Aim:
The Parent Intervention Program (PIP) is aimed at equipping parents with knowledge and practical training to undertake a significant portion of intervention themselves. This is to help lower eventual cost of therapy and also empower parents to take on greater responsibility for their children’s development.
Structure
(1) Assessment: A standard assessment is undertaken to produce an individualized education plan.
(2) Training: The parent undergoes a structured training at Lazarus together with their child. The aim is to teach the parent how to execute a program based on the child’s profile. Once completed, the parent begins the intervention at home. Ambitious parents are encouraged to sit for further external qualifications (e.g. RBT, BCBA if they so desire) though the training has a strong applied focus for implementing intervention at home.
(3) Materials. The program requires appropriate materials. The parent can decide what they need and buy it themselves. Alternatively, suggestions can be made.
(4) Consultation. Parent undertakes intervention at home and then comes in for regular consultations on progress.
Commitment Required
(a) Marathon not sprint. Our experience has shown that the first month is the hardest and many come close to giving up. This is why the program starts with hands-on training, to expose the parent to the inherent difficulty in therapy.
(b) Setting aside time. This program makes sense for parents looking to undertake 4 to 6 hours of therapy per week.
(c) Strong Literacy. The ability to read and understand programs.