Check Out Megan Dare’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Dare.

Megan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I first started working with children that are neurodiverse when I was in high school. In 2001, I started working with a family that had triplets that were diagnosed with autism. I was trained by a Certified Behavior Analyst in applied behavior analysis (ABA) and decided that is what I wanted to do with my life. I received my bachelor’s in psychology in 2006 and my master’s in education in 2008.

I became a board-certified behavior analyst in 2010. During this time, I worked at center-based locations, in-homes, group homes, schools, and community-based settings working with children who were neurodiverse and twice exceptional. In 2014, I left the large ABA companies and started my own company that provides in-home and community-based ABA services. The services I provide focus on teaching children social and emotional skills, coping strategies, communication, and independence in the home and community-based settings.

I currently work in the Boulder area in homes and schools helping to support children that are neurodiverse and twice exceptional. I provide all services directly and do not have any employees.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Navigating the insurance system was one of the biggest challenges for me. I learned and then completed the credentialing and billing processes myself with multiple insurance companies.

I taught myself what services I could and could not bill for as well as the rules and policies for each insurance company. This became a very difficult process as the years went on because many insurance companies did not increase their rates even though inflation and cost of living have risen since 2014 in Colorado. I also struggled with what types of goals insurance would cover for my clients.

Currently, I do not accept any forms of insurance due to restrictions that were placed on what goals I could work on with clients as well as stagnated or decreased insurance rates. Another big challenge for me was during covid. In March 2020, I stopped all in-person services with clients and did not restart in-person services until I was fully vaccinated in 2021.

One of the most difficult parts for me of having a private practice without employees is it can get lonely and I will miss the comradery that can come from working directly with other providers. I have focused time on building up a network of other providers that I can go to for support. If you are a provider with your own business, it is crucial to have a network of colleagues that you can lean on during the stormy moments in your professional and personal life!

Thanks – So what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My experience includes: working with gifted clients; twice exceptional; and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders; and developmental and genetic disabilities. I also have experience working with children and families regarding toilet training, communication issues, reducing tantrums, and increasing independence with self-help routines such as hygiene and homework.

My practice, while focused on the child’s development and independence with self-help routines such as homework and chores, also includes coaching parents on implementing strategies to promote harmony and collaboration within the family. I value a “whole family” approach to services.

One of my favorite topics is toilet training! I have toilet-trained children who are neurodiverse, neurotypical, and twins and worked with clients from 2 to 15 years old on toilet training.

I also partner with several organizations throughout the city. I am the Sensory Friendly Evaluator for the Denver Art Museum. I speak with families during the sensory-friendly events and work on improving the event for all humans who benefit from a sensory-friendly environment. I also partner with WOW! Children’s Museum, Denver Children’s Museum, and The Butterfly Pavilion on their sensory-friendly events. Once a month I lead free sensory-friendly storytimes at the Lafayette Library.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Finding other providers that work with the same population has worked well for me.

I try to network with occupational therapists, speech therapists, counselors who specialize in trauma and mental health in children, and other providers who work with the neurodiverse population. Some meetups are designed for providers like me where I can meet others who do not work for any large company but instead have a small company or provide all services directly like I do.

There are many provider resource fairs where providers can have a table and families can come and learn about different providers. This is a great way to connect and meet other providers!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.guidinggrowthservices.com/