Hi-5 ABA - Three Fleur De Lis, Inc

Do yourself a favor and stay away from this company. Both of my autistic children got worse, not better with this company. - They practice the old school ABA techniques that most people consider abuse such as “quiet hands” only they say “hands down” to stop your child from stimming. - They do not play with or show affection to your children. Just flash cards and one puzzle and they reward with LOADS of candy. - They force eye contact by placing their hands as blinders around their eyes until they look. - They will ignore your child during a tantrum and allow self-harm instead of redirecting. - They will refuse your child food during therapy. - They will watch TV 5 out of the 6 hours they are there. - The BCBA has so many clients she is not able to supervise the way they tell you she will. We went weeks without seeing her. - Their positive reinforcement consists of giving candy and their extent of praise is simply saying good job. - They do not require ANY experience or education whatsoever to be a therapist there, simply a high school diploma. - Their techs/therapists have no consequences for no call/no show and it is going to happen at least once a week. And don’t expect them to be on time or stay until they are supposed to. - They will tell you that it’s no problem to get 30 hours a week of therapy. Mine ended up getting 9. - They do not do parent trainings. We were there for 6 months and never had one. - They do not involve the family in therapy sessions. I was expected to stay away from them during therapy because they said the kids did better without my presence. - They will take your child outside without pants, a jacket, or shoes in extremely cold weather. - They do not at all try to teach socialization skills. - They will bill for hours and services not provided - If you try to discuss your concerns with the owner she will unexpectedly discontinue services. The first time I tried, she blamed us saying that we made the techs uncomfortable, but refuses to tell us what we did or said. The 2nd she said the same and that they were just going to discontinue services, so we withdrew.

This is going to be long. I have 2 toddlers with autism that are currently receiving services with Hi-5 ABA. Please save yourself the heartache and steer clear of this company. The only reason this company even deserves one star is because of their BCBA, Caroline. She is the absolute sweetest and she is SO GOOD with the kids. I should have known it was going to be a nightmare before services even started. My children were attending therapy in a clinic based setting before coming to Hi-5, however the clinic was over an hour drive one way. We had to provide a 30 day notice upon leaving the clinic. We did not turn our notice in until Hi-5 said they were ready for the kids to start therapy. I let both Kara (the owner) and Caroline (BCBA know their last day would be on May 13, 2022 and they would be ready to start on May 16. That was supposedly no issue. I messaged Caroline on Friday to make sure things were good to go with therapy on Monday only to be informed that they submitted a start date of May 30 to insurance. Caroline said she’d have Kara, the owner, would reach out to our previous center for a letter of discharge so that we could start services sooner, that they had a tech ready and everything. I emailed with her on the 25th, let her know I was upset about them messing up the start date. She never bothered to respond to that. Instead I get an email that afternoon asking if I got the discharge papers from our previous provider. So obviously she didn’t try to get them started sooner like i was told and we started out with my children having a 2 week gap in services. Their first day ended up being June 2. Before starting services with Hi-5, I spoke with Kara and asked as many questions as I could. One being how many hours they would get therapy. Initially she told me 10-35 hours, that the BCBA would do an assessment and make a recommendation. I did not want to pull them out of the center for them to get less therapy and was then told that they could replicate their current authorization, and she made it seem like 9-3 wouldn’t be a problem as long as someone could be home during those hours. When Caroline sent the 1st schedule, there were some gaps but she assured me that it was only for the first couple of weeks to slowly get them introduced and things would then be as they should. The first couple of weeks, one child was getting 2 days of 9-3 while my other child was only scheduled for a half day a week. The very first day, one therapist just left an hour early and it was already a half day scheduled to begin with. The 2nd day of therapy, the therapist called in sick. The 2nd week, which was already only 3 days with some being half days, both therapists no call/no show at least once and one just leaves early. I reached out to Caroline about it and was informed that it is the techs responsibility to reach out to me about not coming. So here I am realizing that I have made a HUGE mistake swapping to this company before they even get started good. By June 8 I was already messaging Caroline inquiring about the no call no shows and the techs showing up late and leaving early. She said they were having a meeting and that she was going to replace the tech that kept no showing and leaving early. (Which was fine with me because she made it very known she did not want to have to change diapers and that she just really did not like being here.) The 3rd week, we ended up with one child getting therapy but not the other. I messaged Caroline on 6/20 asking if we could split the one tech so that they could BOTH get at least some therapy. I also spoke with her AGAIN that day about the call outs and the tech leaving early because she was either a no show or she’d come late and leave early every single time she was scheduled to work. She let me know she would also be replaced. Caroline sent a schedule for the next 2 weeks and it looked so promising. Both kids were FINALLY scheduled for 9-3 with the exception of one day a week. I was so excited until one of the new techs started being late everyday (and was late everyday she was scheduled almost from July-November) or leaving early. She also was not doing therapy at all. There were days where both kids and both techs watched movies for at least 4 hours a day out of the 6 scheduled (2 movies back to back). That particular tech also informed me that the schedule the BCBA makes out it just a guide and that she would not be going by it. July 20- I messaged Caroline about my concerns with no shows and the fact that we are going on 2 months and still have not managed to get the kids on a full time schedule. I also let her know about the tech just sitting and watching TV and what she said about the schedule. Caroline seemed very apologetic and assured me that’s not what was supposed to be happening, that they would be having a meeting to correct issues and get on the same page. July 26- Kara emailed asking how services were going. I voiced my concerns. I let her know that I was on the verge of losing my work from home job due to having to call in last minute or clock out early every single day for a week straight with no notice. She immediately emailed me back saying that they don’t guarantee hours and that it was not their problem that I have a job. Her exact words were “That’s your responsibility”. She then had the audacity to ask me if the techs were leaving earlier than their scheduled time, or if they were just leaving earlier than I would like them to. I’m assuming she was referring to the fact that she knew I was unhappy with the kids still not being on a full time schedule after 2 months of being told they would be. I just emailed back and apologized for voicing my concerns and Kara called me. She was very rude at the beginning of the call. She said she told me they didn’t guarantee hours when in fact what she told me was that they didn’t guarantee hours FOR TECHS. Not once was 9-3 everyday supposed to be an issue. She also decided to inform me that the reason the techs were calling in was because they were uncomfortable in our home. She kept beating around the bush about what exactly it was that was making the techs uncomfortable. Kara said something about comments that we were making about the way the techs were conducting “therapy”. I informed her that I had only voiced my concerns with Caroline and not the techs at all and she just said “Well I think your husband may have”. The only comment he ever made was “Oh wow! They’re on another break?” because the kids were watching a movie when he left the house and were still watching tv when he came back 3 hours later. She never would tell me what exactly was making the techs uncomfortable, she just kept blaming us for the techs not showing up or doing their job when they did decide to come and saying she couldn’t make them come to an environment where they are not comfortable. Long story short, she agreed to meet with the techs and I agreed to just try and stay out of the therapists hair while they were here and she asked me to inform her if we ever started looking for another ABA company to work with. So from August until November, we still didn’t manage to get the kids on a 9-3 schedule. I lost my job due to last minute no shows and being late due to one tech being 30 minutes late every single day she was scheduled to work. I would say at least once a week someone was late, left early, or just no showed all together. Nov 3- I emailed Kara because both therapists no showed again that day. She informed me that 2 of the techs had turned in their notice and that there may be gaps in the schedule and I assumed it would be 2 weeks. Nov 7-one tech was removed from the schedule. They didn’t bother to give much of a notice at all that we would be getting even less therapy than we already were. Since Nov 14 we have had one tech splitting the day between the kids on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. With the thanksgiving holiday, That is 9 days of therapy from then until now. Of the 9 days, we had to cancel one day for BOTH kids because one had diarrhea (no fever) and the tech called in 2 of those days. So my kids have had a total of 18 therapy hours in a month when they’re supposed to get 30 hours a week. Dec 6- the tech called in again. At this point, the kids may as well not even be getting therapy. I emailed Kara (since she requested I let her know) and told her that we were going to start looking for another company to have therapy with. She emailed back and informed me that they usually ask for a 30 day notice but that since the only tech we have left last day is Dec 16, that they will go ahead and discharge the kids on that day. I emailed back and told her that I was not ready to discharge just yet, that she knows ABA waiting list can be a year or more that I was just trying to inform her since she’d ask me to the last time we spoke. Kara emailed back and said that they interviewed 40, hired 3 techs and that all 3 had either stopped corresponding with them or they decided not to take the job. She said that once this tech was gone, that they don’t have even one tech that’s ready to start working, that there was going to be a gap in service anyway. She then went on to say that they felt as a clinic and as a company that my kids needed to be in a center and that she could not make the techs stay in an environment where they felt uncomfortable. Again, I asked what it was that we are doing that makes the techs uncomfortable. Since mine and Kara’s phone conversation, my husband goes to work during therapy sessions and I have made a point to go in my room and close the door while the therapists are here as to not get in their way. I started buying iced coffee since most of the techs drink it all day. Not one therapists even knocks on our door when they get here they just walk right in. Does that seem uncomfortable to you? I asked what made the techs uncomfortable and also said that if we made the techs so uncomfortable that they’ve had this many quit their job, why has nobody said anything to us? Not once has any of them picked up the phone or emailed letting me know that there was a problem. Kara has yet to respond to my question and Caroline’s exact words were “Regarding the work environment, it’s hard to pinpoint what one person sees as uncomfortable Vs another. I don’t see any immediate concerns warranting me to intervene, however I’m not there everyday-all day to be able to speak to what some techs have reported or experienced. I do see the effort you put forth to make techs feel welcome and I appreciate it greatly” So which is it? Am I making them uncomfortable or trying to make them feel welcome? I emailed back and said something along the lines of “So basically we can’t get the courtesy of knowing what we are doing wrong so that we can prevent this from happening with another company?” I have yet to get a response from either Caroline or Kara. So basically, anytime I voice my concerns with my children’s care the finger is pointed at me like it’s my fault, however they will not tell me what I have said or done. They expect a 30 day notice but they’re going to give me 4 therapy days. 4 half days at that and just discharge my children like they don’t deserve a chance to get in somewhere else before they’re going without services. If it were us making the techs uncomfortable, wouldn’t it make more sense to quit working at just our house instead of quitting the company? We have been through 11 techs in 5 months. I believe if I had lost THAT many employees due to just one client I would have to say something about it. That’s not to mention the 3 that just went through training and decided to quit already. Those 3 never even came to my house for that to be our fault. I do not feel that either of my children have made any progress whatsoever while being in therapy with Hi-5. If anything, they have both regressed so much it’s not even funny. It’s almost as if Hi-5 just started over all the progress that the center they were going to had already made. Both kids are still, going on 7 months later, working on things that they had already mastered in the center. The only new thing I can think of that they have introduced to them is working on brushing their teeth. They’ve worked on that for months and you still can not even put a toothbrush inside my daughters mouth. The center had my son potty trained almost fully in about a week. Hi-5 has been working with my daughter on potty training since June and she has not one time ever asked or let me know she needed to potty. She will potty on the toilet when you take her, but if she has to go she just goes in the floor still. I’ve spoken with the BCBA about it, but nothing has been changed with her potty protocol since day 1. I’ve suggested little things that I thought may help her some but none of them have been implemented whatsoever. And to wrap things up here are my other concerns…. - the BCBA said she would be here twice a week to supervise (I’m assuming she’s supposed to one day a week per kid) but we don’t even see her once a week. - We had one therapist call in for a whole week because she had something come up with her sorority house. Idk about you, but every job I’ve ever had would’ve fired me in a heartbeat. - I’ve had a therapist take my kids out front after I asked her specifically not to. We only allow them to play in the back yard because we live on a very busy highway and they are not old enough to understand the dangers of being in the road. After that, my husband and I got to deal with both of them screaming bloody murder for over a week because they were trying to get out the front door. - My light bill has increased tremendously due to the techs deciding to turn my AC down on 62 like this isn’t someone’s HOME with a light bill. - My son has been refused food when he was trying to eat because it “wasn’t time” to eat. My son has severe food aversions. The only real food he will eat besides snack foods is bacon and we have a really hard time getting him to eat that sometimes. - Often times I look at the cameras and the tech will have the kids in their bedroom with the door shut, won’t let them out but isn’t doing therapy either. The techs will be doing things like playing with kinetic sand or rocking on the kids rocking horse while the kids are at the door trying to get out. - Central reach is their parent portal. Not one single thing has been added since therapy started. - The techs do not clean up after themselves. We have a designated area for things like playdoh, markers, and things the kids don’t need to have unsupervised. They do not put any of that stuff up and I didn’t even realize until my daughter colored herself with markers one afternoon. - My daughter was allowed to eat so much floam that her diaper was full of it for 2-3 days after she ate it. - Upon signing up for services we were told we would get a schedule for one month at a time. I am lucky if I do not have to ask for this weeks schedule late Sunday night or text on Monday morning to see if anyone is coming. - Apparently, the doctors don’t know what they’re talking about when they say you do not have a fever until it reaches 100.4 or higher. They will cancel services if your child has a temp of 99 or higher. - Recently it’s been kinda cold. About 2ish weeks ago my son had an accident and the therapist changed him into shorts. I was in my room. Instead of asking where his pants were he was taken outside barefoot and in shorts in 45-50 degree weather. - There have only been 1-2 techs that I have NOT heard talk about what a horrible company is to work for. It’s been things anywhere from how snooty the owner is to scheduling issues. They have talked about unrealistic expectations, not having things provided that they need to conduct therapy, communication issues, etc. Like I said, only 2 have not openly voiced their opinions about how they hated working for this company. So it seems that not only is this a horrible place to receive services, but a horrible place to work as well. - And lastly, Kara sent the new handbook out a few days ago. It now states that the parents are responsible for ALL MATERIALS. So even though they’re billing insurance thousands and thousands of dollars you will still have to come out of pocket to buy anything the child may need for therapy. This one really gets me because we were told before therapy started that they would be providing all their materials and their candies that they work for. The only thing the company has brought here is a table and one chair and a set of plastic drawers. The BCBA set time aside for arts and crafts but never provided the materials to do them. Don’t let this company swindle you out of your time and hard earned money. They make promises and paint a beautiful picture of what they’re in home therapy is supposed to be like, but the reality of it is just a nightmare. The most your children will get out of therapy from Hi-5 ABA is a babysitter but don’t expect it to be a reliable one as their employees have zero consequences for no call no shows and are apparently allowed to come in late and leave early without having to worry about losing their job.