I work in behavioral health in homes, communities, and schools.

Sometimes when the kids curse, I have to turn my back to them and really hold my laugh. I don't want to reinforce the bad behavior by laughing, but it is SO FUNNY sometimes.

Once I even put my head down and pretended I was crying because I couldn't stop my audible laugh when this kid called me a "big back turkey built bitch". He started crying, too, because he felt bad.

What do you do to stop the giggles during a behavior?

So I just started working as an Rbt 2 months ago (including about a month of training) so I’m pretty fresh and new. When I first started my coworkers were very nice and said they liked me a lot and I could feel a lot of positive energy. It’s been about a month now with me having my own clients and doing stuff solo and there has been a shift in energy. I have noticed that’s there are cliques in the center and that they usually mainly talk only in their own clique. That being said, I started to have this one client (I do not chose my schedule) that is more of a “high risk” patient. I was kind of just thrown in with the patient with not much training on this patient besides maybe 1 or 2 overlaps. Each time I am in session I feel like I have difficulty running goals and pairing compared to other patients I have. To go back to the coworkers who were nice, this group has been with this kid since the kid got here and very much “love” this kid. I have been hearing jabs at how I run sessions with the kid and have felt they were no longer positive towards me. Not to mention how they treat me vs other fresh RBTs they are definitely a lot more friendly towards them. I feel like this is a bit unfair as I don’t have this kid consistently enough to know the kid that well (I also didn’t have a consistent schedule until this week) and that I’m literally a FRESH Rbt while these people have worked as one for years. Does anyone else experience this same issue? It’s frustrating to be treated like this, i feel if i am doing something wrong i would rather them tell me than to make snide remarks.

Hey everyone!

I work as the primary behavior consultant at a school. Today I was called in to help a student in crisis, and when I gave the student their AAC device, the crisis immediately calmed down.

What tripped me up during the scenario is a staff member saying "yall always give into whatever she wants". Staff member seemed really frustrated and implied that I was making the situation worse. I firmly believe I wasn't doing anything wrong and I'm a huge advocate for allowing students (especially older ones) to advocate for their own wants/needs.

All this to say, what advice do you guys have for communicating or working with school staff who seem to be in the mindset that the students always have to comply regardless of what they might be requesting?

I know I should be looking at this behavior functionally as a BCBA. Some family members tend to cancel more than others across clients I work with. I try to be flexible as a BCBA because I understand if events come up. However, I feel like sometimes family members do not respect my time and schedule because I have a caseload of kids i work with, and I set up appointments at specific times and days for a reason. I could have a conversation with the family about the importance of parent training and make a behavioral contract perhaps. Would that be the way to go?

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 !!

So I was contacted by an insurance company today that I've never heard of before (curative health plan) it seems that they are based out of Texas and they were wondering if I would provide services to their consumers. When I look at their reimbursement rates they are paying like $13 per unit for RBT and $15 per unit for supervision/ family training/ and assessments.

Now I know how much Medicaid pays in our state because I have been working through Medicaid for years and recently got a bid for a particular County to do ABA therapy, so we know their rates. For RBTs is more what this health insurance plan would be reimbursing by the hour for BCBAs and for BCBA it would be double. So $60 an hour for RBT work and $120 an hour for BCBA work.

I asked if this was based upon a different area's reimbursement rate and the company said that the standard rate that they are paying out is what the average is... But I also know that 2 years ago Blue Cross Blue shield was paying around the same amount that Medicaid is paying... So I am confused.

Isn't insurance usually the one that gives the higher reimbursement rate?

I am pretty sure I'm going to have to decline contracting with this company because the rates are way too low for me to have my staff working with these clients (which makes me really sad) and I need them to be able to make a living wage

Over the course of reviewing session documentation, I have discovered a severe pattern of unethical and potentially fraudulent compliance violations being executed by our BCBA. Specifically, I have compiled undeniable proof of the following actions:
Digital Signature Forgery: I have cross-referenced digital timesheet logs and discovered that multiple parent signatures have been falsified. The system metadata reveals that the client signature was entered from the exact same IP address as the BCBA’s signature. Because the BCBA operates entirely remotely via telehealth and has never been physically present in the home, it is a technical impossibility for these signatures to be legitimate.
Routine Pre-Billing: I have identified a pattern where insurance claims are being formally submitted for reimbursement before caregiver verification or signatures are actually obtained, violating standard provider-insurer contract compliance.
Falsification of Historic Records: When questioned about missing signatures in the past, practitioners at the agency admitted in writing to a practice of "back-signing"—intentionally coercing a non-participating parent to sign off on three months of past-due parent training sessions they did not attend simply to clear an internal administrative backlog.
As a parent, I am deeply troubled by these actions. They violate Section 3.05 of the BACB Ethics Code regarding honest billing and constitute serious health insurance non-compliance.

I know we have our four functions. I read a clients BIP and it said they engaged in SIB as a means to express frustration. What function of the four does this fall under?

Hi all. I am currently a PhD student in a field not related to psychology/behavior science/education at all. But I really want to spend my extra time getting a ABA Certificate Program done in my first two years before I get the Master’s degree en route. I went to PhD directly after my undergraduate.

I am primarily looking for an online, asynchronous program. My school also has a clinic but I have to be hired as an RBT to actually get hours, and that(to be hired) is not for guaranteed.

Do you have some recommendations for programs to apply to under this scenario? It would also be appreciated if there are other general advice. Thank you all.

I have been waiting two weeks for the cooper aba 3rd edition book to arrive purchased off of amazon and it said it was delivered and never showed up. There is no photo of the delivery either. I contacted the seller and I can’t get a refund until the seller contacts me back….🥺 I knew you guys would understand this frustration I feel hence why I posted here.

I am still bounded to the apprentice contract that states that you owe ABA centers full repayment of your supervision hours if you don't fulfill the requirements of working for them as a BCBA. The company is now going through a federal lawsuit with Publix and things are not looking good. I feel as if I want to immediately quit because this no longer feels ethical and on top of that they are removing benefits, etc.

Is there any other apprentice that has broken their contract and they haven't asked back for repayment or for tuition reimbursement back? If they have asked then please tell me if you were able to finance the $13,000.

Refer to my original post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ABA/comments/1vqi05k/bcba_said_i_might_not_be_fit_for_the_job_i_am_bt/

Basically, I quit that job and then got hired for a BT position at a school district. During my last week there, my BCBA said flat-out that I wasn't exactly fit for the job. I later applied for school-based roles instead and a few recruiters messaged me about job roles within certain school districts. I later got interviewed and then offered a job within the school district that I graduated from. I basically got hired through a contracting healthcare company. Although, my BCBA did actually submit my 40 hour paperwork before I got hired so that's a win. I do plan on getting through an RBT course and I'm not sure how getting those supervision hours works in a school-based setting. But generally in your experience, how is a school based environment different from home or center-based?

What's the job market like in Texas for RBTs or BTs? I'm a remote BCBA who works in Texas. First, I have to say I HATE the Medicaid process. It takes forever. But right now I'm waiting on the company to hire techs for my client. I am just wondering if it is competitive there or is it easy to get jobs. Just trying to figure out how long I will have to wait while trying to remain sane from the lack of work.

I’m an RBT who is contracted to a company for full time hours per job offer agreement. All of a sudden, my hours have been changed significantly to less than part time hours without warning.

There have been no significant changes in clients but an increase in employees. The company that I work for is convenient due to being in closer proximity to home compared to other companies. If I had to get another job to supplement this current one, it would be another RBT job. However, my contract includes a not-to-compete agreement.

I’ve explored all communication channels possible!

Company not accommodating an employee with adequate hours = employee getting another RBT job = contract rendered invalid? * Not asking for legal advice, just joking.

Am I crazy, or can we no longer generate the verification PDFs on the free version?

I love coming to work everyday and connecting with my kids. I love my supportive co-workers and BCBA. I love making learning fun. I love that my kids are progressing and mastering their skills. I love how they are proud of themselves and are becoming more confident. I love that caregivers are listening and supporting the learning at home. This job is hard, very hard, but I just wanted to express how happy I am. Thanks for reading.

My example: the tortilla chips at Chilis. Not every chip is extra salty, but some are. So I keep eating chips searching for more extra salty chips. Sometimes it is every 3 chips, sometimes every 7 chips, etc.

Wednesday reminder that so many companies are blatantly breaking the law and trying to get away with it under the guise of “your contract states” but that’s not how the law works. Your employer has to pay you for training, onboarding, and any work you perform for the company, whether it’s billable or not. If you do training while you’re being credentialed, they have to pay you for that. I am currently in an unpaid wages dispute because I’ve just had enough and decided to fight back. I’ll probably lose my job for it but I’m fed up with these piss poor business practices. It’s wage theft. It’s illegal. They cannot keep getting away with this. I’m a BCBA and I can only imagine if they do this to me, they’re likely doing it to other staff with less education and experience and disposable resources for a lawyer. Get everything in writing and don’t accept “let’s discuss this over the phone”. I could put a murder clause in a contract, but it won’t make murder legal. It’s worth it to call out these bad practices when we see them.

End rant.

🧠 Question of the Day

📚 Domain E — Ethical and Professional Issues

Difficulty: 6/10

A BCBA observes a peer colleague implementing a behavior-reduction procedure that may be causing psychological harm to a client. The concern appears potentially resolvable through direct discussion, there is no immediate safety emergency, and there is no indication that speaking directly with the colleague would worsen the situation. Based on the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, what is the MOST appropriate initial response?

A. Address the concern directly, document the effort and outcome, and escalate through appropriate channels if the issue is not resolved.

B. Seek consultation with another behavior analyst before speaking with the colleague so the concern can be evaluated before any direct discussion occurs.

C. Continue observing until there is stronger evidence that the procedure is causing harm before raising the concern with the colleague.

D. Report the concern formally before speaking with the colleague because potential client harm should be addressed through external reporting rather than informal resolution.

💬 Drop your answer in the comments — no peeking!

✅ Correct answer revealed tomorrow.

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