167 Consideration for Evaluating Specific Treatments or Interventions

When talking to your doctor and/or provider and planning future intervention, keep these questions and thoughts in mind.

Things to consider:

• Are these behaviors problematic for my child?
• How will I know whether the intervention is working?
• How often will I be given progress reports?
• Do I have the resources to stick with this intervention?
• Can this intervention be physically or psychologically harmful to my child?
• Can I afford this intervention? Will participation in this intervention mean we will have to drop other interventions?
• Can I devote the required time? Is the intervention compatible with my child’s current program?
• What do professionals think about the pros and cons of this intervention?
• What kinds of experiences have other parents had with this intervention?
• Does the provider have the appropriate training and/or credentials?
• Can the provider be held accountable to a professional code of ethics?
• Will I be taught the skills necessary to help my child?
• Is there a plan for preventing the occurrence of problematic behaviors?

Questions to ask:

• Which behavior(s) does it target?
• What positive effects should I expect to see? (short- term and long-term)
• How will the provider assess the effectiveness of the treatment?
• How long do I have to stay involved before I can expect to see any effects?
• Are there any side effects?
• What is the cost?
• How much time does it take per week?
• Is there scientific validation for this treatment?
• Who has used this treatment before and what do they say about it (pros and cons)?
• What training and qualifications are needed to provide this treatment?
• Does the provider belong to a professional organization?
• What role does the family play?
• How are challenging behaviors handled?