Here is a fact that all parents should know: autism spectrum disorder is one of the fastest-growing developmental disabilities, with 1 in 36 children affected. Autism is more common than childhood diabetes, cancer and AIDS combined.
“Since the rate of autism is growing so fast, it stands to reason that services will follow suit,” says Jamie McGillivary, president and founder of Healing Haven, a privately owned metro Detroit ABA therapy center for children, teens and young adults. “Growth can be a wonderful thing, but it has to be done right to benefit families.”
With ever-increasing numbers of children needing ABA, speech-language and occupational therapies, clinics in southeast Michigan are expanding to meet the need — sometimes very quickly. Thanks to the 2012 insurance reform in Michigan, more children are able to access life-changing therapies.
What do parents need to know about fast-growing ABA clinics?
For any business, rapid expansion can impact everything from staffing to quality control. When an ABA clinic grows, parents want to be confident that their child’s therapy remains consistent and of the highest quality.
“Just because a provider is able to provide services well on a small scale doesn’t mean that they can automatically do it well at a larger size or across other settings,” McGillivary says.
In order to help an increasing number of families, Healing Haven has always worked toward expanding services. “However, every time we have taken a step forward, we have only done so because we knew we could do it right,” she says. “That means putting a laser focus on the quality of our services.”
“We give copious attention to the details, from the location to the staff training — every part of it matters to create the best experience possible for our families,” she adds.
Experience gained during sustained growth counts. In Madison Heights, Healing Haven expanded slowly to form a campus. Four separate-but-connected buildings house clinics for children ages 2 years to young adult. Now, nearly 14 years later, after launching their business, Healing Haven is preparing to launch an additional site in Farmington Hills.
The team “practiced growing” for years before seeking to open their new Farmington Hills clinic, a one-stop-shop with center-based ABA, parent training, speech and occupational therapy for children ages 2-8. This new location is scheduled to open in fall 2024.
Convenience and efficiency matter
Over decades of working with families, McGillivary learned that raising a child with autism can be stressful — especially when parents have to drive through traffic to services that are miles from home.
“We realized families were traveling to Madison Heights for the quality of services they received. We knew that if we could reduce their travel without impacting quality, families could spend more time being a family,” she explains. “This restores balance to their lives.”
And, by offering stress management and counseling to support parents, children and staff, everyone has access to a better quality of life.
Questions to ask when considering a growing ABA provider
If you are considering working with an ABA provider that has grown significantly or is planning to expand, take the time to ask questions about how and why they are making that happen.
“Ask the provider why they felt it was important to grow,” suggests McGillivary. “Make sure the changes are supervised, that the quality is there, that training and oversight aren’t going to the wayside simply because there was a need for more. Ask about staffing. Is it an issue?”
Take the time to visit and use your parental intuition. “Stand in the middle of the clinic and see for yourself. How are the kids responding? How is the staff responding? Don’t take someone’s word for it. Go see it,” says McGillivary.
“Growth is good when done right. Controlled growth can help meet the needs of the community,” she says. “But finding yourself in a clinic that has grown too fast may be detrimental for your child, so take the time to do your research to make sure you can find a clinic that is an excellent fit for your family.”
Discover Healing Haven’s unique ABA therapy for children ages 2 years through young adult in Madison Heights — and for children ages 2-8 years old in Farmington Hills opening fall 2024. Visit thehealinghaven.net.
