r/ABA

I’m a newer BCBA and honestly the clinic I currently work at has to be one of the most bizarre work environments I’ve ever experienced.

When I signed my contract, it only covered very basic employment terms and vaguely mentioned benefits without really explaining them. I later found out after starting that there is no 401(k), even though I was initially told there was. Not ideal, but whatever.

What really shocked me was learning that the only paid holidays off are Thanksgiving and Christmas. Every other federal holiday, we are expected to work. On top of that, shifts are typically 9–10 hours long and you are expected to be there the entire time.

The clinic has around 60 clients and only 2 BCBAs. I currently have 30-35 clients honestly I’m not sure because I keep getting more without my knowledge. I’ve been at the company for 3 months and still haven’t even met all of my clients.

I’m also assigned around 5–10 direct sessions per week on top of everything else. RBTs are not getting the supervision they need because my caseload is so high that there genuinely is not enough time in the day to provide proper support and quality care.

I finally went to management and explained my concerns, and the response I got was basically: “Just do the best you can and make sure you hit your billables.” That response told me everything I needed to know about what they actually care about.

Management is disorganized, support is basically nonexistent, and the whole environment feels unsustainable. I already feel burned out and guilty because I’m a new BCBA and don’t want to look like I’m job hopping, but this workload does not feel manageable for anyone.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? Is this becoming normal in ABA or is this as bad as it feels? Any advice?

For context: I’ve been working as a BT for 6 months and just got my RBT certification activated today. I am a college student, and I just started working full time this summer.

I added on a new client to my schedule. The BCBA reached out to me acknowledging that we will be working together, and sent me her phone number saying “call, text, email me at anytime”

With my first ever client, my other supervisor and I scheduled a time to call, and she told me about my client and gave me some info about her bsp, maladaptive, goals, personality, etc.. That was so helpful, and I figured it was standard procedure for my company (I didn’t know any better). It was great to learn a little bit about my client before starting- so I knew what I was getting into.

Anyway, I ask to schedule a call with my new supervisor. Today comes, and she calls me. It is important to note : I have been studying so much, managing several appointments for my health, taking and making phone calls for various reasons, scheduling and rescheduling appointments/meetings, taking my exam, working, etc. I’m feeling discombobulated 100%. At my company, anyone who has ever scheduled a call with me has called me at that time on the dot. I figured this was very intentional and a thing employees do at my company.

Anyway, my supervisor hadn’t called me and it had been 4 minutes, so I emailed asking if 3 was still a good time. Looking back I totally 1000% understand how it looks, but I am so burnt out it didn’t register for me in the moment. Anyway, she calls me around 3:06, and I joyfully say that it’s nice to finally connect and I just sent her an email. Anyway, she got really annoyed, and responded in such a way. The rest of our call was very unproductive. She spoke to me in a demeaning way in several occasions, spoke over me, etc. I was trying to learn more about my client, and she was bothered by it. I was not made aware that this was her first session with my client too, and that the existing program for my client is not up to date. So before the call, I looked at his program, so I could ask clarifying questions about the data collection. That did not land well, and she was annoyed, telling me I shouldn’t have looked. She definitely misunderstood me at several points- one of them being I mislabeled something by saying “I was looking at the data point” and instead of clarifying if I knew my mistake, she got really upset and told me I’m not supposed to do that (I am FULLY aware of that). I was hurt because in the 20mins we called I didn’t get to speak much, so I didn’t get to correct myself. I don’t remember her exact wording, but something she said implied my request to call was a waste of time (for lack of a better term).

I learned that she’s new. She’s clearly under a LOT of stress. If I was in her shoes, I would feel the same way. I do feel hurt after our conversation, but I feel sad that she is stressed and that’s probably why she acted in that way.

My first time meeting her in person will be tomorrow. Should I bring up our phone call? I sort of want to clarify some misunderstandings. I don’t want her to think I’m trying to do things out of my scope of practice (that I would NEVER do) or trying to “take control.” She was concerned that because I wanted to ask clarifying questions that I wanted to get involved in things I’m not supposed to.

Should I talk to her? I understand she’s stressed so I feel bad, but I was also spoken to unfairly- and I want to redeem myself.

I had a client who I was playing with, we were playing chase/hide & seek where I pretend I can't find him. He is the client I consider myself the most paired with, and I'm also the only one whose name he says, so I just feel very close to him.

I lost him for 3 seconds when he went around the center. He did not attempt to go out any exits to the building nor go anywhere near them. He was waiting for me in the play room when I found him, aka the common area. Even his speech therapist said that what he is doing is not technically considered elopement because he is playing.

I was reported to HR and I am facing termination, at minimum a six day pause in services because I did not walkie when he left my line of sight when I found him in that 3 second time frame.

Just wondering if this is normal.

I'm not making enough at my current clinic, and my hours are being shortened. The money (or lack thereof) is stressing me out and I know the best thing for myself is to find a better paying clinic. But I've heard that my company is the best rated in the area, which scares me because I know the type of people we hire, and I don't want to leave my clients. That's the biggest thing. One of my favorite clients' mom requested that I specifically stay on his caseload when our cases were changing, and if I left I'd feel like I'm abandoning her... I don't know what to do.

Today I heard at work that starting in octubre, most ABA companies will cut 20% of BCBA and RBT salaries. What do you think about this? This is just something I heard someone saying. I don’t want to spread false information just wondering if anyone heard this too?

Hi, I'm currently enrolled in the ABA program at Ball State and literally have my head above waters. I'm also working full time. The issue is there are so many assignments such as, talking to an AI as if you're a BCBA ( I found this really odd), flashcards to see how fast you can say them in a minute, writing out a capstone assignment, little quizzes, modules with video quizzes. For whatever reason they say you need 86% to move onto the next class which is concerning because it doesn't seem possible to work full time and do all these busy work assignments. I also started in the summer which goes for 10 weeks. So maybe it's all condensed (?) Perspectives and advice appreciated. Anyone who is looking an aba program I will give information to the program from what ive learned in the process.

I keep hearing about Miami/South Florida ABA agencies closing abruptly or giving families weeks to transfer. My sister-in-law’s agency sent letters telling families to move by May 30.

RBTs, BCBAs, and parents—what’s going on? Insurance? Medicaid? Staffing? Audits?

Quick recap if you’re new: three guys, a web of companies in Florida and New Hampshire, a closed-loop billing structure, and a civil RICO suit filed by Publix alleging they were being charged up to $990 for 15-minute therapy sessions. Part 2 is the money story.

I still have three questions I can’t answer and I’m putting them out there:

1.	The security contract was signed November 11, 2024 -what spooked him so much that he felt like he needed 24 hour armed security with him (Pre-Mangione, so not that).

2.	CASP (Council of Autism Service Providers) — is there a connection beyond shared legal representation? (Dan Unumb is litigating the big MA case for him) 

3.	Barnett registered a company in Medellín in 2022. Who did he know there before that filing? And why did he choose Medellin? In that same vein, why did he then open a whole other company there?

Next up: clients, then employment lawsuits and such, and finally I’m going to spend real time on what good clinical leadership in ABA actually looks like.

I’ve been on a case for a while and have fostered a solid relationship with both the family and the caregiving staff in the community, but my team keeps bungling the delivery of services. They’ve put ethically dubious techs (who have since been fired or relocated) onto the client’s case and the parents and caregiving staff observed them not doing their job, not redirecting elopement behaviors, tripping the client in the name of ‘safety’ without antecedent interventions, which caused the client to crack their head on pavement in one instance. I’m the only one cleared to work on the case atm due to this bungling but my team is trying to strong arm other techs in or work me to death to meet the high level of hours required for the individual. I don’t like the way they’re handling it and advocate for the parents/client as often as I can, but I’m just small fries here.

I don’t want to add too many details but the client is young and we work well together. I do believe generalization will be good for them in the long run, but we can barely get DTT done in any meaningful capacity due to the level of maladaptive behaviors. I can get a lot of good data through NET with them, and the other techs weren’t really even doing that. Am I just supposed to sit back and watch my company lose a client? I know I can’t control what they do, but it’s awful to be forced to watch them lie to the parents and go behind their backs to insert techs when I can’t make it to session. This feels like it’s crossing an ethical line.

Hi everyone, I have a mild situation where my client has a reinforcement that can only be done by one person at a time. Every time my client does this reinforcement there sibling begs to do it as well, I’ve explained that my client works for this reinforcement, and it’s his time with it. The sibling is very young so I’m just wondering if there is a better way to explain to them?

Hi yall!! I’m an RBT that’s interested in becoming a BCaBA eventually using the pathway 2 method, but I’m having trouble finding online universities that cover that method? I just got my AA in Psychology, and I want to go for my Bachelor’s in ABA, or at least some psychology program that covers the requirements for me to become a BCaBA. Does anyone know of any universities or programs that would work? Thank you in advance!

I’ve been doing mostly school hours with a client since January. Since then, my client has arrived to school smelling of cat pee/wearing clothes, shoes, backpack that have been recently peed on and unwashed. The school is very accommodating regarding the client and their dignity for this issue (she’s been given two or three new backpacks from the school, the teachers wash her clothes in the home economics classroom while she wears borrowed clothes purchased by her teachers and shoes from the gym, and her new backpacks end up being washed weekly by paras because even though the smell is somewhat always there, sometimes you can tell it has been freshly peed on), but I personally feel like this should have warranted at least a call home by now. I deferred to the school regarding this and they told me they would discuss with the parent in a meeting, then told me it “never came up.” That was two and a half months ago. My issue here is that cat urine is not just something harmless and smelly; this is a health and hygiene concern for this child. The client has developed a persistent cough for the last month, which could be entirely unrelated, but is most definitely exacerbated by this, right?

I’ve made a report previously for repeated comments the client made about violence in her home, and alongside that report I expressed dental concerns and child services was able to connect the family to a clinician/dental program. Are there any programs that could help with this? At what point is this neglect? I’ve never seen the client’s mother in unwashed clothes or smelling of cat pee. Client’s mother has quoted to me that the cat “uses [client]’s room as the litter box.”

Hi all im and rbt that works in a school my company was bought by a different company and were in a transition period. They had us do paper notes until we get the new companies tablets. They said they would take our hand written notes and upload them for us. Well now they want us to put our notes in ourselves on our own time and wont pays us for it because we get time during the day. Schools last day was yesterday and we are off the rest of the week so during this time they want us to upload our notes into their software and not pay us for it. This just doesnt seem right to me.

I’ve worked w kids 6 and under , primarily nonverbal as an RBT.

I recently starting working w kids around 10 but they want me to also work w a 17 year old. I am a man married to a man. Just kinda unsure how to go about questions.

Like I wear a wedding ring so if a kid asks abt it or something like what do other queer people in the field normally say. I also live w my husband obviously so if I talk abt like my weekend am I supposed to say like my friend?

Edit: my concern is parents. Like if they go home and say I’m married to a dude and then the parent is homophobic

Hey guys! I need some salary help from people that understand these things better than I do.

I’m currently located in NJ. I am two months away from finishing my masters in ABA, and have already acquired about 600 fieldwork hours during my journey.

I was recently hired by a company that does dayhab and community focused work with developmentally disabled adults 21+. I was originally hired under the title of RBT and told I would be the first person they’ve ever had in that role, and that they were in the process of figuring out what it would look like. I was originally hired at $52,500 with that disclaimer.

Coming up on one month in what it looks like is that I’m fully replacing a BCBA that recently left. I receive enough supervision to meet the BACB requirements, and they provide supervision for my fieldwork for free, however, I am alone most of the time and making a lot of clinical decisions day-to-day. I train staff, I monitor behavior, I do assessments, soon I’ll be writing behavior plans.

I have over 20 clients on my caseload, but not all are billable — a handful are acuity. & about 25-30 billable hours expected of me a week, plus sometimes covering community clients after hours. The behaviors aren’t intense to me, and I love the flexibility of floating around between locations, going on outings, and making my own schedule in regards to when I see people.

All that being said, what’s a realistic salary expectation for negotiating after I graduate? It’s a medicaid funded program. I’m not sure how much it matters in regards to reimbursement if I’m a certified BCBA yet, or masters level clinician, when it comes to this setting.

TLDR: Reasonable salary ask in NJ for a new masters in ABA grad, before BCBA certification, while working as a behaviorist in the dayhab setting — funded by medicaid

Hi everyone,

I have an opportunity to work at a center for autistic individuals and train to become a RBT. I'm stoked as the center is located in my hometown, and I can gain credentials and figure out if I like this kind of people-centered work.

I did want to ask, however, if it looks bad if I complete the RBT training and work at the center for only a short time. I imagine being at the clinic for 4-5 months total because my ultimate goal is to move and live in a bigger city near me. I would probably be a RBT again or something adjacent but am not 100% sure.

Thank you in advance for the help and support.

Sincerely,
Not Sure What I Want To Do With My Life

I have 5 years of ABA experience, mostly Registered BT/School Based BT. I feel like I have learned all that I can learn from the amount experience that I gained and I have not much of a desire to become a BCBA.

I am still wanting to be in the ABA/ behavioral health/mental health field but no longer wanting to sacrifice my body though the work is indeed rewarding. I still want to continue to do my part in helping others but being more in the background rather than the forefront.

I have just moved to a new state and I thought that getting back in the field after taking time off would be the most practical thing to do in order for me to be able to have money rolling in to secure stability. However, I am not really wanting to get back in the field in the way of being a Behavior Technician/RBT. A lot of the ABA companies offer in home services that are part time (10-15 hours a week) and I need to make more money than that.

I am wanting to transition out of this particular into something else such as Behavioral Health Coordinator, Client Services Coordinator, Clinical Support, even ABA Scheduler or even a entry level Data Analyst. I am having a hard time either finding these kinds of jobs or my resume doesn't seem to be strong enough to receive the attention to these kinds of jobs that I have been applying to. Though I have tailored my resume to have more of the language of coordinating, I am still receiving inquiring from ABA companies wanting me for BT roles and not what my resume is set up for.

Does anyone have an advice or guidance on how I can achieve this successfully? Any fellow BTs/RBTs that have achieved this? I feel like I have quite the background and skills to be competent and I am not sure what else I need to do.

During a team meeting tonight, were role-playing how to maintain HIPAA while in the community. Does anyone have some ideas of some good scenarios?
Trying to think outside the box and wanted to see what everyone else could come up with since I tend to come up with the same examples each time.

i’m starting my new bt job next week and i am absolutely scared s*tless. i’ve heard so many horror stories and am scared i wont be able to stick it out or that it will be toi much for me.

i love kids and i’m a relatively patient person and a fast learner. as the oldest, I grew up taking care of kids as well so this isn’t new to me however dealing with autistic kids is and i wanna be sure to be the best bt i can be.

that being said, can you guys tell me some funny/cool stories from your job kind of as encouragement. it feels like everyone is always talking so badly about the job :/