Hello

[SheVBC]

HI,
I have been kicking around Mumsnet for the past few weeks seeing what everyone is talking about and getting a feel for the site and thought it was time to introduce myself.
My name is Shelley and I am a Verbal Behaviour Consultant who works for NETwork Interventions.
My goal of joining this site is to learn more about what parents want and need.
Sometimes as a professional we lose sight of who we work with, we get bogged down in our daily lives and lose sight of the immense struggles and triumphs that those we work with are experiencing.
I find listening to parents express their successes and struggles helps to keep me informed and effective because I don't lose the compassion and awe that I feel for every parent out there who has a much more difficult and important job than I do.
I also hope that I will have resources and information that may help all of you.
Not entirely sure how people respond to these posts or if they even do but I would love to hear back from someone to know I have put myself out in to the mumsnet world.
Thanx and hope you all had a great weekend.

You're basically advertising yourself aren't you?
You have ot pay for that privilege on here.

Unfortunately I seem to have started off on the wrong foot and put myself out into mumsnet in the wrong manner

Fortunately you have already helped me and with only one post I have learned a lesson.

While difficult to hear criticism, I thank you for taking the time to let me know how I have come across.

What parents want and need is good quality information about therapies. We need flexible hiring and firing, not up front packages with enormous deposits without any guarantees of success (which you won't be able to give). We need therapy that is affordable and we as parents need to retain control over who and how.

Hope that helps.

Yes - that does help.
I have been asked if I can "guarantee" before and my response was "no".
There are so many variables that go into programming and no one person can account for all of them.
What we can do is offer the best services based on the most recent research and ensure communication.
I also like your comment about parents needing to retain control over who and how - I completely agree.
Parents need to be informed and making decisions rather than having a professional navigate their child's future.
I imagine this is much easier said than done though as there is so much thrown at parents with very little help to wade through it.
Thank you for the feedback.
Much appreciated.

It is true what you say about parent and what is thrown at them, but chosing to go down the ABA route is like the ultimate exam in knowing what you want/need, because the sacrafices to do this are incredible.

Parents need an approach that is empowering rather than handing over the responsibility for their 'problem' to someone else to take over. I am nervous of providers who charge a bomb up front for something that has not yet been proven for THEIR child I suppose is the point I was trying to make.

I think responsible providers need to point out that ABA is hard work for the parents too and not really something many can simply buy as a solution.