New Certification and Associated Partnership Opportunities
for educators & therapistsDue to extensive international attention and inundation of requests to serve families with Autism / ASD / PDD, the pilot program cannot take any more student/families. This is heartbreaking and is the reason behind the push to see other educators and therapists pick up the baton. You are needed…in every corner of the globe. We have the 3am phone messages from England, Whales, Spain and Australia to show for it. Consider becoming part of the journey of facilitating families living with Autism/ASD/PDD. We will assist you in this journey if you qualify.
3 Ways to Become Part of the Adventure in Serving Families Living with Autism/ASD/PDD:
Individual Provider Certification *6-9 month online training with in-person qualification training**Must hold either a Master Degree in Education, Social Science, or Therapeutic Arts + 2 years of verifiable service with clients OR must hold a BA/BS in Education or Therapeutic Arts + 5 years of verifiable service to students/schools/clients. This training includes a required dedication to a minimum of 6 months of weekly online didactic coursework in SocioCultural Impacts, Advocacy Training, Developmental Pathology, Neurological Bases, Empirically Validated Protocols, Emerging Protocols, C & I for the Person Centered Model, CBT Integration, On-The-Spot Learning Techniques, and Family Dynamics (among other pressing topics). Training should not take longer than 9 months if pursued with diligence. An in-person qualification capstone training (two days) is the pre-certification step in which practice will be monitored with an IHC/BSER Educator or Therapist. The final step is the video/digital recording of 10 hours with your own clients/volunteers (after you are issued student practitioner insurance and an approval from the Certification Comte.) ***This is an intensive “relational model” provider protocol - any applicant that is not “good with kids and families” should not pursue this provider certification as it would not be an appropriate fit and would be evident in the qualification training thus prohibiting certification. The education and intervention protocols involve very tactile, artistic, and animated procedures, thus severely introverted individuals may find these methods difficult to employ. Those who listen well, are relationally inviting, and creatively “fun” will have a most joyous experience employing the education / intervention methods. ****Upon certification, you must agree to take at least one client/family at an income-sensitive rate. We also ask that you not make your hourly or daily rates so high that your services become exclusive. While there is an over-abundance of potential clients, please remember that a good majority of these families absorb extensive costs due to lack of benefits for individuals living with Autism/ASD/PDD. If invited for training after the comte. has approved your initial letter of inquiry (details below), fees are: $416 Registration Fee; $277 per month of training OR reduced comprehensive training fee (for 9 months max. training) of $2300 if paid in full upon registration.
School or Program Certification*Minimum of two staff trained in IHC/BSER educ. & intervention methods with yearly operational audit of program safety and protocol standards. General terms for providers also apply in this certification option.
Associated Partnership as a Big Sky Education Center in your city or town (only one center permitted per city / town)*Ongoing training, support, on-call operational audits, media coverage/support, professional membership discounts, conferences, and program philosophy collaboration. **Must adhere to admitting a minimum of 1 scholarship student/client per every 10 full paying students/clients. ***Must adhere to IHC/BSER mission to serve as a training site for University Education and Therapy Interns (a.k.a. non-paid auxiliary staff for your program). ****Must incorporate Animal Assisted Therapies and ample Natural Environment access to clients/students served. Average tuition rates for comparable programs range from $15,000-$40,000 per student. While your work will be invaluable, it is imperative that your operational philosophy not be driven by profit, but by ethics and the continual drive to serve the autistic community as your own. Any evidence to the contrary will constitute reasoning to sever association with IHC/BSER. This option is highly selective and will require specific protocols on the part of the comte. While this option is offered at a much lower cost than many other franchising opportunities like Sylvan (an average required investment fee of $30K and more), just because our opportunity is much less of a financial investment - we understand our opportunity to be far more stringent in the operational qualifications and ethically / philosophically grounded. The base fee for this option is an initial $15K with a yearly recertification audit at $1K. Be prepared to be "married" to IHC/BSER with this option as we would be extremely protective of your devotion to your associated partnership, which primarily means we would be extremely protective of the families you choose to serve.
Those interested in any of these 3 opportunities, should write a letter of inquiry specifying which certification programs he/she is most interested in pursuing. The letter should include Name, Degree level and discipline, description of professional experience in the teaching or therapeutic arts field, description of professional strengths and challenges, and reason for desiring potential pursuit of such a professional direction of serving the autistic community. Please address the letter of inquiry to:
ATTN: Certification Comte., IHCenter / Big Sky Education and Research, P.O. Box 1269, Elgin, Texas 78621
General Training Opportunities Open to The Public Group PDD/ASD Training Workshop Sessions (w/out Certification)
Professionals: $150
Family Members (of person w/ ASD/PDD): $50
For: Educators, Medical Professionals, Law Enforcement, and Social Service Advocates.
*Parents of individuals living with ASD/PDD are welcome to attend at the discounted fee.
NT School for High Ability Learners
Please see link in main menu
[NT = Individual with Neurotypical cognitive function (not autistic or cognitively delayed)]
DUE TO REQUESTS FOR ALLOWANCE OF ADMISSION OF NON-AUTISTIC AND NON-ASD SIBLING STUDENTS, A PROGRAM OF EDUCATION, VOCATIONAL / CAREER APPRENTICESHIP(S), AND EARLY COLLEGE CREDIT NOW INCLUDES A CLASS FOR HIGH ABILITY STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT AUTISTIC.
A LIMIT OF 16 FULL-TIME STUDENTS HAS BEEN SET FOR GRADES 5-12. PART TIME (DAY RATE) STUDENTS WILL ALSO BE SERVED BASED ON INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT/FAMILY NEED AND DESIRE FOR INCLUSION.
STUDENT APPLICANTS MUST EXHIBIT COMMITTMENT TO THE PHILANTHROPIC MISSION OF IHCenter / Big Sky Education and Research BY ENGAGING IN 1-2 HOURS PER WEEK OF MONITORED PEER-SOCIAL-COACHING OF BIG SKY STUDENTS WHO ARE LIVING WITH AUTISM.
STUDENTS APPLICANTS MUST SHOW A HISTORY OF ACADEMIC / ARTISTIC / OR SOCIAL SERVICE EXCELLENCE. THIS CAN BE EXHIBITED THROUGH LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION AND THROUGH A STUDENT APPLICANT ESSAY OF NO LESS THAN 150 WORDS (Parents may assist but not write the essay). STUDENT FAMILIES WILL THEN BE INVITED FOR INTERVIEW.
*YEAR-ROUND EDUCATION OPTION *FULL COLLEGE PREP. ACADEMIC OFFERINGS THAT ARE DESIGNED AROUND THE STUDENT'S STRENGTHS, CHALLENGES, GOALS, AND DESIRES.
