"You have to find people who know what they're doing, not just people who have a degree in behavior analysis or speech or education," say Partington. "[Find someone who's] trained to pay attention to the details of what motivates this child right now...unless someone is sensitive to the learner's behavior, the learner won't learn well."
What are you looking for in a consultant? "You need someone who can oversee the program [and] who understands how to get others to do this type of teaching. Find someone who knows a lot about good, effective programming for children," says Partington. "Ask others, 'who provides good services?' Find out what [their] experience has been with the provider."
Depending upon your situation, you might ask your consultant to observe your therapist in action, and/or to meet with your IEP team. Your consultant may be able to do some troubleshooting, make suggestions, or even put together a more effective program for your child. Of course, it's best to do all this with the knowledge -- and ideally the support -- of the school administration and therapist.
