FAQ

Do I need to pay for the first meeting?

When you meet with Kirsten to discuss our services and team, there is no charge for this meeting. If I bring a Consultant with me to the meeting to introduce you, the company will pay for her time to attend. 

Are your team members on the RASP? 

We currently have 6 Behaviour Consultants (Kirsten, Bethany, Kelly, Jodi, Hilary, Jenefer) on the ASD Wonder Team, and all of them are listed on the RASP. Our Speech Therapists and Occupational Therapists are also on the RASP. 

Are there Administration Fees?

Kirsten (owner) Jodi (Program Manager at the Society) and Amber (Program Co-ordinator at ASD Wonder) do all of the invoicing, scheduling, training and hiring. The cost of this service is worked into the rate of the service providers. There are no additional fees. 

How often will I have the opportunity to meet with the BC? 

We typically budget the BCBA at 4 hours each month. This will allow her time to see your child at least once per month by overlapping an entire session. She will be answering any questions or concerns made by your team throughout the month. She will keep your programs up to date and oversee any additions or changes to your child’s data sheet. She is available to meet with you in person or on the phone to discuss your child. If your child is age 6 or over, we will typically budget the consultant at 2 hours each month.

Will I get monthly or quarterly written progress reports? 

The Senior BI/Program Leader on the team is responsible for entering data into your child’s progress report each week and notifying the Behavior Consultant of significant changes. The Consultant will forward the written progress update at least every 3 months, but she could do so sooner if requested.

Will I get an itemized monthly financial statement from your agency? 

I will forward you a copy of the hours the team entered into our time tracking software each month. I then invoice the Autism Funding Unit for payment.  I am able to tell you how much funding is remaining in your ASD Wonder account with the help of the MCFD invoice payment portal. I also recommend joining the Family Portal. You can see all amounts that are invoiced to your account and move funding around as needed. 

Do you pay the team or do I need to do it? Does your agency handle the paperwork or do I? 

I pay the team every two weeks via cheque or direct deposit. I submit all EI and CPP owing to the Canada Revue Agency. I pay for WCB insurance on all team members. I purchase Professional and General liability insurance for the team.  Kirsten will complete your paperwork, schedule staff and oversee quality of services by the ASD Wonder Team. There is no extra charge for this, it is built into the rate. 

How often do your employees have a criminal record check? 

RASP members must complete a criminal record check every two years. Every BI must submit a criminal record check when they are first hired. 

Will I be shown how to work with my child? 

You do not need to be present at the centre while your child is having a session. If you want to be there, you can. We particularly encourage overlaps with the therapy sessions (SLP and OT). Your Consultant and/or Therapists are also happy to meet with you to provide parent training when you ask. 

Do your services end when my child turns six and funding is reduced? 

We are happy to continue providing support to your family. However, keep in mind that afterschool BI spots are in high demand, and there are no guarantees we can continue with the same BI team. We are not able to provide home BI sessions for children over the age of 7. We can provide Social/Play groups at the Centre, or 1:1 tutoring session at the Centre. 

How many different people will work with my child each week?

It is normal to have 2 or 3 BI’s working on a team. This encourages generalization of skills. It is also helpful if a BI’s schedule changes and no longer aligns with your availability.

What happens if our scheduled therapy day falls on a statutory holiday? Do you work weekends? 

ASD Wonder Team are employees. I pay them to stay home and relax for 12 Statutory Holidays each year. Your sessions are canceled on Stat Holidays. 

No, we don't work weekends or late evenings. 

What happens if we go on holidays for four weeks? Do we lose our spot or do we continue to pay? 

Lucky you if you go on holidays for 4 weeks! Actually, this happens all of the time. I need to provide my team with steady employment so they can pay their bills. This means I may need to reassign your team members while you are away. When you return, we will do our best to put your team back in place, but I can’t guarantee it. You are not billed for any therapy while you are away. The funding will just sit in your account. 

Does your team provide respite services or babysitting? Can I ask?

 We are a team of professionals providing therapy services to your child. We are not childcare providers. It is stated in all team member’s contracts, that they are expected to maintain professional relationships with families. This includes no “friending” on social media, or attending events outside of work hours. 

Can you pick up my child from school and drive him/her home? 

Team members are not permitted to drive clients of ASD Wonder. This causes insurance issues and poses child care responsibilities on your team member. 

Can my BI help me give my child medicine? 

Our professional liability insurance does not permit any team members to give your child medication. If this is an ongoing issue, please speak to the Consultant for a program that may help. If your child requires life-saving seizure medicine or allergy medicine, a written protocol and special training is required. 

What if a team member gets stuck in traffic? Will I have to pay more travel?

Travel is only billed for home sessions. The travel will be either billed at 15 minutes or 30 minutes, Never more. If the team member arrives late due to traffic, she may need to have a shorter session to stay on schedule. It will just depend on how stacked that person’s schedule is on that particular day. 

If my child is kept home from school, can I still have a session that day? 

Please cancel your session if you suspect your child is ill. As an employer, I want to provide work environments that are noncontagious! Reminder there is a one-hour fee for home sessions and a two-hour fee for Centre sessions for late cancelations. If your child has had a fever, vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24hrs, please keep him/her home.  

I want sessions in my home. Do I need a special room? 

We cannot promise availability for home sessions. However, if we do work in your home, no special room is needed! We will work anywhere that works for your child. However, we do ask that your house be free of second-hand smoke. There should be at least a 5x7 space clear of debris so that the team member can safely sit on the floor. If the team member feels unsafe or uncomfortable in a home for any reason, home sessions will be put on hold until the issue is resolved. We cannot be responsible for younger siblings during therapy sessions. 

What about child protection issues? 

Please note that legally we must report to the MCFD any observations that we fear pose a risk to a child’s well-being. Of course, we hope this never happens and will always communicate with parents to reduces chances of misunderstandings. 

Can I pick and choose my BI’s? 

Kirsten selects her team carefully, because I care about who is representing our team. I have learned that a personality is just as important (if not more) then experience. I look for positive, kind people who are willing to learn. I want a drama free workplace, and reliable, loyal team members. Please trust me that I am putting the best people I have available on your team, because I care about your child’s progress and about our reputation. If over the course of working with someone you are not happy, I want you to tell me and I will do my best to find someone else. This RARELY happens, but if it does, I will take care of things for you. There will likely be a delay in finding a replacement. 

If I register for some lessons, like swimming, can I change my schedule? 

I HIGHLY recommend discussing any changes with Jodi before signing your child up for new activities. It is not easy to adjust our schedule. Changes create a “domino effect”, where many families need to be adjusted to allow one small change. Changes are easiest when new schedules are created every January, July, and September. If you ask for a schedule change, we cannot guarantee we can do it quickly or keep your same team. 

What happens in the summer? 

In the summer we offer families our Summer Program option. We set up activities at both of our Centre’s that are more group oriented and play-based. Our Summer Program runs 9-12 Monday -Thursday for 2-4-year old children, and 12:30-3:30 Monday -Thursday for 5+ (and 4-year old children who are entering Kindergarten in September). The afternoon group is more focused on friendships and school readiness. We ask you to sign up and commit by week. The cost is $400 per week. We are planning to have a social thinking camp on Fridays for children grade 1 and up. 

WE CAN NOT provide home sessions during the summer on a regular basis. All of our staff is needed to support the children at our Centre program. Some home sessions may be provided on Fridays. 

What happens if I arrive early or late to the Centre to drop off or pick up my child? 

We realize that you are busy and sometimes things happen that are out of your control. Don’t worry, your child will be safe! I do need to provide my staff with a 30-minute lunch break every day by law. When you arrive late, this cuts into her break, or next session, and causes complications. Your team member will likely become annoyed if it happens on a regular basis. She may ask me to reassign her to another child if you are late on a regular basis, as she may feel like you do not respect her time. You will be charged an extra 15 minutes of time if you are more than 5 minutes late to pick up, or arrive more than 5 minutes early at drop off, more than once a month. 

*There have been reports of parents arriving at the Centre 15 or 20 minutes early in the morning and wanting to drop off their child as staff arrives for work. Staff are arriving earlier and prepping for sessions on their own time. We do not want to leave children unsupervised while we clean and prepare for sessions that day. If you need to drop off early, please contact Kirsten or Jodi so that we can arrange for proper supervision for your child. 

The schedule is not ideal for me, and I need to cancel fairly often….

If you cancel your session time 50% or more of the time in a month, we will ask you to pay the full fee to keep your session time ongoing. There is a great demand for BI and therapy sessions, and we can fill your session time with a client who will be able to attend on a more regular basis if it is not working for you. If is not fair to expect your team member to not get paid 50% of the time for your reserved time on her schedule.  I want to provide my team with consistent work and pay so that they can pay their bills and feel confident in their decision to work on my team. 

Why does my schedule change in September and sometimes January?

Some of our team members are attending University, and their availability will change each semester.  As well, some children will enroll in preschools or elementary schools and we will need to adjust their schedule to try to keep as many team members consistent as we can. Please expect that there will be adjustments from time to time. We also many change up team members from time to time if we feel that someone different will be a better fit. 

What happens if I don't use all of my funding up by the end of the contract period? Will I run short?

If you don't use it all up, it will go back to the government. I will work with you to ensure your funding is used the best way possible and that all the funds are used to help your child. HOWEVER, I can only work with what I know. I cannot see any funds that have NOT been allocated to Wonder. Same goes for running short on funds. We make a budget for the funds that are available to us and stick to it. We NEVER expect parents to pay out of pocket for services. 

What about gifts? Should I buy my BI a gift at Christmas? 

Gift are actually not permitted by our certification board. Ethically, we must maintain professional relationships with our clients/students. No family should ever feel like they need to buy a team member a gift to say thank-you. We adore every child to bits, and do this work to make a difference in his/her life. If you feel very strongly that you want to do something, a card with kind words or a picture by the child is likely cherished foreverJ

Hopefully this answers a few of your questions!!!!! Don't hesitate to ask me: kirsten@asdwonder.com