Skybound Autism Therapies

[tryingtokeepintune]

HI,

Wondering if anyone has heard of them? They run 5-day intensive therapy courses and is based in West Wales.

No, but they have good credentials. I looked them up.
They are evidently providers of ABA based treatments.
Can't find a webwsite though.

Thanks for the info Moondog.

They are currently building their website.

They are offering some courses and I am wondering whether to go on them.

I haven't heard of them but I'd ask them lots of questions first. There are a number of 'organisations' that offer ABA that I wouldn't touch with a bargepole. It isn't the ABA that is the problem, it is regulation of the providers and their ethics that I would be concerned about.

ABA is fantastic, but not all ABA providers are the same.

Think is Risca Solomon ? - I have no personal experience of her so don't really know but be wary of anything if there are high costs in the early stages - not that I am saying they have high costs but it is something to check on and compare with other ABA providers. Also never take a pen with you so that you don't end up signing up for something before really thinking it through. I am very enthusiastic about ABA but I have also heard of situations where it goes wrong if the provider is not right - again not saying this one is not because I just don't know.

RS is pretty keen on PROMPT if I remember correctly. In the US they have banned anyone other than SALTs using the approach, but not in the UK for some reason.

What's that then Star?

Hi I know of Risca Solomon she is an excellent ABA supervisor and runs lots of great courses for parents she is also works for the Autism Treatment Trust www.autismtrust.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=22

It should be a great opportunity. I have been running an ABA programme for my son since he was 30 months and he is now 5 years old and it's made a huge difference not only to his life but to ours.

Hi,
I am Risca Solomon and yes I do run Skybound Autism Therapies. I just wanted to say that only SALTs can get trained in PROMPT, I am trained in Talk Tools Levels 1 & 2 and they use tactile cueing along with many other techniques. PROMPT is just one type of tactile cueing which I am not trained in. Moondog, PROMPT is a type of tactile cueing which involves shaping the mouth to make the speech sounds. In my personal and professional experience, as my family have fostered a child with severe autism and severe developmental delay for the past 10 years, Talk Tools has more techniques for developing speech than just the tactile cueing, and is therefore more useful. We have been running a home based ABA/VB program for our foster child for the past 7 years, I have worked in the field of ABA for the past 10 years. I have my Board Certified Behavior Analyst certification so I have an ethical code of conduct to follow. StarlightMcKenzie, I know exactly what you mean by unethical professionals, I have had experience of a number of them personally on our own home program. The intensive courses we are offering are relatively new, so not many families have experienced them yet. We have had families from manchester, Scotland, London, Wales and Bristol so far. I have thoroughly enjoyed every one and the feedback from the parents and therapists has been so amazing I have barely believed it, which is why I have decided to do more courses. However you obviously shouldn't take my word for it and I am more than willing to put you in touch with parents to talk about the courses. I always thoroughly research any professionals I am thinking about using for our child and so really recommend you do the same. I have just finished an intensive course this week with an amazing family with an amazing child, I can barely stop smiling about the amazing achievements the child has made this week! I am not sure if the mum is on mums net but if she is I will ask if she is willing to comment as my word really means nothing! I hope no one has minded me posting this but I just wanted to clarify some of the points.
Thanks,
Risca

Hi Risca
I'm a SALT (and have an MSc in ABA) but don't know much about PROMPT.

Where are you exactly?

Best of luck with everything.

Being a SALT and having an MSc in ABA is fantastic! It is such a great combination! Have you heard Tamara Kasper speak? She is a US based Speech and Language Pathologist and is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and is great!
Here is a link to my Youtube channel which has videos of our foster child's progress since starting with Talk Tools and tactile cueing (like PROMPT). The first video is from July 2009, up until then he had only had 3 speech sounds which he could make, but in 1/2 months of tactile cueing he had 7! And the progress has just continued! I haven't updated the channel since last year, really must get round to it, as he has about 60 words now and uses many spontaneously to request his needs and wants.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Risca27?feature=mhum#p/u/3/3a8vIktKgsw

I am currently working on a 2 day workshop with a US based SLP who works for Talk Tools. We have put together a program which we have been using with a number of non-vocal children with autism and have seen some amazing results! The program embeds ABA and some speech and language techniques. We will be presenting it in Orlando September 30th and October 1st and will hopefully be presenting it in the UK early next year.

I am based in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. Where are you based?
Risca

Yes, learning about ABA has changed my life and my main aim is now to get it firmly embedded in state sector provision which we (a large group of multi disciplinary profs.) have manged to do very successfully.

I don;t want to spell out where I am exactly but I am further north than you, affilitated to the uni that was the first to offer an MSc in ABA in Europe.

I'll check out Youtube.
Your talk sounds great.Let us know when/where you will be presenting in the UK.

I don;t know about Tamara Kasper but I am a member of the American ABA/SALT Special Interest Group, presided over by BCBA/SALT Barbara Esch who has developed the Echoic Skills section of VB Mapp.

Have you been to ABAI in the States?
I go every year.
This year I am presenting on behavioural SALT.

Hi Bricks,

Only just seen your message, don't know who you are, but thanks! I don't think anyone can be brilliant, everyone still has so much to learn about autism, but I try my best, that is all I can do. ABA/VB and Talk Tools has made such an incredible difference to my family's lives that I just want to try and get the information out there so as it can help other families!
Risca

Oh wow Moondog, that is brilliant, good luck with the presentation! I unfortunately have never managed to get to ABAI as I always seem to be tied up, I had hoped to go this year but the dates didn't fit with being able to get cover for our foster child, yet again! However I have already pencilled in the dates for next year's, so I will be there!!! I have read a lot of Barbera Esch's work especially on stimulus-stimulus pairing as that is what I did my dissertation on.
I know where you are and what university you are talking about!
I would love to hear more about your presentation on behavioural SALT!
The ABA/SALT group is that SLP_ABA group, I am on that too!

Oh are you really?!
I was told I was the only Brit when I joined, althoguh apparently one Irish person (is/was that you?)

I looked for your website but someone says you are building it.
I looked you two up though and you sound like you know your stuff.
I am going for BCBA later this year as I have my hours of supervision now?
How was it?
(Did you go to EABG by the way?)

No not Irish I am afraid! How long ago did you join? Yes we are building the website at present. To be honest, we have never advertised for work, it has all just arrived by word of mouth, but now we are running these Intensive courses we thought we had better get a website, so we are in the process of doing it! Well done on getting your supervision hours, think that is the hardest part, in the UK anyway as there is a such a shortage of people prepared to do supervision. The exam was okay, I was a BCABA before going for the BCBA, so I had some experience of the exam before hand, but it wasn't too difficult. If you know your stuff, you'll be fine. Although I highly recommend Behaviour Development Solutions exam preparation software, used it before both the BCABA and BCBA exams and passed first time both times with it. I also highly recommend the book Ethics for Behavior Analysts.
Again unfortunately EABG didn't fit with schedule unfortunately a colleague went and came back and filled me in on all the useful stuff, I like to attend as many workshops as possible, so often have to keep my 'away' times which can be hard to get cover at home for, free for these. Over the years I have been to workshops by Vince Carbone, Pat MrcGreevy twice, Robert Schramm, have done Establishing Operations Intermediate and Advanced courses, been to Nancy Kaufman's and Tamara Kasper's conference. Do you use the Kaufman Speech Praxis Kits and K&K Sign to Talk kits? This year I am concentrating on getting my Talk Tools Level 3 certification so have been doing all the courses for that and now have the certification course in June. Also there is a Talk Tools conference in June in Swindon that I am presenting at and an Apraxia Course. The techniques taught in the Apraxia course work amazingly with children with autism. For more information on those google EG Training who organise the Talk Tools training in the UK.

Thanks a lot for all the useful info.
You are obvously a very busy woman!

I'm not specifically an EIBI type SALT.
My main fields of interest are Precision Teaching, Direct Instruction and Headsprout (online ABA reading programme) as kids with ASD only form a small part of my enormous caseload.

I had contributed to three of the presentations at EABG but am abroad at present so couldn't go. Carl Hughes is my mentor and inspiration.Fantastic guy. We have Richard Hastings with us too here of course and many many other hugely talented people.

Sorry, joined last year in San Antonio.

I love Direct Instruction!!!! I have used Reading Mastery, Connecting Maths, 100 Easy Lessons, Language for Learning, Reading for Understanding, Spelling Mastery and a few others I can't think of right now! I have heard about Headsprout and would love to know more.
As far as the ABA/SALT group may have got my wires crossed I was talking about the online yahoo group.

Oh yes, all great!
I love Michael Maloney too.
Teach your chlidren well stuff.
Ah yes, I used to post on that but I reckon Mumsnet is one of the most switched on places concerning ABA going as well as being a fab resource generally for SN and everything else.

Headsprout is great. The former CEO, Janet Twyman was at EABG.
I made it the topic of my research.
You can just google it and trial first three episodes free.

Well done PipinJo, you must be so pleased!! Yes his language is still going well, he is now trying to say some simple two words like 'Shoe on' and some more complicated single words. Slow progress, but progress, from a 12 year old with no words to a 14 year old with 60 words is truely incredible, especially when you consider his severe developmental delay as well as autism. He has now been diagnosed with Apraxia too. I am so proud of him!

Just realised who you are PipinJo, DC is brill, she supervised me and is my outside consultant for our foster child. Will never be able to thank her enough for everything she has done for me!

Pipin, who is that person?
I don't know any SALTs who are also BCBA in the UK!
I know a couple of SALTs with an interest or who work in ABA schools and one of the PECS trainers is an (American) SALT who is about to or has done her BCBA qualification.

I'd love to know who this person is. We could do business together! Can you message me his/her name if able?
Thanks