Re: Re Sonrise Program - trust your gut instinct

[Guest guest]

I posted a reply before reading this, but I feel the same way so had to second

that.  I did so much of all this myself.  I discovered when I learned about

ABA,

that that's what I'd been doing since my kid was learning to walk.  I could

break down the reasons somehow that he was tantruming:  he doesn't understand

such & such ... so how do we teach that?  And break it down into tiny pieces.

You can hire people who work with ABA therapists that do the direct one-on-one

with your kids, too - they're not usually highly paid and take on a lot of

pro-bono work to help you set up programs and come do things with your child.

For what you'd pay for Sonrise, you could be putting away $ for the special

needs trust.

Mostly, I had to learn what to do.  I'd take them for a couple of speech or OT

sessions, find out what needed to be worked on, then work on it myself.  They

have progressed very well.  But we did have the meds so that made it a lot

easier for us.

Good luck with your choice.  ly, I see how much therapy costs because I

bill for it, and when someone can't afford it, I want to immediately squash the

guilt/shame/fear these parents start feeling, and I tell them straight up that I

wasn't able to afford this, that I had to make a lot of decisions based on $,

and that this is long-term.  I tell them that there are so many resources to

help us, and we network and learn as well as we can.  Yes, going to certain

places is great and convenient IF you can afford it, but it's not the end-all

predictor of how well your child is going to do.  I'm sure I could make some

things easier for all of us, but right now, all I have in me is to be able to do

what I'm doing right now, and it has to be enough.  And my kids - at this

moment

- are happy, joyful (we were in a living hell up till January), engaged, just

absolutely delightful, and I'm so proud of them today.  They don't look

neglected...

HTH

 

________________________________

From: bbrowne123 <bbrowne123@...>

Sent: Thu, March 10, 2011 3:18:06 PM

Subject: Re Sonrise Program - trust your gut instinct

 

ran a program for a few years (sonrise)

finished with it now - way too expensive, way too 'hard sell' and the

organisation uses practices that are underhanded (pitting ABA vs sonrise in

sarcastic video clips).

Good for examining your 'beliefs' about autism, but on the whole, unless your

child is extremely 'severe' (hate that word) there will probably be other things

you should be considering - sonrise does not provide THE way for any child - and

ALL of it is just good parenting, which you can do for free.

at 18,000 dollars a week, i wouldnt do it plus the telephoen consults they want

to sign you up for at 200 bucks or more an hour, well sorry, anyone who has ever

really helped my child did it more or less for free.

autism is a huge business and money maker and i personally want to see the

outcomes of the kids and how well they have done/havent done.

dont get caught up in their philosophy - you can't 'love' autism out of a child.

but you CAN learn things i suppose like not being judgemental and questioning

your and others' beliefs about your child and his/her difficulties.

most of what you need to know/do can be obtained from the experience of other

parents who have run the program - join lists. its not rocket science.

>

> Hi ,

>

> Yeah, that's a little pushy, I suppose, but they aren't a scam. They really

> seem to help a lot of kids, but I just don't think they consider the health

> of the child a lot (but I say that b/c mines been real sick since soon after

> birth). I did do the start up program and it is good, but I'd make sure you

> are committed to doing it before spending that money. I'd get my kiddo

> healthy more, then do it so you can give the program and him your all and

> expect the same from him.

>

> The free consult should have you talking to or one of the other

> members and I did this and they really helped. Remember though, they still

> are a business;( so you'll have that business part of it and they'll get

> your info to follow up with you.

>

> Hth,

>

> Kathi

>

>

>

> From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of S

> Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 1:53 PM

>

> Subject: is son-rise treatment a scam?

>

>

>

>

>

> Hey just curious if anyone has dealt with these people before. I call to

> talk to someone. they say they have a free consultation. then when you call

> up -you talk to an appt setter who opens an account for you? wants all your

> contact info, name address email, etc... and childs name, date of birth,

> etc... before you ever even get to talk to someone about whether or not its

> a match or a possibility. SOUNDS FISHY!! Unfortunately, i had already been

> sold on the idea by the website info and was willing to spend the money for

> treatment and training but now i am too concerned to move ahead. Its sounds

> like some big sales gimmick- i felt really uncomfortable like it was a scam

>

> shannon

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Should add that for all the 'love' they expound, when I was at the center a few

years back, i didnt feel love, i felt it was a busines like any other -

following a course i took there that cost me the guts of 3000 dollars they had

the nerve to ask for more money.

ok, i realise its a business but businesses who say they 'love' you and your

kid? Having been in the autism world for many years now and after having run

sonrise and ABA programs and after having watched many other parents' programs

for their children, isnt it about time that we as parents stood back and

questioned why the 'mystique' of all these organisations about OUR children's

condition? We are the experts and WE know best. But THEY keep us isolated from

each other by promising something that only THEY can provide.

really sick of the gouging where autism is concerned. Its all money. So many

parent out there who are killing themselves paying for programs that are costing

them all of their savings and wearing them out. If you dont have a roof over

your head, where are you going to run your 'program'?

Thing is these businesses dont care obviously. They know that there will always

be parent who can pay to heck with those who cant, its not their problem. If you

are desperate enough you will always find the money.

I could go on about the sonrise program but i would probably get sued. Plenty of

parents know a LOT about these people but wont talk.

Just use good judgement and ask lots of questions and dont pay if you dont have

to.

> >

> > Hi ,

> >

> > Yeah, that's a little pushy, I suppose, but they aren't a scam. They really

> > seem to help a lot of kids, but I just don't think they consider the health

> > of the child a lot (but I say that b/c mines been real sick since soon after

> > birth). I did do the start up program and it is good, but I'd make sure you

> > are committed to doing it before spending that money. I'd get my kiddo

> > healthy more, then do it so you can give the program and him your all and

> > expect the same from him.

> >

> > The free consult should have you talking to or one of the other

> > members and I did this and they really helped. Remember though, they still

> > are a business;( so you'll have that business part of it and they'll get

> > your info to follow up with you.

> >

> > Hth,

> >

> > Kathi

> >

> >

> >

> > From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of S

> > Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 1:53 PM

> >

> > Subject: is son-rise treatment a scam?

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Hey just curious if anyone has dealt with these people before. I call to

> > talk to someone. they say they have a free consultation. then when you call

> > up -you talk to an appt setter who opens an account for you? wants all your

> > contact info, name address email, etc... and childs name, date of birth,

> > etc... before you ever even get to talk to someone about whether or not its

> > a match or a possibility. SOUNDS FISHY!! Unfortunately, i had already been

> > sold on the idea by the website info and was willing to spend the money for

> > treatment and training but now i am too concerned to move ahead. Its sounds

> > like some big sales gimmick- i felt really uncomfortable like it was a scam

> >

> > shannon

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

PLAY project is based on floor time principles and is very similar to son rise.

Easter seals now has PLAY project consultants that can teach you some great

techniques to engage your child and direction on what to work on. It is

normally pretty affordable because Easter Seals is a nonprofit. if you google

play project they have a great DVD on their website that is seventy five dollars

and really gives you a lot of information. Four hours long, but packed with

very helpful tips and information. aHiring a consultant is normally pretty

affordable too.

I really like PLAY project. We worked with them for a year and a half. Now I

can do it on my own. But I honestly was really trying with Mason and I was not

making headway before we started working with them. I couldn't engage him even

with all my mothering expertise, but they taught me how. Now he is a completely

different kid, he has made so much progress. Some people can do it on their

own, some can't. I couldn't.

If you do like son rise then do it. I know a few families that have really made

progress with their program. And of course they charge a lot of money, it is

their job. It is how they make a living. There are scholarships though. If

you call and ask about them you might be able to get one. Two of my three

friends that went got in free with scholarships. My only problem with it is

that I don't think you can learn enough about how to effectively implement the

program that fast. Floor time, RDI, Sonrise, they are all kind of similar, and

they are hard. It is a lot more than " do this and get a cookie " . I truly

believ it works though, but every kid is different. V

> > >

> > > Hi ,

> > >

> > > Yeah, that's a little pushy, I suppose, but they aren't a scam. They

really

> > > seem to help a lot of kids, but I just don't think they consider the

health

> > > of the child a lot (but I say that b/c mines been real sick since soon

after

> > > birth). I did do the start up program and it is good, but I'd make sure

you

> > > are committed to doing it before spending that money. I'd get my kiddo

> > > healthy more, then do it so you can give the program and him your all and

> > > expect the same from him.

> > >

> > > The free consult should have you talking to or one of the other

> > > members and I did this and they really helped. Remember though, they still

> > > are a business;( so you'll have that business part of it and they'll get

> > > your info to follow up with you.

> > >

> > > Hth,

> > >

> > > Kathi

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of S

> > > Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 1:53 PM

> > >

> > > Subject: is son-rise treatment a scam?

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Hey just curious if anyone has dealt with these people before. I call to

> > > talk to someone. they say they have a free consultation. then when you

call

> > > up -you talk to an appt setter who opens an account for you? wants all

your

> > > contact info, name address email, etc... and childs name, date of birth,

> > > etc... before you ever even get to talk to someone about whether or not

its

> > > a match or a possibility. SOUNDS FISHY!! Unfortunately, i had already been

> > > sold on the idea by the website info and was willing to spend the money

for

> > > treatment and training but now i am too concerned to move ahead. Its

sounds

> > > like some big sales gimmick- i felt really uncomfortable like it was a

scam

> > >

> > > shannon

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

We also ran a program for 5 months just from reading the books we got from

the library. The program was more effective after our training but my

son did make really good progress during those 5 months.

My experience with the Son-Rise people was far different from the person

that talked about not feeling the " love " while there and being kept isolated

from other parents. I've been through three of their training programs.

I've felt that all of the people I've worked with from the OI have been

very respectful of both me and my child. I'm also not sure how someone would

get the feeling that they were isolating the parents since the group

programs involve parents staying together in small house-like buildings and

sharing their experiences with each other. Also, they asked us to be a

Son-Rise

Ambassador Family in order to help with their network of parents helping

other parents, there were several web lists where parents exchanged ideas

and a large part of the program's teaching involves trusting yourself as your

child's expert and learning from your child's reactions on how best to

reach him/her.

Gaylen

In a message dated 3/13/2011 2:57:23 P.M. Central Daylight Time,

mm39041@... writes:

Here are my 2 cents..

You can try the son-rise program with very little money. Here's what I

did.. I purchased their free kit (DVDs & information).. I watched some videos

on YouTube, especially the movie 'miracle of love'.. And demonstrations on

the playroom.. So far $0.. Tried it myself, my husband too.. My 4 year old

after a few days started calling me mommy mommy mommy:)

The , I ordered 2 or 3 books from amazon as well as a DVD.. About $70

My husband went to the start up last month, we paid about 1/3 of the cost,

less than $1000.. This amount included a room to stay for 7 days as well

as 3 meals a day. My husband did not spend a penny while he was there.. So

honestly, I think they lost money on my husband...

I think they want to make money to be able to keep running their

organization, they are non profit.. I have to yet hear about a non profit ABA

agency!

You can run the program for $0.. I did it by just watching videos..

Good luck to you

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 10, 2011, at 11:39 PM, " bbrowne123 " <_bbrowne123@..._

(mailto:bbrowne123@...) > wrote:

> Should add that for all the 'love' they expound, when I was at the

center a few years back, i didnt feel love, i felt it was a busines like any

other - following a course i took there that cost me the guts of 3000 dollars

they had the nerve to ask for more money.

>

> ok, i realise its a business but businesses who say they 'love' you and

your kid? Having been in the autism world for many years now and after

having run sonrise and ABA programs and after having watched many other

parents' programs for their children, isnt it about time that we as parents

stood

back and questioned why the 'mystique' of all these organisations about OUR

children's condition? We are the experts and WE know best. But THEY keep

us isolated from each other by promising something that only THEY can

provide.

>

> really sick of the gouging where autism is concerned. Its all money. So

many parent out there who are killing themselves paying for programs that

are costing them all of their savings and wearing them out. If you dont have

a roof over your head, where are you going to run your 'program'?

>

> Thing is these businesses dont care obviously. They know that there will

always be parent who can pay to heck with those who cant, its not their

problem. If you are desperate enough you will always find the money.

>

> I could go on about the sonrise program but i would probably get sued.

Plenty of parents know a LOT about these people but wont talk.

> Just use good judgement and ask lots of questions and dont pay if you

dont have to.

>

>

> > >

> > > Hi ,

> > >

> > > Yeah, that's a little pushy, I suppose, but they aren't a scam. They

really

> > > seem to help a lot of kids, but I just don't think they consider the

health

> > > of the child a lot (but I say that b/c mines been real sick since

soon after

> > > birth). I did do the start up program and it is good, but I'd make

sure you

> > > are committed to doing it before spending that money. I'd get my

kiddo

> > > healthy more, then do it so you can give the program and him your

all and

> > > expect the same from him.

> > >

> > > The free consult should have you talking to or one of the other

> > > members and I did this and they really helped. Remember though, they

still

> > > are a business;( so you'll have that business part of it and they'll

get

> > > your info to follow up with you.

> > >

> > > Hth,

> > >

> > > Kathi

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > From: _ _ (mailto: )

[mailto:_ _ (mailto: ) ] On Behalf Of S

> > > Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 1:53 PM

> > > _ _ (mailto: )

> > > Subject: is son-rise treatment a scam?

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Hey just curious if anyone has dealt with these people before. I

call to

> > > talk to someone. they say they have a free consultation. then when

you call

> > > up -you talk to an appt setter who opens an account for you? wants

all your

> > > contact info, name address email, etc... and childs name, date of

birth,

> > > etc... before you ever even get to talk to someone about whether or

not its

> > > a match or a possibility. SOUNDS FISHY!! Unfortunately, i had

already been

> > > sold on the idea by the website info and was willing to spend the

money for

> > > treatment and training but now i am too concerned to move ahead. Its

sounds

> > > like some big sales gimmick- i felt really uncomfortable like it was

a scam

> > >

> > > shannon

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

I had a telephone call with the Son-Rise people where they described their

program. I really liked the concept but the biggest barrier in my mind is the

need to develop a team of either volunteers (difficult to find and keep) or paid

personnel (costly) that will run the program. Without any established

cost-effective way to run the program I find it hard to imagine that many people

can successfully run it on their own. I would like to hear from parents who did

implement the program from this point of view.

Regards,

Umesh

> > > >

> > > > Hi ,

> > > >

> > > > Yeah, that's a little pushy, I suppose, but they aren't a scam. They

> really

> > > > seem to help a lot of kids, but I just don't think they consider the

> health

> > > > of the child a lot (but I say that b/c mines been real sick since

> soon after

> > > > birth). I did do the start up program and it is good, but I'd make

> sure you

> > > > are committed to doing it before spending that money. I'd get my

> kiddo

> > > > healthy more, then do it so you can give the program and him your

> all and

> > > > expect the same from him.

> > > >

> > > > The free consult should have you talking to or one of the other

> > > > members and I did this and they really helped. Remember though, they

> still

> > > > are a business;( so you'll have that business part of it and they'll

> get

> > > > your info to follow up with you.

> > > >

> > > > Hth,

> > > >

> > > > Kathi

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > > From: _ _ (mailto: )

> [mailto:_ _ (mailto: ) ] On Behalf Of S

> > > > Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 1:53 PM

> > > > _ _ (mailto: )

> > > > Subject: is son-rise treatment a scam?

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > > Hey just curious if anyone has dealt with these people before. I

> call to

> > > > talk to someone. they say they have a free consultation. then when

> you call

> > > > up -you talk to an appt setter who opens an account for you? wants

> all your

> > > > contact info, name address email, etc... and childs name, date of

> birth,

> > > > etc... before you ever even get to talk to someone about whether or

> not its

> > > > a match or a possibility. SOUNDS FISHY!! Unfortunately, i had

> already been

> > > > sold on the idea by the website info and was willing to spend the

> money for

> > > > treatment and training but now i am too concerned to move ahead. Its

> sounds

> > > > like some big sales gimmick- i felt really uncomfortable like it was

> a scam

> > > >

> > > > shannon

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

[Guest guest]

We have not done Son-Rise, but maybe will someday. I really like the combo of

an ABA preschool and floortime at home.

I have read through quite a bit of Son-Rise and one of the principles hit home

with me so much; basicaly that your child will not grow until you accept him the

way he is.

Man, what an eye opener. Of course I love my son, but did I accept him? I

think I did to a point, but then really had to thin about it and have a very

honest conversation with myself. I still want the best for my son, I still want

to heal him. But really do love and accept him now the way he is, and you know

what? He has definitely progressed more with that way of thinking. I dont

think it was a large change for me, or him, but it really has helped.