Services

WELCOME

Welcome to our website! We are pleased that you are interested in learning more about Autism Spectrum Disorders and the services that we offer within Alabama. 

Bridgeway Services, LLC is focused on intervention-based services for children, adolescents, and adults with characteristics of High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (HF-ASD) in the Alabama area. Diagnosis is not required for school consultations or social group participation; however, our specialty and expertise during after school social groups is limited to aiding individuals with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (previously diagnosed as Asperger Syndrome under the DSM-IV). We are NOT a diagnostic clinic. 

School consultations and after-school social groups (preschool to adult) are the largest component of our practice, although we offer additional services as well. Our services include (but are not limited to):

• Academic Tutoring
• Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP)
• Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (Ages 5 - 18)
  
• Conferences/Workshops/Seminars/In-Services
• Educational Consultation
• Executive Functions Test (Elementary: Ages 7 - 12)
• Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA)
• IEP Preparation & Participation
• Individual Goal Setting
• Individual Executive Functioning Systems
• Life Skills Coaching
• Observation & Interview
• Staff Observation & Training
• Social Language Development Test (Adolescent: Ages 12 -17)
• Social Language Development Test (Elementary: Ages 6 - 11)
• Social Skills Groups
• Test of Problem Solving 3 (Elementary: Ages 6 - 12)
• Test of Problem Solving 2 (Adolescent: Ages 12 - 17)
• Visual Support Development

Services are extended to individual families and school systems.

communication

Communication with Staff

Whether you're a school system or individual family, it the your responsibility to communicate what you need whether this is an updated statement, team meeting, or update on your child or student. E-mail is our preferred method of communication because it provides a written record of the request and allows for easy follow through. If you have not received a response by the time that you need the response, please resend the e-mail, so it is at the top of our inbox. Texting and facebook messages are not used for scheduling or billing questions. These methods of communication will typically cause you to wait longer before you receive a response.

A reduced cost for participation is available for those that are unable to afford services otherwise; however, this must be discussed prior to receiving services. Please do not wait until you have received an accumulated bill to ask for a scholarship.

IMPORTANT POLICIES FOR SCHOOL CONSULTATIONS

Availability

The availability of our staff does vary. Interested school systems should contact Kerry Mataya, M.S.Ed. through our website for more information. Our services and involvement may vary within the school system depending on your needs and availability. We can provide hands-on services for a student or group or model effective strategies to school personnel. Please see our list of services above. 

Billing

Interested school systems should contact Kerry Mataya, M.S.Ed. for the current school price list for the 2017 - 2018 school year. 

Important policies for participation in after-school social groups

Availability for After-School Social Groups

We are currently not taking new clients for the 2017 - 2018 school year, but this may change during the school year. We DO NOT have a waiting list. We only offer initial consultations when we are able to take new clients. 

Parent Meetings

We will schedule end-of-the-year parent meetings during April and May 2018 for parents with a child participating in after-school social groups. That being said, Bridgeway parents should not wait until the end of the year to schedule a parent meeting if something is on your mind. Bridgeway clients should e-mail Kerry Mataya to schedule a parent or team meeting as needed. Crisis situations take priority over all other situations and are often scheduled within 24 hours of Bridgeway being notified of the issue. All other parent or team meetings are typically scheduled within 1-2 weeks of the request. We will not schedule any parent meetings during the times of our after-school groups, so please try to be available during other times. Most of our scheduling is now done through SignUpGenius.

Billing for After-School Social Groups

All statements are sent via e-mail as an e-statement, unless otherwise requested. If you have not received an e-statement within 30 days of your first service, please check your spam filter or contact us at info@bridgewayalabama.com. We can send e-statements via e-mail to as many parties as needed, depending upon parental request.

We bill individual services after the services are complete, including invoices to school systems. Social groups are billed as monthly tuition at the beginning of each month, prior to receiving services. Please refer to the section on make-up sessions for procedures of what to do if your child will miss or has missed a weekly social group. 

Balances that have not been paid over 60 days after receiving an e-statement will be released to a collection agency. At that time, services will be put on hold until the balance has been paid in full. Bridgeway Services is more than happy to work out payment plans as well as reduced cost for participation for those unable to afford services otherwise; however, this must be discussed prior to receiving services. 

Bringing Items to Group for After-School Social Groups

We are not responsible for items left at group. Please refrain from bringing toys and electronics to group. Although the thought process is that these items are social, they are often distractors. If your child is working on sharing a particular toy from home or using an electronic, you will be notified with an exception to this policy or contact our staff for permission prior to your child's group time. You can always ask prior to group time if bringing an item into group would be appropriate. 

Cancellations for After-School Social Groups

The effectiveness of social group sessions depends on the dynamics of the group. When someone is unable to attend a scheduled group, the group dynamics change and this often results in changes to our preparation. When you are unable to attend a group session, a 24-hour notice is appreciated as it facilitates our planning and is appreciated by the other kids in the group. Kids do ask about other kids who are absent, so this is a courtesy to your child's group members as well. Please send this communication via e-mail because it will provide a written record of absences. 

Communication From Staff on Group Goals for After-School Social Groups

Our after-school social groups are developed around individual goals as well as group goals. Although we take data, it is difficult for us to take data on every behavior for every child during every group on a weekly basis. For our younger groups, parents should expect a list of terminology and visual supports that can be integrated into your homes. For our older elementary through high school groups, parents should expect a weekly group summary. We try to e-mail as quickly and often as we can. Because we are involved in many other projects, we do occasionally miss sending a weekly group summary. This should be viewed as an extra service rather than an expected service.

We are constantly looking for individual and group progress during our social groups. Based off our individualized curriculum for each of our groups, we expect to see progress within a specific time frame. If we are not seeing the expected progress, we will communicate with your family individually. We offer more individualized information per student approximately once every 6 weeks. Parents should provide a written e-mail request to their service provider for this service. If you need a comprehensive report or additional services beyond what would be included in your social group settings, parents should schedule an additional consultation. For example, many parents ask us questions about home or school issues. If the issues do not relate to skills that would be addressed during the social group setting, an additional consultation time will need to be scheduled. 

Some students will be asked to participate in individualized services before or after their scheduled social group. The time will vary from 15 minutes to 30 minutes depending on the need. Individual notes will be e-mailed to parents after each session.

Drop Off & Pick Up Procedure for After-School Social Groups

To avoid chaos during transitions between social groups, we run "carpool style" drop off and pick up before and after each social group. One of our staff members will be outside to pick up your child. Please stay in your car until we come out to get your child. Please be mindful of the carpool line behind you when talking to our staff.

We are not responsible for your child before group begins. Please be respectful of our facility if you arrive early. Although we would like for group members to interact with each other before group, this can also be a hindrance to other programs at the same facility. If you plan to meet another family early, please utilize the playground or picnic tables by the playground. In emergency situations when you are running late for pick up, your child will be waiting for you inside. In this instance, you will need to come inside to pick up your child. When you walk into our room, please be mindful of another group that may be in progress. If someone other than a parent or guardian will be picking up your child, please communicate the name of the person picking up your child with written permission via phone call, text, written note, or e-mail to your service provider.

Facebook Page for After-School Social Groups

Our Facebook page is a now a "secret" group for active participants and in our after-school social groups in the Birmingham, Alabama area. This Facebook page is only for parents with children currently participating in after-school social groups. No children will be admitted access to this page. Parents are invited to attend our Facebook page as long as their child is actively involved in our programming. No negative comments about schools, parents, or other programs will be tolerated on our Facebook page. Any and all negative comments will be deleted, and members will be deleted from accessing the page if found not adhering to this rule. The sole focus of the Facebook page is to share specific information about our social groups and conversation between parents in a more private setting. 

We are in the process of developing a public Facebook and Instagram page for Bridgeway Services to private more public information such as how to's.

Group Placement for After-School Social Groups

Our after-school social groups are strategically developed and students are hand-selected for each of our groups. We have been known to change someone's group once they are ready to move into another group. We sometimes create smaller groups if your child is having difficulty in a larger group setting. Although we try to confirm every child's group needs in August, we appreciate the flexibility of our parents for allowing us to make educated decisions about the needs of your child in our group settings. 

Inclement Weather for After-School Social Groups

If schools are cancelled due to inclement weather, our afternoon and evening groups may also be cancelled unless the weather is expected to be improved. If you are unsure of whether or not groups are cancelled, please call Kerry Mataya for information or e-mail info@bridgewayalabama.com. Always choose the safest option for your family. Since groups are billed as monthly tuition, your account will be credited on the next statement if the group is cancelled due to inclement weather. 

Make Up Appointments for After-School Social Groups

Make up appointments are available for missed groups. You need to e-mail Kerry Mataya to schedule a make up appointment for the individual or group session that was missed. If another group session is not available or appropriate for a make up session, we may credit your missed session. We will not credit any missed group sessions without written correspondence. 

Scheduled Holidays for After-School Social Groups

Our after-school social groups do not meet on afternoons of major holidays celebrated by local public school systems (i.e. Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break). Please click here to view our calendar. Because we have students from each of the local school systems, we host groups on teacher planning days as those off-days are typically specific to one school system. Please refer to the scrolling bar on our website for additional updates. 

Snacks and Birthday Celebrations for After-School Social Groups

No peanut snacks are allowed inside Sertoma Gym due to many clients with severe peanut allergies. Please e-mail Kerry Mataya before group for permission to bring a snack to social group. Many of our students have difficulty maintaining conversation while eating, so this can be counterproductive to group sessions unless this is a group goal. Because our facility is so close to Krispy Kreme, many parents want to bring doughnuts. Although this is okay for some groups, please remember to get permission from Kerry Mataya to alleviate any issues from students on a gluten free diet that may be left without a snack. We can provide gluten free snacks if we know in advance. 

Wish List for 2017 - 2018 for After-School Social Groups

Parents in the past have asked to donate items for Bridgeway Services to use throughout the school year. While I am not asking anyone to donate any of these items, if you feel inclined to give anything, these are the items that we need:

Dum-Dum Suckers
Starbursts
White Cardstock Paper
Copy Paper
Clorox Wipes 
New & Used Board Games

PRESENTATION TOPICS

Shift

Shift expresses common challenges that educators face when teaching children with ASD. It gives practical strategies to overcome these issues by giving a logical way to change your mindset to help your students change theirs. Shift explains the differences between the neurotypical thought process and the autistic thought process to show how to make best use of these differences. This presentation is taught by co-presenters Kerry Mataya and Hollis Shaffer. 

 Conversation