As the end of the summer approaches, families are gearing up for the transition back to school. For many children, starting fresh with a new teacher, classroom, and routines is exciting. However, for those with developmental delays, returning to school can be challenging and require special considerations.
Preparing for a Successful Transition
For many children with developmental delays, routines, and predictability are essential for managing daily life. Some strategies to assist in a smooth transition back to school include:
Social Stories and Visual Schedules: Using personal narratives and visual schedules can help prepare your child for new experiences and routines by explaining what to expect clearly and visually.
Gradual Transition: If possible, gradually introduce new end-of-summer routines. For example, introduce your before-school home routine. This may include waking up, brushing teeth, eating breakfast, getting dressed, etc. Practicing new routines will help minimize anxiety and provide time to adjust.
Communication with Teachers: Establish open lines of communication with teachers and related service providers. Sharing insights into your child’s preferences, triggers, and strengths can facilitate a supportive school experience, where understanding is met.
Spend Time At School: A couple of weeks before school starts, visit the campus. Some teachers may be available for a meet-and-greet, where your child can visit their new classroom and meet their teacher. If the school has a playground, allow your child to explore and acclimate to the environment through playtime activities.
Dress Rehearsal: New shoes? New clothes? For individuals with sensory issues, a new wardrobe may take time to adjust to. Break in new shoes and clothing a couple of weeks before school begins to allow your child time to adapt to new and different textures. Depending on how much routine your child needs, it may also be beneficial to use a new lunchbox or backpack several times before the first day of school.
As schools reopen, it’s crucial to recognize how to best support your child. Preparing for this transition will ease anxiety and promote positive school experiences. Let’s make this school year one of learning, understanding, and compassion!
Looking for ways to enrich your child’s cognitive, physical, and emotional growth during these long summer days? One of the most effective ways to do so is through tactile sensory play! Here are some summer-friendly sensory play ideas made easy with things from around your house, thoughtfully curated by an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Educator.
Sidewalk Chalk Paint
Materials: Muffin tin or cups, paint brushes/sponges/foam brushes, cornstarch, water, liquid food coloring
Instructions: Mix equal parts cornstarch and water and whisk smooth. Divide the mixture into cups or a muffin tin. Use one small drop of food coloring to color the individual containers. Then, use paint brushes, sponges, or foam brushes to paint onto sidewalks.
Instructions: Mix two cups of cornstarch with one cup of water. Add a few drops of blue food coloring when the mixture is partially combined. Add your ocean animals and see how fast they can swim!
DIY Moon Sand (Taste Safe)
Materials: Flour (or rice flour for gluten-free), coconut, canola, or vegetable oil, pan, sand/water toys
Instructions: Mix eight cups of flour with one cup of oil. Combine ingredients until the mixture feels silky and sandy but will hold shape if you squeeze it. Now, go ahead and build a sandcastle!
Ice Cream Sensory Bin (Taste Safe)
Materials: rainbow sprinkles, container, ice cream toys such as an ice cream scoop, spoons, cupcake liners, ice cream cones (real or pretend), and any other ice cream-type tools you have on hand
Instructions: Fill a bin with rainbow sprinkles and ice cream toys. Have fun scooping ice cream!
Incorporating tactile sensory activities into your child’s day nurtures their overall development by engaging their senses. These activities can be done indoors or outdoors. So grab those materials to whip up hours of summer fun!
In the realm of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, efficiency is paramount. The ability to streamline processes, accurately collect data, and provide seamless support can significantly impact the quality of care for individuals receiving therapy. In this blog, we delve into the experience of No Missing Pieces, led by COO Jennifer Arredondo, an ABA therapy organization, as they transitioned to using Raven, an ABA data collection platform, and how it revolutionized their operations.
No Missing Pieces, led by COO Jennifer Arredondo and based in Louisiana, is committed to providing high-quality ABA therapy services to their clients. However, like many organizations, they faced challenges with previous data collection platforms, which hindered their efficiency and productivity.
Recognizing the need for a more efficient solution, No Missing Pieces, under the leadership of COO Jennifer Arredondo, explored various ABA data collection platforms. They ultimately chose Raven due to its user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, and excellent support system.
No Missing Pieces quickly realized the numerous benefits of using Raven. From streamlined data collection to improved billing processes and enhanced preparation for audits, Raven became an indispensable tool in their arsenal.
One of the standout features of Raven is its efficiency and user-friendliness, appreciated by COO Jennifer Arredondo and her team. The intuitive interface and customizable scheduling options have made supervision sessions more productive and streamlined.
The team lauds Raven’s support team, particularly highlighting the responsiveness and dedication of Miguel Garcia. Their prompt assistance and willingness to resolve issues have further solidified their trust in the platform.
Based on their positive experience, No Missing Pieces wholeheartedly recommends Raven to other ABA therapy organizations. Their overall experience with Raven can be summarized in one word: efficiency.
Raven allows me to easily review session details, including notes and data points, which wasn’t possible with previous platforms we used. With Raven, I can see each data point made within a session, making audits much smoother.
Jennifer Arredondo | COO – No Missing pieces
Conclusion
The journey of No Missing Pieces with Raven exemplifies the transformative impact of leveraging technology in ABA therapy. By prioritizing efficiency, user-friendliness, and robust support, Raven has become an invaluable asset in enhancing the quality of care provided by ABA therapy organizations.
As the demand for ABA therapy continues to grow, embracing innovative solutions like Raven can empower organizations to optimize their operations and ultimately make a positive difference in the lives of individuals with autism and related developmental disorders. To embark on a similar journey of transformation, we encourage other ABA service providers to set up a call with Raven Health and unlock the potential for enhanced efficiency and client care.
At this year’s CASP conference, an insightful discussion unfolded on the topic of value-based care (VBC) measurement, featuring industry leaders Yagnesh Vadgama, Doug Moes, Rebecca Womack, and Raven Health’s very own Tim Crilly. The conversation highlighted the challenges and opportunities in transitioning to VBC models within the autism services sector. The segment’s panelists drove home some key takeaways for the attendees.
Introduction and Perspectives
The discussion featured perspectives from various experts:
Tim Crilly: SVP of Partnerships at Raven Health, with a background in both clinical and managed care sides of ABA.
Rebecca Womack: Vice President of Quality Assurance at Verbal Beginnings, focused on policy and clinical solutions intersecting with payer requirements.
Doug Moes: Chief Clinical Development Officer at the Stepping Stones Group, providing a provider perspective on quality and outcome initiatives.
Yagnesh Vadgama: Vice President of Autism at Magellan, offered an overview of value-based care from a health plan perspective, advocating for a comprehensive approach that includes various aspects of autism care beyond ABA.
Defining Value-Based Care
Yagnesh Vadgama explained that value-based care is not a novel concept in healthcare, with approximately 60% of healthcare already operating under some form of value-based arrangement, primarily in physical health areas like cancer and diabetes. He emphasized the need to look at autism care holistically, integrating various treatments and services to enhance overall quality and outcomes. “We have to start somewhere,” he noted, advocating for initial models based on case rates with potential for bonuses tied to outcomes on measures like the Vineland.
The Shift from Fee-for-Service to Value-Based Models
The panelists discussed the limitations of the current fee-for-service model, which often leads to inefficiencies and a lack of focus on overall quality. Rebecca Womack pointed out that value-based care forces participants to prioritize time efficiently, focusing on outcomes that matter to families and payers. She stressed the importance of selecting quality metrics that provide a good return on investment for all stakeholders.
Doug Moes highlighted the importance of focusing on quality inputs, such as robust assessment and treatment planning, treatment integrity, and fidelity of implementation. He emphasized the need for partnerships and collaborative efforts to enhance the quality of life for individuals with autism.
Addressing Clinical and Administrative Changes
The transition to value-based care requires significant changes both administratively and clinically. Vadgama mentioned the success of value-based arrangements with providers like Kyo, which have led to greater staff retention and satisfaction. This model allows clinicians to focus more on care coordination and addressing the holistic needs of families rather than just meeting billing requirements.
Womack highlighted the importance of not making assumptions about the knowledge base of practitioners, stressing the need for thorough assessment and training to ensure successful implementation of value-based care.
Technology and Data Integration
The role of technology in supporting value-based care was a major point of discussion. Moes expressed excitement about the potential of technology to ease the burdens on clinicians and improve data collection and analysis. He envisioned a future where AI and machine learning could provide reliable data extraction from audio and video samples, unleashing passive data collection and allowing clinicians to focus more on treatment delivery.
Crilly pointed out the need for integrated systems that can pull together data from various sources to provide a comprehensive view of patient progress and outcomes. He mentioned the potential of remote patient monitoring codes and the benefits of incorporating wearable devices to track sleep and other health metrics.
Standardization and Collaboration
An audience member raised the question of standardizing data reporting between payers and providers. Yagnesh Vadgama acknowledged the importance of this and mentioned that it central to the industry’s roadmap for value-based care. The goal is to move towards more database-type submissions that allow for better tracking and analysis of provider performance and patient outcomes.
Rebecca Womack emphasized the need for the ABA profession to define its own standards and communicate them effectively to stakeholders. She highlighted the importance of balancing clinical decision-making with payer requirements to ensure the best outcomes for families.
Closing Thoughts
The session concluded with a call for collaboration and continuous improvement. The panelists acknowledged that while the transition to value-based care is challenging, it offers significant potential for improving the quality of autism services and achieving better outcomes for families.
Thank you to CASP for hosting such an insightful session!
