Originally Posted by Sunchimes:
Until last month, I had at least 3-4 therapists a week. One child aged out, so we are down to 4 times a month. All of the parents know at the interview that I specialize in special needs kids and we have a lot of visitors. I have never worried about them being with the kids. They are professionals and all have background checks. Our ECI's directive is to blend into the child's environment as much as possible. So, if the are doing an activity with a child and another walks up, they include that child.
I would not accept a family that had objections.
There is a huge difference, IMO between a therapist coming in to provide services, and a visitor who is just hanging out. In my state if the child is receiving therapy, they can be alone with the therapist who has had the necessary background checks - and this has nothing to do with me/my license (this was made emphatically clear in a training by licensing with the head of the division of licensing sitting right there). Obviously if you actually witness inappropriate behavior on the part of the therapist then you should speak up, but how often would that realistically happen?