Autism Spectrum Therapies Employee Reviews about "drive time"

Pros

flexible hours (so flexible its unstable), hands-on work, the clients

Cons

How they entice you: $16.50 hr, 50 cents mileage reimb. $8.50 hr. drive time, medical, dental, vision, life, 401K, flexible hours. Reality: $700 every 2 weeks, $10+ in gas per day, 2 hour gaps in between clients, 20-25 hours per week. 30 mile radius obligation and they will send you 29.5 miles. Reminding you that if you dont do things their way you will be fired, little respect, canceled sessions, hard to get time off w/o the threat of being fired even if its a medical reason. high turnover, taking raw data home w/you to enter into their online system using Excel, constant deadlines, required to take alt. appointments if yours is canceled last minute.

Pros

Paid drive time, long lunch breaks

Cons

High cancelation rate, not enough hours

Pros

AST is a for-profit ABA service company that uses best practice clinical tools to support children and adults with autism. They offer a business model that is not only committed to clients, but to the success of their employees. Paid drive time and mileage, excellent medical benefits and PTO accrual, and a variety of positions and certification opportunities in the company to grow into and learn new things. Every person in management positions I've interacted with in my time there have been professional and helpful and my peers have always been kind and supportive, making it a great environment to work in. My story: I've worked with AST for many years, starting off with little more than an awareness of Autism and a desire to help children. Thorough training and an attentive supervisor taught me how to be an effective interventionist and clinician. As an interventionist, I always felt professionally and emotionally supported. When I had earned it, I was moved through advancement opportunities immediately with the encouragement of my supervisor. When I fell in love with my work and the field, this company supported me in my growth. Accommodations were made to my schedule so I could enter a master's program and when it came time to fulfill the experience hours portion of my program, AST offered several opportunities for expanding my role and learning new skills. I'm now finishing coursework, managing my own team of interventionists, supervising my own caseload, and preparing to sit for the BCBA. All this with the support of a tremendous community of smart and kind individuals who are there to help without hesitation. I can't imagine having taken this journey anywhere else.

Cons

Cons relate more to this field in general than to AST as a company, but AST is not an exception in many of these areas. Scheduling is not always ideal and you may drive great distances (within a specified mileage maximum) and have gaps between sessions. It's important to be honest about your availability, as AST offers sessions to clients from as early as 8am to 8:30pm six days a week and it is more than likely you will be scheduled within what you say you are available to work, especially in the evenings. Your work/life balance will be what you make of it and it's important to be honest and advocate for yourself. Wages are also a slight issue. My hiring wage matched industry standards, if not the standard I was promised following completion of a 4 year degree program, but raises, when they are awarded, are often non-impactful.

Pros

It is extremely rewarding to witness the positive difference you make in not only your client's life but also in the lives of the client's family. Helping a child with developmental delays/disabilities progress and become more independent is a fulfilling experience. Training with AST was comprehensive and detailed. I enjoyed how well-rounded the training program was set up, with in-classroom training, online modules, and field shadowing. In addition, the scheduled quarterly CTM training helps keep me up to date and in touch with my fellow interventionists. I have had a wonderful experience with my Clinical Supervisor providing an appropriate level of supervision hours per week, responding to emails and questions quickly and thoroughly, as well as providing professional support within the job.

Cons

Compensation is variable depending on hours (not-guaranteed), client advance schedule changes (if more than 24 hours in advance, not paid), and minimal opportunities for growth without enrollment or completion of an MA program. Full time consists of 8 hoursFull time consists of 8 hoursFull time consists of 8 hours of scheduled direct intervention AND mileage and drive time. Full time hours (8), in order to receive full benefits and pay to cover living expenses, is really 12 hours with drive time to, between, and from each client. If there is one advance cancellation, approximately 2-3 hours of direction intervention as well as drive time, is lost which takes a toll on counted-on income. In addition, working full time (full days), takes away time from home-life impacting that work/life balance. Stressful in-home environment depending on parent involvement and client behaviors (aggression, SIB, etc).

Pros

Tablet for data collection, paid drive time and mileage reimbursement in between clients, benefits offered after 6 months of working an average of 30 hrs/wk, CPR and BCAT training, flexible hours.

Cons

as expected-supervision hours can be sporadic and inconsistent, BCBAs can have up to 24 cases and its hard for them to make time for every BT on their team, advanced cancellations are unpaid, clinical team meetings are far and few inbetween (around 1 every few months), if you say you're available from 8am-8pm you will get scheduled with huge time gaps which ends up being a 10-12 hr day which adds to burnout.

Pros

Rewarding when you see progress in your clients. Gas reimbursed. Love the kids. Company did their best to create a full time schedule and super close to each other time and distance wise

Cons

Hard to get full time. Depends on your luck of location of clients. Sometimes you'll have a huge gap between clients. I would leave at 8am but not come home till 830pm because there would be gaps and it'd be a waste of gas and time to drive home. Parents can also be difficult to work with. Salaries arent guaranteed if a client cancels in advance and you dont get an alternative.

Pros

Helpful management Opportunities to grow within company Paid time off Fulfilling work to see children grow and learn Paid cancellation time Thorough training Paid mileage and drive time

Cons

Hours aren't guaranteed (clients can cancel or end early) Extremely difficult to get benefits and insurance with the inconsistency of hours Some families and schools can be extremely difficult to work with Sometimes a high stress environment if clients are physically aggressive "Lonely" work environment (rarely see co-workers and other staff besides supervisor)

Pros

Flexible schedule Paid mileage and drive time Your drives in between clients are kind of like breaks and it’s nice to be outside. Everyday is different, you may be assigned sessions that are indoors, some outdoors, some school sessions.

Cons

The job gets lonely Not enough supervision and guidance when one first starts the job. Not much thought is put into the location/distance between clients. You might end up driving for an hour in traffic to get from one client to another.