense of helplessness.
Way too many people are out there taking advantage of Autism.
It's not a matter of whether or not people who work with Autism deserve to make a lot of money.... HELL FREAKIN YES THEY DO! Guess what, so do a whole list of other thankless occupations out there where people get screwed but still do the work because something inside of them tells them they have to help.
I've been running Z's programs since day 1 and it's been a journey let me tell you, my sons tutors have earned every penny. They are worth so much more than we can afford and we know it, we would give them the world if we could and they know it and that's why we have such a successful and mutually respectful relationship, because sometimes it really is the thought that counts!
We can't justify coughing up a kidney for some person who just walked into our home for the first time demanding way more money than our current tutors. You're sitting at our second hand table in our kitchen after walking through our tv-less living room past our broken down couch; sitting looking into my eyes... the eyes of a woman who has lived without health insurance for way too long, lived without desperately needed dental care, a woman who's clothes are the wrong size because she hasn't purchased new clothing that wasn't absolutely necessary in years,a family who's had to come to terms with filing bankruptcy, living month to month because the word savings hasn't existed in 3 years all in the name of affording therapy for their son. Boo Freakin Do Dah Hoo to you Buddy... here let me get you a tissue, oh wait we can't afford any!
If we COULD pay anyone those wages we'd pay our lead tutors first because THEY'VE done all the work with our son, THEY'VE earned it because THEY care and THEY are loyal, they've clocked countless hours and endured very non pleasant behaviors, put the effort into helping my son and have stayed with him even when they could have left for more money elsewhere. FOR THE RECORD I have fired tutors who have cancelled sessions on my son because someone offered them more money for the day and I wouldn't want to bring anyone into our house that I know is just going to up and abandon my son the second someone offers them more money, that's not fair to Zander. It doesn't say really good things about you as a person, so the rich families can have you and your bountiful narcissism.
Also shame, shame, shame on the parents who have the money and wave exorbitant amounts in front of tutors to steal them away from other families in the first place.
Yep look at those fish lips, they don't deserve a future at all right? Geez!
