FamilyWise Behavior Solutions Interview with Shannon Demi, BCBA

Macaroni KID Norwich & Woodstock had a sit-down interview with Shannon Demi, BCBA, from FamilyWise Behavior Solutions, with clinics located in Groton, North Windham, and Colchester. FamilyWise Behavior Solutions offers a wide range of evidence-based support for families and children who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Family Wise Behavior Solutions, is a lifeline for families struggling to feel heard and supported regarding their child’s behavioral needs. Below is our interview.

Macaroni KID Woodstock & Norwich: What is FamilyWise Behavior Solutions? And how can parents learn more about the services and support you offer?

Shannon Demi, BCBA: FamilyWise Behavior Solutions provides local families with children who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with transformative Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). FamilyWise uses evidence-based, trauma-informed techniques to ensure quality solutions for the whole family. We are there to support the child and the family, so they feel heard and supported. ABA is the gold standard for the treatment of autism, but ABA is also effective with other diagnoses as well! Also, it is important to know that most insurers will only pay for ABA treatment after a child has been diagnosed with Autism.We have many evaluators in our network, so parents can also contact us for referrals. 

Macaroni KID Woodstock & Norwich: What are your hours of operation? Do you have extended hours or in-home services? Do you have current openings?

Shannon Demi, BCBA: Our hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. We don’t work on the weekends because we believe everyone deserves a break. We encourage our families to take their kids out to events or the park. If the parents are planning a trip, we help alleviate some of their anxiety by helping them come up with a plan, so they feel empowered and confident with their child. 

However, we do offer family-friendly activities such as Trunk or Treat or other events for our clients to get together and make new friends. We promote families to connect with each other, but due to HIPAA, we are unable to set up a support group within our company. 

As for extended hours or in-home services, those are determined on a case-by-case basis and would be discussed with families at the time of service. We currently have openings at all our offices. 

Macaroni KID Woodstock & Norwich: What does onboarding look like?

Shannon Demi, BCBA: After verifying insurance coverage, the initial appointment is to evaluate the child to determine the best course of action. All of our services are individualized to meet the needs of each child. Each child will be rotated with our providers, but the ratio is 1:1. We meet with the parent and child to do some evaluations to provide the best possible outcomes for the families we support. 

After that, their individual program would be a 1:1 session along with group activities such as story time, eating lunch, having snack time, playing outside together, and other activities to engage the children in group settings and practice and reinforce what they’re learning in their individual sessions. 

We teach things like social skills, feeding, and functional communication, which helps children learn how to communicate their needs in a socially appropriate way. We also teach other valuable skills to help them become more independent. 

Additionally, ABA addresses the why in a child’s behavior. Therefore, we evaluate the situation and determine why they are behaving a certain way. Then we teach them to get their wants and needs met in a healthy way.

We offer parents the use of an app where we place daily updates, any progress their child is making, session notes, schedules, and who will be working with their child. 

Parents can also check in with us periodically so we can ask questions to ensure things are going well at home and help troubleshoot any concerns they may have that they weren’t able to address at the clinic.

As providers, we routinely collaborate with each other, so we’re all aware of what each child is doing and their progress. Communication is key with each other and the families we support.

Finally, we connect with their other healthcare and medical providers, such as speech therapists, occupational therapists, or pediatricians, to collaborate, answer questions, and ensure everyone is on the same page.

Macaroni KID Woodstock & Norwich: How long does a typical treatment plan last? If a child graduates from the program, should parents be aware of anything in case of other challenges surfacing in the future?

Shannon Demi, BCBA: Because we are tailored for each child, we assess their needs to determine how quickly we can transition a child from our services. We work with children who need minimal support and those who may always need it. So, we are always there for families who may have left our services and may need to connect with us if a child starts regressing. 

Macaroni KID Woodstock & Norwich: Do you work with older children or adult children under the care of their parent or guardian? 

Shannon Demi, BCBA: It’s not a typical service that we offer because the majority of our clients are 6 and under. We do work with kids 12 and under as well, but they make up a small segment of clients. We will discuss any potential services for school-aged or adult children on a case-by-case basis. 

Macaroni KID Woodstock & Norwich: What are some resources available for parents to review and determine whether your services are right for their children?

Shannon Demi, BCBA: I encourage parents to visit our website first to determine eligibility. We work with a variety of insurance companies; however, a few are unfortunately not in our network, so ensuring that their insurance is one we accept is key. Parents can also find other information on our website or Facebook Page. If they have any questions, they can contact us at 860-603-2243.