I found another announcement from a therapy centre almost every other day- A new branch, A bigger campus, A new school, A training institute, Another autism awareness seminar, Another award, Another speech about inclusion, Another social media post about growth and every time I see these announcements, one thought keep coming back to me: Who is taking care of the kids already in your centres?
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I have nothing against growth and all the organisation has a right to strengthen the aspirational level. However, growth should not be at the expense of the very kids who helped build your name. Do you look at what is happening inside the one you already have before opening another centre?
You know, thousands of parents enter therapy centres with hope and they are not in search of miracles. They want the truth, advice and a team who will come together as partners in helping their kid achieve his/her best. They give you what is more precious than money — they give you their time. After all, time is everything in the therapy world- every month matters, rvery missed opportunity matters.
At some point this became us- therapy. That which began as an intervention on Day 1 in many centres carries on through to months and sometimes years- The same activities, The same goals, The same therapy sessions, The same timetable. The child grows but the therapy doesn’t. Nobody is there to sit with parents and discuss if the child is on track or not. Whenever we need to change, no one talks about it. No one knows to ask what new challenges the family is experiencing. Therapy is meant to grow with the child. If it doesn’t, then what are parents paying for?
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The only thing behind schedule is ironically the fee as always. Always sends payment reminders on time. Every month, parents are required to make payments without exception. As to phone calls, they start right away when a payment is being paid late but where is that same urgency when it comes to reviewing a child’s progress or lack of progress? Where are the regular assessments? Where are the written reports? Where are the meetings with the parents? Where are the new goals? While parents are supposed to be on their best behaviour with paying their debts, surely therapy centres need to be accountable for the services they provide?
An obvious issue but one that is often overlooked is the revolving door of therapists. The same sentence: “Your therapist has left” is a refrain that parents have come to expect. The months that follow are uncertain. A new therapist joins and then, the child has to learn and build trust all over again. Now the parent has to go through the entire history all over again. Progress slows down, Confidence drops and it is the child who takes the brunt of it. Has anyone asked why, exactly, therapists are ditching so much? are they are overworked, underpaid and undervalued? If you are not investing in the people who work with children on a day to daily basis, how can we expect our children to be getting right therapy?
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Of course, every organisation requires funds to continue. No one is questioning that but when expansion trumps outcomes, all that is seriously wrong. Your greatest accomplishment should not be having opened your tenth location but how many children have really improved. Success is a matter of progress not property
Parents from all over India are going to great lengths just to afford therapy. They give up on bills, explore remote areas, quit jobs, go into debt and are remodelling their entire lives because the feeling is that this therapy would make a difference. They are not investing in a bricks and mortar of steel and brick. They are investing in hope and that hope deserves respect.
Also, very often parents are unaware of actually having rights. Delay in service, misleading claims or unfair practices under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 can all attract action against the centres by parents. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 provides high level constitutional entitlements to persons with disabilities and recognises that they have a right to services that are conducive towards their dignity and development. The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) Act, 1992 prescribes professional standards wherever recognised rehabilitation professionals are involved. There are those laws because therapy is not a transaction; it is a professional duty.
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I am not writing this letter in anger but out of concern. The community of kings and Queens that are therapy owners can change lives but only if they remembers the reason why it exists. Parents are not there against your success. They have nothing in them against your expansion. But they are making you clear that you can build another floor of your house only by strengthening the foundation.
Parents are having conversations today more than ever. They are sharing experiences, they are comparing therapy centres, they are asking questions, they are reading research and they’re not shy anymore in seeking accountability. And as soon as the parents unite and demand for regular assessments, defined therapy goals, clear communication —the services will only have to improve.
Proofread before your next expansion walk through every therapy room in your existing centre. Check if every child is updated on the therapy plan. Ask if every parent knows what has been done. I recommend asking your therapists if they feel adequately respected to remain. Query whether the measure of your success is in how well the children do not how abundant your bank balance is.
What the autism community does not need is more speeches, it needs better services. It does not require bigger buildings but stronger commitment. It doesn’t need therapy proprietors who just speak about transforming lives, it requires therapy owners to come in and do the difficult work of reprogramming them.
Because when it comes down to it, people are not going to remember the number of centres you opened. They will remember how many kids left your doors a little bit stronger, more confident and better prepared for life.
Make Money but Also Make Life.
