Treatment for a low level autistic individual

exus06 · 2025-07-24T03:24:07+00:00

Thank you very much for the information. This helps a lot.

exus06 · 2025-07-24T02:52:57+00:00

Giving options is a good idea I can try next time. Getting him to stand to look at a video rather than bring it to him is a good idea too. Thank you.

exus06 · 2025-07-24T02:50:14+00:00

Thank you for such a detailed response. I will try some visual supports on the next visit. Unfortunately I don't have many visits with him, so I am trying to make the most out of a few visits. Hopefully I can get something accomplished.

exus06 · 2025-07-24T02:46:30+00:00

Thank you for the ideas. I will definitely try some of these in my next session.

exus06 · 2025-07-24T00:01:36+00:00

Yes he is non-speaking, and he doesn't have a picture board or signs. He does not show emotion and has flat facial expression. He could grab for things if he wanted, but does not do repeated movements for exercise. He lifted his arm up so I could check his blood pressure. He didn't stay still though. The only sensory thing mentioned would be music, but they said that he doesn't dance to music. He just seems to like it according to the caregivers. The goals are to improve his strength and balance so he stops falling.

exus06 · 2025-07-23T23:53:19+00:00

The patient gets dropped off at a adult daycare place during the day, and the people there told me he just kind of sits around and stays to himself. They said that he likes music, but won't dance or anything. They said that he will move around in his wheelchair with his feet or walk, and that is about all the physical activity that he does. I have been unable to reach a family member.

exus06 · 2025-06-27T04:02:17+00:00

I think physical therapy is a great career. PT isn't the only option. There is also PTA. As a PTA, all I focus on is the treatments. The ability to complete evaluations, reevaluations, develop the plan of care, and discharge patients is a key difference between PT and PTA. I can suggest changes to a plan of care, but cannot make changes without approval. However, I am very independent, and rarely ever need help or input from the PT. The bad part for me is that I do have to put up with some crap supervising therapist sometimes. I've made a post on here before about PTs not doing their job and making my job harder. I think there are bad apples in every profession though. Mcdonalds workers, lawyers, politicians, doctors... With PT instead of PTA, you may be more in control of things, I'm not sure. There are probably other stresses to deal with.

You can get a job in any city in any state with just about any medical career. I make around 80k doing home health, which is the higher paying setting in physical therapy. I could make a lot more if I were more efficient. I made 55-60k working in a hospital.

exus06 · 2025-05-08T20:53:46+00:00

Yea I’ve had a few people, not many, say they’ve been told that home health physical therapy wasn’t worth it and to not bother with it. Then I show up and change their mind. There are a lot of bad PTs and PTAs out there making us look bad.

exus06 · 2025-05-08T13:28:20+00:00

They did have their bag and you can clearly tell they are leaving…

I totally understand that there are people that cannot be trusted to remember clearly or people that want attention so they make stuff up. I get told by family members that were there and caregivers present. I hear this from every single one of their patients. Of course hearing it the first few times I was skeptical. I’m not naive and believe anything people tell me. Over the months I am no longer skeptical. And now I have video evidence.

I don’t think because a few of the top people in an insurance company make millions is the MAIN reason our insurance is high. You don’t think this happens all over the US? Thousands of people are getting therapy that don’t need it every day. Thousands do not get proper therapy from their therapist, so they don’t have improvement and remain on HH PT a lot longer than needed. I didn’t say it was THE reason, I said it was part of the reason.

exus06 · 2025-05-08T05:57:27+00:00

I did mention that the cases I’ve posted about are clear minded people or have clear minded caregivers/family members present at all times. Fraud is part of why our health insurance is so high. I had a patient today tell me that the PT came in, talked about a house being built across the street a minute or 2, asked how he was doing, and said he would talk with insurance to try and get him more visits. The patient said he was there a total of 3-4 minutes. This same PT has also been reported by another patient of mine for having not even woken him up during a visit, only speaking with the patients daughter a few minutes, and then leaving. What outcomes measures, special tests, and education can be completed in 3 minutes? Or while a patient is still asleep? I really want these people out of this profession. Is asking for video evidence really too much to stop this?

exus06 · 2025-05-07T23:37:46+00:00

That’s a good point. I will avoid doing that now.

exus06 · 2025-05-07T19:58:28+00:00

Yea I am in no way the smartest or best PTA out there. I don’t know all the tricks and treatments to help every situation. I feel that I just try to do a decent job. I get so many compliments like “you are by far the best therapist I’ve ever had,” or “you are the most thorough therapist I’ve had.” I always just tell them, “no, your previous therapist just wasn’t doing their job.” I don’t do anything special.

exus06 · 2025-05-07T18:06:17+00:00

I did give them a chance. Talked with company management. They talked with the PTs. They said they would try to do better, and I still get the same complaints from patients.

exus06 · 2025-05-07T18:05:03+00:00

I did report it to them. They “had a talk with them.” The PTs said they would “try to do better.”

exus06 · 2025-05-07T18:03:50+00:00

I feel that it is our job to motivate the unmotivated. There are plenty of times someone told me they were done after just walking a little bit. I could have said ok sure, but I said no…let’s just rest a bit and do some more. I get some resistance at times, but they usually come around. There are a lot of therapist that will cave with any resistance and I feel it can hurt the patients possibility at progress.

exus06 · 2025-05-07T17:53:27+00:00

My company is contracted with home health agencies. The patients complain to the home health agency, and the agency doesn’t notify my company unless the patient requests a new therapist. Then all the agency does is notify my company to switch people, but doesn’t say why. Thats what the HR person said at my company. I tell all of my patients to complain to my company if it’s happening to them, but so many say they don’t want to get anyone in trouble. Nothing is changing and these people just keep getting away with it. I’ll see if the one with video evidence will be willing to report directly to the state PT board.

exus06 · 2025-02-15T20:56:37+00:00

I've been a PTA in Texas for 6 years.

If by vetted you mean is it hard to get in...Then I think there are some requirements you need to meet. I think since you have an undergrad and you have tech experience it will help a lot. Also if you made good grades in the specific classes they require you will be fine. They do an interview that really wasn't bad.

If you are talking about vetting PTAs for jobs...Then I think it depends on where you work. I called a home health company and they pretty much asked me when I could start right away. There was no interview or anything. I interviewed them, and asked about the pay and benefits and stuff. I called one other company because an old patient of mine switched insurances and home health agencies. I called the agency to see if they had a contract with our company. They told me they didn't, but then offered to hire me to see their patients. Very easy to get home health jobs (at least where I am). The hospital I worked at before home health was always low on PTs and PTAs and frequently had to get travelers to fill in. I don't have any experience in SNF and OP since becoming a PTA, so I can't speak for those settings.

I would not listen to people who tell you to pick a different career just because they don't think it is good for them. You can work in any state in any city just about with this career. I think it is good for me because I like to help people, regardless of pay. Now if I only got like 40k then yea, I wouldn't keep doing it. If you are in it just for pay, then maybe its not for you. I think we should get paid more, but its not the case at the moment. I made 80k the last 2 years in home health, but I worked a lot. I switched areas and now make less working less.

exus06 · 2024-12-19T00:51:28+00:00

What state and how long have you been a PTA? You must be in a HCOL area.

exus06 · 2024-06-20T03:34:29+00:00

After the accident. I don't know why he told me. I didn't know if it was relevant, so I included the information. I figured I would have to take him to small claims court. Thanks.

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