Lately, as I surf the internet, I’ve been noticing more and more advertising for coaches. Whether it is an Autism coach, ADD ADHD coach, Parent coach and recently the new term Family coach, this type of service is popping up everywhere.
It makes sense that many people are looking for assistance and advice via in-person, phone or email consults. Though when one is searching for that right professional to help them with their issues- does the coach consumer really know how to pick a qualified and experienced professional?
So one night, I decided to research the pay rates / fees and the credentials of these various coaching professionals. It concerned me that many sites I looked at had individuals with NO formal college or university education. Also, for these non-degreed individuals, in person or phone consults averaged $100 per hour. That puzzled me.
Next, they had testimonials listed on their sites, well so do I on mine.
http://askthebehavioranalyst.com/testimonials.htm
But, these individuals do not have the following:
I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, with a MS in Health Science UMDNJ, BA in Psychology Rutgers University, Masters Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis Penn State University and have a Certificate in ADHD etc etc with over 18 years of experience.
http://askthebehavioranalyst.com/about.htm
My advice to the Autism, ADHD, Parent, Family coach shoppers-
Please choose your professionals wisely. Education, verifiable credentials and real experience really do matter.
Tags: Behavior Advice, behavior coach, Behavior Coaching, Behavior Interventions, family coach, fees, pay rates
April 10, 2008 at 7:26 pm |
hi. i have 2 children with autism. i hold a masters in education and i am interested in becoming a autism coach. i wanted to know if you could help me become one or at least steer me in the right direction. i am interested in aba certification. i now work in direct care and being a mom of 7 i would like to do something from home permanently. i do translate and advocate for parents who speak spanish. what should i do
April 14, 2008 at 2:36 pm |
To be honest, I think in order to be an Autism coach, one should have formal training in behavior and experience with Autism. Given that you have a Masters degree, perhaps you should consider becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Also, since you can speak English/Spanish, we need Behavior Analysts with your special skill too.
You could seek the info that you would need at http://www.bacb.com
July 3, 2008 at 8:11 pm |
Hi, I am 9 credits away from my associates degree. In the summer or fall of 2009 I will be enrolled at a university working toward obtaining my bachelers in Psychology. Currently I work as a Purchasing Agent for a company that manufactures parts for the aerospace industry. Obviousely this has nothing to do with the field I am persuing. After I begin at the university I hope to quit my job and obtain a position that relates to my field of study. Can you recommend any positions/ jobs that I my pursue while I finish my bachalers. I 100% know that I want to work with autistic children, but with my lack of credentials I fear I will not be able to obtain a job until after I finish school. I would be happy doing anything, even fileing paper work or answering phones, as long as it exposed me to this field. Do you have any suggestions for a 25 year old girl just starting out?
September 26, 2008 at 12:13 am |
I applaud your credentials and definitely agree that if you are looking for a coach for your child with special needs and potential counseling/treatment for the child and family that your background is key. However, I believe there are 2 different schools of thought on “coaching”. I happen to have a Psychology degree but have worked in the business world for 20 years with experience in leadership coaching. I also offer coaching to people outside of work. We all know at times that we all get stuck in our lives for various reasons. For those that don’t have the organization or planning skills a coach or life coach can be a true benefit. You don’t need the same credentials for this type of coaching and it is a very valuable service to those that need it. If there are any issues that arise I, and others should to, refer to more specialized people if there are other underlying reasons. I hear you but I just don’t want others to feel devalued by your comments.
September 26, 2008 at 7:08 pm |
Coaching parents and those with disabilities is a different ball game than business/ organization skills coaching.
Even so, if I was in need of a business coach, I would want one who was truly qualified and had real experience. There are very respectable business / organization skills coaches out there- just have to find the good ones who are qualified.
October 14, 2008 at 6:14 pm |
I worked for a school district where the behavior specialist and the autism coach have not degrees specifically for these jobs. They each hold Preliminary Educational Specialist Certificates. I taught children with autism last year, and I could not believe the way in which these “experts” treated these students in regard teaching techniques, classroom environment, and behavior modifications. One example, one of my students who the “autism coach” had in preschool, now he’s in 4th grade, she put her legs around him while he sat in his chair so he would do his work. Of course, when she tried this in my classroom, he hit her and yelled at her when she tried to touch him. The child’s mother did not like this type of treatment for her son and I didn’t either. The “behavior analyst” ignored one of my student’s behavior plans in regards to his tantrums. His BP said to take him outside and let him cool down which is something that always worked with this student. One day with the B.A. was visiting my classroom, this student had a tantrum. She took him and put him in a CPI baskethold, sat down on the floor with him, and stayed there for 15 minutes. Well, this aggrevated his tantrum and he was upset the whole day because of this. I read the BP to this moron while she was holding my student, but she said that she did this all the time and she knew what she was doing. I was so happy when this same child popped her right in the face when she let him go at one point. She’s lucky he didn’t break her nose. How do I stop something like this from happening again?