paraprofessional

child development specialist

autism specialist

play center attendant

speech language pathologist

Positive Development

I was very excited to start with PD as someone who transitioned from a completely different field. My gripe with this company is that there are no clear guidelines for the outcomes for the client. When I asked about my client goals, one of the senior clinicians (OT) said that all the client goals are the same which mainly involves the client remaining regulated. The client's plan is very vague and given without any specified or direct intervention guidelines. The argument for this method is that this is a play based therapy. There are phrases like 'model without expectation' thrown around and Case Managers are quick to remind me that we are not the other more well know therapy (aba hinthint). Although, I've seen good change in some social emotional behavior, there are still massive components of the kiddos improvement that have deficits. For example, DIR is said to be evidence based but what does that really mean? Anything can have evidence. When problem behavior do arise, case managers pull out there bag of tricks, try this or try that in a chaotic fashion. This is a best case scenario, in other instances, the case manager just empathized with me for the kiddo showing aggression towards me and never followed up or offered other solutions.
This model is misleading and some staff members even look down on aba but fail to realize that the floortime model may also cause more harm than good. I tried to get more training through the company to better understand the model but have been 'blacklisted' because I couldn't make the first training which is only offered to a select few at certain times a year. 
My supervisor didn't even know about the raises that the company offers for DPPs every six months and is quick to try to show out to their boss whenever I made an admin related mistake.
Lastly, they make you attend these mandatory reflection meetings where people are talking in circles, you're not allowed to make suggestions just yap in circles for over an hour. This could be meaningful time to get more training on the model but nooooo. 
I really hope they can figure this out,  the kiddos progression depend on it. There are NO clear guidelines for dealing with maladaptive behaviors like stereotypy and aggression and to say aba is always executed perfectly but at least there is more structure than this. Maybe they were going for the something similar to Naturalistic aba?
Overall, I will take this a good learning opportunity as I progress in this field. The flexibility, pay raises (which i advocated for myself) and coworkers were great. Some families were great but I think misinformed and take this model as glorified babysitting. 

A typical day at work involves being greeted and joking around with your fellow employees who are all energetic and enthusiastic young (or young at heart) students, interns and professionals who are passionate about the work they're doing and the populations they're serving. I notice myself smiling as I come and go from work.

The learning and training opportunities at RCCDI are endless, from the initial DIR/Floortime Trainings, to the weekly individual supervision, weekly group supervision or bi-weekly case consultation groups, AAC training, RPM training, ABM training, the list goes on. Dr. Ben and other supervisory staff are always on the cutting edge of offering new treatment modalities.

Students and interns will also receive great on-the-job training with how to write progress notes, maintain complete client records and how to hold professional boundaries, etc. You can work with a broad range of clients from highly impacted to highly functioning children and TAY aged youth. You also get exposure to how to work with parents and families as a team.

Because we are an interdisciplinary team, you'll have the opportunity to hear from multiple perspectives from various fields such as psychology, marriage and family therapy, social work, speech language pathology, occupational therapy, pediatrics and many more. You can also network with individuals who are well-recognized in their respective fields.

Management is always there to field your concerns when you have them. One of the most lovely aspects of RCCDI is that since we're all therapists, (even management!) you know you have an empathic ear to listen to and address your concern. Even when you're corrected for making a mistake, it's done in a connected manner that you can learn from and move on from.

Workplace culture is one of mutual support and encouragement. In supervision sessions you're encouraged to be open and vulnerable to receive authentic feedback from your co-workers who have probably gone through a similar clinical experience or hardship.

The hardest part of this job is definitely the personal investment. This is not about checking boxes and pushing paper. You're expected to work hard for these kids and families and the expectation is to continue to grow personally and professionally to do your best at all times. Kids on the spectrum can be a huge challenge to work with, but also extremely rewarding to have in impact on.

The most enjoyable parts of this job are feeling part of the family, whether that's part of the loving, caring Real Connections family, or part of your client's family.

I really appreciated my time at Positive Development. I was provided with really great training and supervision and really grew as a clinician. All of the Clinical Directors and other expert supervisors are truly amazing. They are experts in the feel that truly care about both employees and clients. However, throughout my time at PD, there was a lot of change that was not for the good. The expectations for billable hours became completely unmanageable and as a supervisor, the amount of time I was given for supervising and training the DPPs on each of my cases was cut to about 10% of what it was when I first started and was needed to support these cases. The job became putting out fires with complex cases and undertrained DPPs and writing insurance reports and waiting on hold with insurance companies. I had received amazing training and was ready to implement the DIR model, but I was not given any time in my weekly schedule to actually use any of my clinical skills. I was working 10-12 hour days just to get everything done. Pay was very low and there were no opportunities to get a raise or for upward growth within the company (even though the promise of growth opportunities and leadership roles were mentioned when I was hired). I was very sad to leave after the job and company changed so much. I hope they can get better leadership and re-focus on the mission and listen to clinician voices because Positive Development really has the potential to do amazing work. However, at this point, I would not refer any families I work with to get services from PD given the low quality therapy by under-trained and overworked professionals. 

I started my career at Positive Development as a coach for kids. I've gotten to help two kids grow and learn. It's been amazing. As someone who entered that role with little-to-no training, my supervisors helped me learn what I needed and focus on helping my clients. I went from someone with little knowledge to leading a social group of my own design with supervision from those who are professionally trained. 

After a year, I transferred to a new full-time role that I had a lot of experience with. When I requested to keep my clients, it wasn't just accepted, it was encouraged. They didn't want me to stop helping the kids who I had been working with to this point. The team that I joined was so excited that I was being hired from within. It felt really great to know that they took my application seriously from the beginning. 

At this point, my daily work life is amazing. I have a lot of support in what I do, I'm not micromanaged, and my input has been valued since my very first day. I've had a very eclectic work history. I hope that this brings an end to that.  

I didn't 5 star all of the reviews because I currently work here. I answered whole-heartedly and honestly. I love this job and company.

I was hired to work for this company. Offered a job with a pretty decent starting pay. And then moved across country to work specifically for this location. After attending training and being assigned a client. I was then told, I am not the right fit for the company because I am not personable, after meeting with the case manager and the Dr via teams once for 30 minutes. I was never given the opportunity to actually work for the company in order for them to make an assessment of my work ethic. Keep in mind I’ve been in this field for 4 years and just completed an assignment in Seattle. Great company with a lot of potential. But when management is only interested in hiring who they want to hire and not who is actually qualified to do the job, you experience gaps in service and poorly trained behavior techs. Leading to high turnover.

I took the job thinking it was at home work only and the training mostly focusing on working with younger clients and no driving other than to session locations. I was paired with an adult client due to my background. My client treated me like a taxi and even with conversations I ended up having to quit due to it flaring up a medical issue.  Fast forward to wanting to go back and ask for a home case that is only one location and I'm denied multiple times due to not being qualified anymore. Seems shady since I left for a medical reason. I referred a friend months ago before I left and theu turned it down because it seemed off to her. It's an ok job if you're super flexible and willing to drive more than you think. There wasn't even a system for paras to document their miles without contacting support everytime.

Real Connections is a small private practice agency located in Monrovia, CA. They specialize in children with development disorders but primarily focus on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Real Connections provides DIR/Floortime Therapy to their clients. This is a one-on-one intervention using both play-based interactions and reality-based dialogues focusing primarily on emotional and relational themes. 
Real Connections is a great place to work and all of the employees are very kind and supportive of one another. The owner of the agency is very involved in and maintains a close, professional relationship with all employees. The agency promotes your own growth and development along with the clients you work with.

Pay wise wasn't consistent ranged between 4-6 weeks when it said bi-weekly pay. Supervisor wasn't clear on a lot of things as far as a helpful direction for certain behaviors from clients. No clear direction either as far as reports other then " hey do your report." Terminated without an explanation when working with my second job. It was fun because the families made you feel like family and making the child smile amd trying to help them learn. The hardest part was trying to make the Notes "professionally". Management was ok in the beginning but were kinda not helpful at all trying to ask for clarification on how to be better at a goal or to change things up. 

The DRBI model at the heart of PD is incredible. 
The work PD does for families of autistic children is incomparable. 
The lack of communication with new hires and the lack of fulfilling promises is horrendous. 
Also, too many cooks in the kitchen. Two friends were let go. Prior to being given this information in a meeting, they each received an email in insinuating their exit. For the amount of processes and the interests in “best practices”, you would think this impossible. 
The way they have treated my teammates for the last six months is incorrigible. What was supposed to be a blessing did prove to be a growth opportunity, but within ourselves, our integrity, our values. Not due to PD.

The approach is play based therapy provided in home. It is supposed to be different than ABA, but most families don't seem to understand the difference which can make home sessions very awkward. Even when following the written goals, most families found the program confusing. The team tries to help, but it can be challenging. 

The hourly pay would be fine, but the hours are subject to last minute cancellations and you may spend nearly as much time driving to the client as you do with the client (you don't get paid for travel time unless it's between clients, but because most of the hours are after school hours, good luck getting more than one or two clients at all). You will also contend with clients leaving care suddenly; which means no income until you rematch with another family.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Paraprofessional 8 salaries reported	$25.50 per hour
Child development specialist 344 salaries reported	$25.17 per hour
Autism specialist 8 salaries reported	$25.38 per hour
Play center attendant 46 salaries reported	$25.00 per hour
Speech language pathologist 4 salaries reported	$57.63 per hour

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