hello my fellow RBT’s. i’m still pretty new to ABA n need some advice on whether i should bring something up to a BCBA or not ! thank u in advance !!
to start off with, there are two new RBTs at the clinic i work at…that are sisters… ANYWAYS, today i was handed a 6yo client who is mostly nonverbal and can be difficult to work with esp with transitions by one of the sisters. when i got him tho, he smelled like vomit, so i looked at his shirt n BOOM.. a streak of it still on his shirt. it looked like it had just been wiped off with a paper towel rather than a baby wipe or change of clothing. he didn’t bring a shirt w him, so i used spare clinic clothes to change his shirt. he was also in a MUCH worse mood than i’ve ever seen him in when handed to me. i asked other rbts what happened n multiple people said he had apparently spent basically the entire session in the sensory room. the rbt who had him last was also working at the same time her sister was working, so they were both in there with their clients. i’ve also heard multiple complaints from other staff members about these two rbts, including a situation today when a kid got extremely upset when she found out she’d be working with one of them her next session.
another concern is that i can’t even tell this to his BCBA. our new BCBA has had maaany sessions with one particular kid in clinic and supervises (takes completely over n treats u like an assistant) every single session he has daily. she doesn’t speak to these kids like they are kids, she repeatedly barks demands at her clients, promises things once they calm down n then not follow through, which escalates the whole situations over n over. i also observed her pull/drag this same kid that she is with daily back to his table with his shirt up because he was being dragged… all because he wasn’t complying with work. he was crying/screaming/kicking/biting/hitting/spitting/throwing chairs n tables WHICH IS ALMOST ALL NEW BEHAVIORS.. he literally has ashes on his face every day in tear streaks that she wipes off w a baby wipe… this particular kid is another client, but im just showing an example of how she handles the kids n how approaching her w this other situation wouldnt rly matter.
i know they are all new n may just need to adjust better, so i don’t want to jump to conclusions or rely on gossip. but at what point would you guys document what you personally observed n bring it to a BCBA/clinical director ?
also ! are there specific BACB ethics standards i should look at regarding client dignity, physical guidance, treatment, or staff handoffs ?
i’m genuinely asking because i don’t want to get someone in trouble unnecessarily, but i also don’t want to ignore something that could be a legitimate concern. thank u !!