The Importance of Reading and Speech Development

Q: What is the RBT certification?

A: RBT certification is a paraprofessional certificate that is in the behavioral analyst field, and you work under the BCBA or BCABA treating and providing services to our kids.

Q: What are the requirements?

A: What it takes to become an RBT here at MetroEHS is you must be 18 years old, a high school diploma, you need the 40 hours of training, and then take a competency test with the supervisor, and then you apply at the BACB website, and take a test, and become an RBT.

Q: What does the training consist of?

A: The RBT training consists of like an interactive and comprehensive 40-hour training that you work in a small group or one on one with other technicians or your BCBA. You’re out in the clinic, hanging out with the kids, learning and watching how they run programs. That could be at the table time or out in natural environment and once you understand the new words in the ABA field, you take your competency test and take the test at the website.

Q: What is the competency test?

A: The competency test is when the supervisor comes out the clinic with you and they watch how you run programs, they interview you, ask questions about the terminology and it’s pretty much just one on one time or you and the supervisor and your client to make sure you understand the terminology and what you’re actually doing and it’s highly encouraged to actually take your RBT test within 90 days of your 40 hour training. It is free of charge. You take the test at the BACB website.

Apply now!

Q: How do I maintain my credentials?

A: To maintain my credentials as an RBT here at MetroEHS, I track all my supervision hours, and I retake my competency test at the year mark or year anniversary of my RBT testing date.

Q: What are the benefits if earning an RBT certification?

A: MetroEHS offers two benefits for becoming an RBT. One is a raise and two, once you become an RBT, you have more opportunities to move up the ladder and become admin or fun stuff.

Social Skills CLUB – Conversation, Listening, & Understanding Basics!

Social distancing doesn’t have to keep students from connecting with peers!

MetroEHS has created an online social skills group for Elementary,Middle, and High School students in Michigan with Autism, Asperger’s, Pragmatic Language Delay, or other difficulties with social skills. The group is designed to encourage peer interaction and is facilitated by a Speech-Language Pathologist.

Sign up Middle/High School students for a group focusing on online social skills like online learning, social media, and peer conversation. Elementary students will learn emotion identification and regulation and conversational skills like listening and appropriate responding!

Elementary School Students – Tuesday’s at 4pm
Course Goal: Elementary School students will learn and develop skills in listening and emotion regulation and perception, and build confidence and competence when talking to friends.
Topics covered will include: Emotion identification & empathy in others, Personal emotion regulation, “Self-talk”, Listening skills, Initiating and ending conversations, Reciprocal conversation skills

Middle/High School Students – Tuesday’s at 5pm
Course Goal: Middle School and High School students will learn how to effectively and appropriately participate and communicate in online learning, social media, and conversations with peers and in groups that take place online or on the phone.
Topics covered will include: Appropriate social media participation, Reciprocal phone conversation, Behavior during online learning, Conversation skills with peers in groups and individually

Dates: May 26-June 30, 6 weeks
Cost: $150

Who: Elementary, Middle, and High School students in Michigan with Autism, Asperger’s, Pragmatic Language Delay, or other difficulties with social skills

This 6-week online course begins May 26th!

Contact / Call to Reserve Your Child’s Spot Today!

Teletherapy, also called tele-practice or tele-speech, has become more popular during the uncertain circumstances and stay at home orders of COVID-19. Teletherapy can bring a sense of familiarity in uncertain times, as your child can have a weekly live speech therapy visit with a consistent speech language pathologist (SLP). A relationship is built, and the therapist and child share smiles and laughter in between working on their goals. With teletherapy, children can continue to receive continuity of care even as they stay safe at home! But does this foreign method of attending speech therapy really work?

Research is largely in agreement: Teletherapy is a very effective way of teaching kids speech and language!

With teletherapy, speech therapy is provided via a video chat platform that is secure. MetroEHS’s online platform includes fun games, a box for clients to watch applicable videos and talk through worksheets or read stories, screen share, practice cards, and, of course,  a live-streaming video SLP guiding them through all of it. All of these features engage most children, including those on the Autism Spectrum. This 1:1 teletherapy has been proven effective: according to a review of 7 studies of school-aged children, “telehealth is a promising method for treating children” (1). Another study looking specifically at children with ASD stated, “All [14] studies reported high levels of programme acceptability and parent satisfaction with the telehealth component of the intervention” (2). And another states, “Emerging research in telepractice treatment for ASD clients already shows success in both direct and indirect interactions” (3).

If a child is too young or difficult to engage, the SLP may opt for a parent training approach. The parent will receive a list of supplies to gather from around the house, and the SLP will teach the parent how to target the child’s goals. The parent is encouraged to ask questions, and the SLP coaches as the parent engages their child and completes their goals. This has also been proven effective for children learning language! Evidence suggests, “that parent-mediated intervention training delivered remotely can improve parents’ knowledge in [autism spectrum disorder] ASD, parent intervention fidelity, and subsequently improve the social behavior and communication skills of their children with ASD (4).

Feeding Therapy can be provided with a similar model. The SLP guides the caregiver during the session, and talks through strategies and techniques for children accepting the food, chewing, and swallowing. Providing feeding therapy online can be beneficial because the SLP can see where the child typically sits, the types of eating utensils that are used, and overall family dynamic- all of which play a major role in carryover of skills to the home environment. What better way to support generalization to home, than having therapy in the home! Feeding Teletherapy, too, is an excellent and effective substitute to in-person therapy, according to research (5)!

As you can see, teletherapy is a powerful alternative to in-person therapy, especially during situations when receiving in-person therapy is difficult or impossible for families. If you would like more information about teletherapy, to enroll your child, or a free “Teletherapy Tour” to see our platform, please contact MetroEHS today!

Resources

1. 2017. Wales, D., Skinner, L., et al. The Efficacy of Telehealth-Delivered Speech and Language Intervention for Primary School-Age Children: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 9(1), 55-70.
2. 2018. Sutherland, R., Trembath, D., et al. Telehealth and Autism: A Systematic Search and Review of the Literature. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 20(3), 324-336.
3. 2015, April 28. Cornish, Nate. Social Mediating: Using Telepractice for Clients With Autism. ASHAwire.
4. 2017. Parsons, D., Cordier, R., et al. Parent-Mediated Intervention Training Delivered Remotely for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Living Outside of Urban Areas: Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(8), e198.
5. 2008. Clawson, Seldon, Lacks, Deaton, Hall, Bach. Complex pediatric feeding disorders: using teleconferencing technology to improve access to a treatment program. Pediatric Nursing, 34(3): 213-6.