Category: $$$

Excuse me, did you say $8000???

7/27/2011

I'm choosing to be really bummed now!!!

We were all excited about Dr. Dorinne Davis from the Davis Center whom we
met at the Autism One Conference in Chicago this May.

She is this amazingly intelligent Dr. who is certified in over 20 different listening programs that help heal issues with your inner ear, etc. She can analyze your inner ear to see exactly which program is the best fit for you... So we paid around $400 or $500 each for Jackie and Ka'eo Jr to get assessed by her while we were there in Chicago. Everything went great, her diagnoses seemed spot on, so she said we would be contacted to get set up with the 2 programs Ka'eo Jr and Jackie would be right for...Auditory Integration Training and the Enlisten Training Program.

So today we get the call that they are ready to ship out the AIT equipment to us, it's a 10 day program, then we would start the ETP over the next 6 months. So I find out the AIT would cost $2000 (for 10 days) and the ETP License would be another $6000 (for 6 months) !!!

I was floored. I said, "um...we can't afford $8000, we have a child with autism and we're already spending every penny we have to help him recover..."

She said, "oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were already invoiced for this..."

I said, "No...I knew the AIT was $800 after the initial assessment and that's it...but actually it is $800 after the intial assessment that costs $600 (which isn't the first assessment we did in Chicago, its different), then it's another $600 for the 2nd person's AIT..."

OMG...anyway I could go on and on, but you get the picture...I'm just choosing to be bummed at this moment...then I'll get over it and move on.

I just had such high hopes for this because Ka'eo Jr really shows us he has inner ear issues, he covers his ears often and is sensitive to certain sounds...but we just can't afford $8000. Even if Jackie backs out of it and we only do Ka'eo Jr, it's still $6400! I mean, REALLY, do you know how much Son-Rise training and consultations that would equal???

Thanks but no thanks Dr. Dorinne Davis!!! Movin' on :o)

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$,$,$ - the COSTS of being trained and running a SOLID Son-Rise Program

4/8/2011

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I originally wrote this BLOG in response to some other Son-Rise parents who were concerned about the costs of attending more advanced training courses at the Autism Treatment Center of America in Sheffield, Massachusetts. Since I was originally addressing other Son-Rise families, I didn't explain everything I mentioned. I've edited the BLOG to explain acronyms, etc. but if you have any quesions, please email us or comment on this BLOG and I'll do my best to explain! Aloha...

Okay…here’s a long one to read…these are my thoughts regarding the COSTS of getting fully trained and running a Son-Rise Program…because if you read our DONATE page, you may be thinking you’ll never be able to afford to do Son-Rise!

I can tell you straight, we don’t have $$$. I’m in debt; I have back taxes, etc… The cost of the advanced training courses at the ATCA (Autism Treatment Center of America) was and still is a very big concern for us. I keep making plans like, “Jackie will go to the Start-Up Program Training and I’ll just listen to her recordings” or “Okay we both went to the Start-Up Program, but she’ll go to the advanced courses, I don’t need to,” then it was, “Jackie will go to Maximum Impact Training and I’ll go to New Frontiers Training”… but every step of the way, our prayers were answered, the ATCA granted us a partial scholarship for every course we've taken…family and friends will sometimes surprise us with a check in the mail (we sent out fundraising letters with our Christmas Cards)…or I’ll find an opportunity to raise extra $$$.

It truly is a struggle to think about the costs of the courses and travel and time off work, etc. It is still a challenge to think about having to pay thousands for outreaches or even hundreds for consultations or dialogues. I’ve never done a consultation or dialogue myself at the ATCA. Instead, I spent $200 there on books and CDs to learn more about the Option Process ® (a method of taking control of your own beliefs and feelings). Jackie has now done 2 dialogue sessions with the ATCA. We really felt her dialogue sessions were of the utmost importance for her because she is the engine behind our entire program and family (I’m more like the fuel, ha!). I am determined to get our family to a Son-Rise Intensive Program in 2012 as well…($18,000 not including travel)

I’m very confident the fundraising ideas from ATCA work. We’re planning on doing a dinner event with a silent auction. I’ve heard of families raising anywhere from $3000-$10,000 in one night! I’m still pursuing the Department of Education in Hawai'i for funding of our home-based program. I’m still taking every opportunity I can to spread the word about Son-Rise in Hawaii – in hopes of being a light to other families out there but also in hopes of getting referral credits. We’ve already got 2, that’s 50% of a class paid!

Really, the bottom line for me is this:

Son-Rise Start-Up Course changed my life. It truly shook up my beliefs right down to the foundation of whom I thought I was and always would be.
Son-Rise is absolutely working with our son; we’re only at 15 hours per week and he’s already grown SO much, I’m bursting with excitement at the thought of having a full team and running a solid program.
The revelations Jackie has had at Max this week completely super charged her motivation and absolutely gave her clarity about many of her core fears, anxieties, uncertainties, and doubts.

I mean really, people go to unbelievable extremes: they climb mountains, get surgeries, hypnotize themselves, leave their families behind, spend years at monasteries, or spend tens of thousands of dollars to try to find this type of permanent life-changing experience – to find happiness.

Yesterday, Jackie was describing her experience at Maximum Impact to me, and we were both committing to each other to really make the Option Process ® the core of who we are for the rest of our lives and she said, “its really like finding Heaven on earth”…what a statement!

So now, hopefully you can see where I’m coming from on these decisions to dig deep and find the means to make it out to The Autism Treatment Center of America again and again and to run this program to best of our abilities…whatever it takes!

I’d love to hear everyone else’s thoughts on this! You CAN DO IT !!!

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Authors

Jackie and Ka'eo Griffin Sr. are the authors of this blog. We want to recourd our journey with our first born son, Ka'eo Jr, as we work together towards his recovery from autism. Mahalo for reading. Please share your thoughts with us!

Excuse me, did you say $8000???

$,$,$ - the COSTS of being trained and running a SOLID Son-Rise Program

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