Moondog calling with exciting news for those interested in ABA

[moondog]

Hello everyone. Haven't been MNing for a long time, due to lots of things happening in RL, in particular the fact that I now work for myself, which is proving to be very reinforcing! Wanted to let you all know that the biennial (every two years) British/European ABA shindig/conference will be taking place in central London at UCL from March 30th to 1st April. We had quite a few MNetters last year, who made er.... quite an impression.

It was great! We had an MN lunch (sounds grand-was in actual fact a quick sarnie in the UCL union) and drinks at the hotel later.

Price is reasonable-£70 for three days-and this will give you a chance to hear and talk with most of the leading practitioners, researchers, and academics in this field. Lots of students attend too so a good hunting ground for ABA therapists.

Link is here. I'll be chairing a symposium on interventions and strategies for older children and young adults with more complex needs and maybe I'll present as well. You are all welcome. It is after all about YOU and YOUR CHILDREN.

Link here

How exciting you are now self employed!!! Although such a huge loss to the NHS. They were crazy to let you go!!!

Thanks for the heads-up

Hi moondog hope all going well outside of the NHS, although I'm sure your "lovely colleague" would prefer you hadn't left.

Can you try posting your link again, as I can't see it or am I losing the plot (entirely possible)

Ah, nice to hear from you, MNers.
Frizz, I still see and work with lovely colleague and all my other lovely colleagues in education. They employ me directly as opposed to me being shackled by the NHS. I am loving the freedom and have fingers in various other pies too.

The link does work but I will post again. Not immediately obvious but read through and you will see links to register and link for accommodation if staying. Good prices for central London (just off Gower Street). Bit quiet at present as abstracts going in and programme being sorted but it will be a goody and small enough that you will be able to talk to folk you need or want to talk to.
Link again

Hang on I'm using my phone and still can't see links.... Just going to fire up the beast laptop

Oh, I'm gonna have to beg again. This relies so much on DH's cooperation and he's so supportive so much of the time that I feel terrible asking..........but I will!

Intrigued to hear about the working for yourself thing Moondog and how it came about though.

Remember both the lunch and the carrot waving. Less so much the drinks though have a picture of one of your colleagues holding baby ds.

Oh we all fell in love with your baby ds, Star. Gorgeous boy!
It was time for a change. I an so glad I did. It's fantastic to have the freedom but still work with lots of my long standing lovely colleagues.

The beast has saved the day, got the link.

My Slt has been talking about becoming self employed too as she's so fed up with NHS and their restrictions. Glad it's all going well moondog

Oh baby Ds has his very own SALT doncha know. Bloody charade of quite different dimensions. I'm even more confused by the profession.

I was asked my expectations from a service that claimed DS was within normal ranges, so told them I wanted a bit of information on the aspects that concern me as I expect to be working with Ds myself and for him to just be kept on the books until he was 3 when he coukd have a basic assessment and then be discharged if appropriate.

Was offered weekly therapy

I don't think that s/lt fits into the medical model of the NHS. To do so it masquerades as s pseudo medical intervention, and it isn't, unless it involves issues like cochlear implants and dysphasia. Neither has it risen to the challenges and demands for an increased evidence base which the RCSLT calls for in an admirable fashion.
It ends up being a series of administrative processes.
Referral filled?
Check
Referral processed?
Check
Appointment offered?
Check

I've nothing against processes of this nature but there needs to be a purpose and measurable outcome and more often than not, there isn't.

No excuse for not setting goals / assessing progress really. SLTs probably aren't any worse than nurses and doctors.

Physios & OTs, on the other hand, have shown they can do it in routine, busy, NHS practice settings. Even with complex cases and fuzzy problems.

I just can't get over how a child they themselves have said doesn't raise any concerns, has been offered weekly therapy with the same therapist, whereas ds who has a severe expressive language disorder ON TOP of ASD get now twice termly direct therapy as a result of 7 years of fighting, and when he was 2 got just three a year with different therapists each time who did little more than take the case history again.

Anyway, so glad you no longer have to fill in those handwashing charts Moondog. That really DOES fit the argument that collecting data takes away time that would be more valuable to use with the child.

I am too Star. :)
I think that s/lt within the NHS is in freefall and obsessive collection of irrelevant data reflects this. It needs to be moved to the remit of LEAs. I think a lot of the issues people describe on MN regarding their kids is the result of petty squabbles between the different agencies. Several years ago, an s/lt manager told me grandly 'The LEA don't tell me what to do!'

I am quite happy to be told what to do by headteachers and LEAs and school staff. That's my job! To support them, the folk on the frontline, who deal with these kids 30 or more hours a week. I may suggest that what they want is not what the kid needs but I consider myself to be at their disposal.

Just notice I made a mistake here as on my phone earlier.
'......unless it involves issues like cochlear implants and dysphasia.'

That should read dysphagia which means difficulties with swallowing. Dysphasis refers to loss of communication skills as a result (usually) of a stroke. I can't comment on this sort of therapy as I have never specialised in this area, beyond basic placements as a student aeons ago.

' That's my job! To support them, the folk on the frontline, who deal with these kids 30 or more hours a week. I may suggest that what they want is not what the kid needs but I consider myself to be at their disposal.'

That's what I am getting at the moment with DS infrequent home-visiting SALT. She's incredible in so many ways that I wouldn't have identified had I not spent so long scratching my heard after all previous SALT appointments.

She tells me quite frankly that she doesn't know how to address much of my child's difficulties, - we discuss potential ways, - she informs me of the current best practice and admits very little evidence for it. Then we discuss how much of that to use plus brainstorm unique strategies, and she heads off to collect all the resources she is aware of that will support me. Comes back next time with loads of stuff and models implementation.

I just cannot describe how so very genuinely relieved and ecstatic I am that she is DS' SALT atm.

She sounds fabulous, open and honest and willing to engage in intelligent discussion. That's all we could ask for, isn't it?

Has anyone managed to register? the link takes you through to the shop but I can't find it there...? Also with regards to the registration categories - does anyone know, do you have to be a student /qualified /member of UKSBA?

Meir conference or no conference, I think it is high time we met up for a drink and a natter!

Let's do drink/natter soon & conference a bit later

For moondog- a systemic review of largely useless behaviour change strategies for healthcare hand hygiene. You really need to take revenge on the imaginary-tractor-counters by introducing a country-wide and empirically validated HH improvement programme.

In the review, it looks as though Kho and Lederer found positive (ish) outcomes - from their accidentally-quite-ABA interventions

And many congratulations on being free of the Matrix!

Thank you Meir. It is great to work with families and to be able to say it as it is. Am helping someone with a statement at present and ca. Be totally honest about what needs to be done with no worries about recriminations. Thanks for the link to the paper. It looks very interesting indeed. I shall enjoy reading it. Am very interested in OBM ( organisational behaviour management) which is essentially what one is trying to do in s school as s behaviour analyst.

Bean, haven't registered myself yet but will do very soon and if there are issues, I shall get into the good woman responsible. :)

Bean, you are right. Booking not yet showing on online shop. I'll follow up with organiser. You will register in full (unless you want to present!) which will be £70 which is extraordinarily good value.

thank you moondog!