Minority Owned ABA Centers Needed Plus Encouraging Minorities to Become ASD Therapists

Imagine if we owned the centers and therapy clinics we take our kids to? Let’s explain first what ABA is and what Autism therapy centers do.

ABA is applied behavior analysis and is often used to teach many skills to autistic children. It is the gold standard to treat autism symptoms. It can teach a child imitation of gross motor skills, fine motor skills, vocal imitation, social skills, toileting, self care skills, receptive language, expressive language skills and much more. Often children with autism don’t learn from their environment and need intense one on one teaching that takes hours, days, weeks, months and years.

In Minnesota there are almost twenty ABA autism therapy centers, some of whom also provide in-home therapy and zero are owned by minorities and zero, zilch zippity zap are managed by a minority person. What does this mean for our children and our community? Well – we all know that autism is affecting Somali kids the highest in Minnesota. And, our kids need therapy for their symptoms. We also know there is a high rate of autism disparity among minority children. For our families and children, the wait-list is longer, the discharge is faster, the treatment is inferior and less, the retaliation is subtle and deep, the policies are bias, etc.

Don’t lose hope though because at least in the Somali community who are extremely entrepreneurial minded – I see light at the end of this dark tunnel of despair. Imagine if minorities owned and operated ABA centers and home therapy clinics in Minnesota? It can happen, it should happen and it will happen. Imagine if you could take your child to a therapy center where the management, staff and the children reflected you, looked like you, had your culture and understood your language. Imagine if you could take your child to an ABA therapy center where there was no drama, no bias subtle policies, no retaliation, no forever wait list, no inferior service, no worry and NO DISCRIMINATION. Imagine that!! I do daily.

I know that our community will step up to the autism plate as they did when there was a need for Somali owned grocery stores, child care centers, home care centers, interpreting centers, physical therapy centers etc and etc. I know that some of you reading this will get inspired and open ABA autism therapy centers so that our parents can just be parents and not worry of being dismissed, disregarded and disrespected. I know in my heart – our young Somali students will study to be the next ABA therapist, the next speech therapist, the next occupational therapist and the next social skills therapist. It ain’t hard if you put your mind, soul and energy into it.

The reward outweighs the work because Somali parents will forever be grateful. Somali children will learn to meet their best outcome and reach their God given full potential. I remember a while ago another Somali autism mom and I were waiting for our kids in the lobby of an ABA center scared out of our pants because the owner was just about to come in and we thought “oh God, is today the day they discharge your child, is today the day they tell you your child is too old, has too many autism symptoms, too black (in a subtle way), too this or too that?” I remember looking at non minority parents also chatting among themselves carefree and worry free because their kids were not going to be subjected to the same treatment and dismissal ours were. That level of anxiety a minority autism parent goes through in these heartless & blood sucking providers (not all of them) is heart-breaking. Yet, we go there because there is no alternative, there is no minority owned autism providers in Minnesota at all. We suffer because we don’t have another choice, but to suck it up and take the mental and emotional beating we often get from ABA autism therapy providers. This unnecessary pain so many Somalis and other minority autism moms and dads (mostly moms) go through is my reason for this post.

I ask our fellow Somali community members to think about opening ABA autism therapy centers. You can do it. The certification from DHS is not hard and because it is medically necessary the child’s insurance covers the therapy. The joy you will get from helping your community will be worth it. Not to mention saving our families from current chronic and persistent discrimination because our kids will learn and progress with no hesitation and no reservations. There isn’t a week, I don’t see a Somali parent or another minority autism parent that is complaining about an ABA autism therapy provider for the way they or their child is being treated or not treated. I kid you not.

If you are interested in opening an ABA autism therapy center, please contact MN DHS and ask to be transferred to the mental health department and find out what you need to do to get CTSS (children’s therapeutic services & support) DHS leadership has told me that it encourages minority owned autism therapy centers and providers, and will help with technical assistance. So, please take advantage of this awesome opportunity.

If you are interested in opening a charter autism school and there is only one in Minnesota which has less than few Somali autistic children, contact MDE (Minnesota department of education) special education and ask what the process is. It is very much similar to the regular charter school which there is plenty Somali charter schools in Minnesota. I am sure MDE commissioner will support minorities wanting to open minority owned autism schools in Minnesota as there are NONE now.

If you are interested in becoming an ABA therapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, family therapist or psychologist – please look into Univ of MN site or contact office of di
versity and equity at UMN for more information. I have checked with UMN as well and they are eager to support our young students get into these areas.

If you are thinking this is too hard – imagine if there were no Somali child care centers or no Somali home care centers – who would suffer, Our community, right? Well, now our autism families are suffering. So, please help us. (na garab istaaga, noo hiiliya, noo naxariista – Soomaliyeey hadba kiinna taag daran taageera waligiin) (In waalidiinta Soomaliyeed ay ciishoodaan oo ay ooyaan maalin walba  – ma xaqbaa?)

Let me end with this, Steve Jobs was once asked – how he comes up with such innovative devices and he answered – “one day I looked around and said to myself everything around me was created by someone who was no smarter than me”.

ABA autism centers and autism providers are owned by people who are no smarter than us. We have been successful in raising autism awareness in our community. Now, it is time to take it to the next level and actually provide the treatment to our own children, in our own community and in our own way because if we don’t – who will? think about it.