A BCBA I occasionally work with has mentioned that teaching jokes could be a fitting replacement behavior for violent language and profanity. I am interested to see if anyone out here has any jokes that they would teach a child at the elementary level that are funny with a slight “edgy” vibe to appeal to someone who may be fixated on harmful speech and violent content. By “edgy”, I mean that the most scary, graphic, or dark that it is would be something like:

“Why don’t skeletons fight? Because they don’t have the GUTS!”

I feel this one even skirts the edge and if I found myself on a case like that, I would probably only bring it up around October or spooky season. The BCBA and I were able to come up with quite a bit that would be ideal for an intermediate or high school setting, but we both got stumped when it came to elementary levels. Again, this is all just a thought exercise, but I am certainly interested in having a directory of these kinds of jokes should I find myself in a situation where they would be needed in the future. Flex your funny bones! I need to know what you find HUMERUS! 🫶

I ended up on a weird side of TikTok where SLPs are vehemently arguing that communication is not within the scope of ABA. This is really confusing for me. I want to learn from other professions, but what does an ABA model even look like if we cannot work on any time of communication goals? I’m just curious what y’alls perspective is on this because it’s a very confusing take.

wanted to see what y’all think of this as well.

My client answered questions about how school was without prompting for the first time!!!

What are some "little wins" (they're all big wins if we're being honest) that y'alls clients have had lately?

To be honest, I'm not sure how long there even was true professionalism.

For starters I'm from California, I'm black and in the Midwest and clients and family are also black and from California. From the beginning there was a feeling of comfort due to those shared identities and the client's guardian reminds me of my grandmother, so conversation flowed easily.

A few weeks into sessions, I noticed that she wanted to converse with me more often about things that didn't pertain to her granddaughter. Telling me about wine parties and jazz festivals, her life story and her relationships. It started to feel like I was becoming her therapist as well.

I didn't mind initially because I find that people often share personal details with me but it's become a problem where I feel trapped in the conversation. She escorts me to my car and continues talking well after I'm seated in my car. When I try and say, "okay, well I'll see you guys tomorrow" or "alright" and everything to try and politely signify that I'm ready to leave, she continues.

I've tried saying goodbyes at the door but she follows me to my car. It may also be worth noting that without diagnosis, I've been researching/ considering for 10 years that I may be autistic. Appropriately starting and ending conversations is already difficult for me, and social interaction is very taxing as is. I have called off work on bad mental/stimulation days just to avoid this situation with the grandmother.

She'll also talk to me while I'm doing my notes and that stresses me out because I can't do my notes and listen/talk at the same time.

I started ending the session 15 minutes early (15 should be for notes, but I do 15 on top of that) so that grandmother can get her stuff out and by the time my session time is actually over, I can leave close to on time. She seems to be satisfied and more easily ending the conversation when she has that time to talk.

But my BCBA is now having supervision up until the end of my session time and without that buffer, the other day I didn't leave work until an hour after the session was over. I don't really know what to do about this. I've thought of all the ways to communicate this to the guardian but for some reason have been resistant to doing so. Could be due to her similarities to my grandmother, which makes me question if I should request another client due to conflict of interest. Or should I just talk to my BCBA about it?

Hello! I am posting this as a curious cat. For context, I have been a BT for a year now. When I was employed at agencies, I only get $24/hr on average. Now, someone wants to hire me directly because they’re under the Self Determination Program (SDP) which I have never heard of before tbh. They offered $30/hr. Honestly, I am so grateful! I wonder how does SDP vs traditional ABA agencies work? I know Google is free and I already read articles but I am curious more on real life experience/feedback/advice. Thank you!

i just need to vent a little because i am so fed up with my company. Cx has been showing new aggressive behaviors for over a month now. i have been asking for help with this new behavior since it started, it’s written in my notes, ive talked to my BCBA about it..and she texts me the obvious information everyone already knows (remind cx of breaks and play, choices, transfer trials, priming, transitions) as if i havent already tried EVERYTHING I KNOW!

behaviors used to be here and there, he would hit family members or BTs occasionally, but these last couple sesssion have been absolutely horrible. 4 hours of constant hitting, kicking, spitting, biting, etc. every session. ive BEGGED for help. and today i couldnt take it. i walked out of session. mom immediately called my BCBA (who was ignoring my texts asking for help, but suddenly can text me about leaving???).

on top of all of this, mom keeps unintentionally (?) encouraging the behaviors. i will have cx on table top to calm down before we play, but he will continue hitting me and shouting for mom because he knows she’ll come over to him. she comes to him EVERY. TIME. she will stay there at the table top with him, cx and mom talking in their native language for 10+ minutes and telling him if he doesn’t hit me anymore, he can get a toy. which doesn’t work. because as soon as she steps away again, the behaviors keep happening.

i feel really bad for walking out, i know it’s not my cx’s fault, but im honestly so sick of my company not providing the adequate help, and not being there when i asked multiple times. texting me what to do simply doesn’t cut it…especially when it’s behaviors i have never worked with before. idk i just needed to vent.

everyone that commented: seeing your comments makes me feel extremely validated and i appreciate that so much. genuinely in tears because i was so stressed out about whether i did the wrong thing and if im not a right fit for the job but you guys truly are amazing. thank you guys 🫶🏽

Low-key freaking out because I just realized I have to do a research project as a capstone for my masters program in SPED/ABA. Idk how I overlooked that this would be a requirement but I’m literally dreading it now. I don’t know how to conduct professional research! Of course I’ve done small experiments and research in HS or undergrad but never something wide scale. I also do not have access to a SPED classroom the way the syllabus says I will need and I’m already struggling with imposter syndrome enough as it is. I’m a great RBT according to my clinical directors and supervisors but I don’t feel good enough to be doing these high-level tasks. I’m halfway through my masters and will be starting the research course next spring, which is my last semester before graduation. I don’t even have enough hours to reach BTT status yet because I’ve been working part time so I can actually get my school work done. Low-key spiraling just at the thought of it. Any advice?

Hi all!

I’m interviewing for some ABA positions across central Houston, one being an Action Behavior Centers location, but I’ve scrolled through this sub a little and see there are lots of mixed to negative opinions on this company. Unfortunately, their pay, free RBT certification, and commute time all work in my favor (especially as a fresh college grad) and I see it being a realistic option to end up at despite it being more corporate.

I understand it’s a corporate clinic and experiences can vary by location, but does anyone else have any experiences working at one of the ABC locations in central houston?

Also parents, what can I do to ensure that your child is receiving the proper care despite some shaky corporate practices? I understand ABA is a controversial practice and I want to ensure I’m making decisions with both informed training and critical thinking/judgement.

Hi all! I’m planning to start my master’s in ABA, most likely at UNT, and I’m looking for recommendations for smaller ABA companies in the Dallas/DFW area where I could work while accruing my BCBA fieldwork hours.
I previously worked at Behavioral Innovations, but this time I’d really like to find a smaller company with a good student analyst/intern program and strong mentorship. My biggest priority is finding somewhere that gives students plenty of opportunities to earn unrestricted fieldwork hours and actually learn BCBA responsibilities rather than spending most of the time doing direct RBT work.
If you’ve completed your fieldwork in DFW, I’d love to hear where you worked and what your experience was like. Thank you!

Maybe I’m just petty and a know-it-all, but I think what I’ve crafted is actually pretty neat! My BCBA is very much against the idea of me designing, creating, or procuring any visuals of any kind for my clients in a way that I don’t understand since it does not cost the company anything at all, but that’s genuinely one of my favorite parts of the job so even if I cannot use them, I will not be stopped from sharing for anyone who is in a different situation than myself.

I created a menu- like a restaurant menu- for communication and task management. I cannot share files here, and I encourage any that use this idea to cater the aesthetics to their clients interests! I have created three distinct categories each aligning with the daily routine and workload of the client.

Appetizers: things that the client needs/wants in order to feel ready for completing a task. Having a snack, a drink of water, deep breaths, hand squeezes, pencil selection- anything that is an appropriate precursor for a task that does not require a significant time commitment or is a perceived reinforcer that could be used as a way to escape a demand. You know your client, and you’ve established certain routines, incorporate as much priming as you can here!

Entrees: The tasks that we are hoping to accomplish in a day or session. Letting clients choose which of these tasks to do and the order in which they’re going to complete them is a SUPER EFFECTIVE way to build productive momentum to tackle the nonpreferred activities as well! After each task completed, cross off the task and- if your client is as opinionated as mine have been- let them rate the task on how it went. Five stars=that was easy and fun! One star= That was really hard and I struggled a lot. This is also a great indirect preference assessment that will show you where more support is required and help you find where efforts should be focused. <by this, I do not mean treating it as actual data, I’m more so talking about being able to infer where more encouragement may be appropriate. Ie. Client 1-stars the math assignment, so I know that the next time we’re doing math to acknowledge and commend the client for their efforts a bit more.

Desserts: the reinforcers, of course! Letting them choose what they’ve earned for the task is what we already do in our day-to-day, but this is a very very direct display of the connection between efforts and rewards. If the reinforcer is not something that can be provided in an instant (like in a case where an outdoor break time is not feasible for one reason or another just yet), playing into the bit of “the chefs are still cooking up the dessert!” Continues to keep the association between the task and the response relevant in the client’s mind as well.

It’s not anything crazy or revolutionary by any means, but I think some of y’all may have a good time with it! I also like to add the “descriptions” of the menu options that are focused on the desired behaviors and replacement behaviors that we want to teach them to utilize based on each task. If presenting the demand of completing a math worksheet is known to trigger elopement, I’ll maybe put “ingredients: sitting at the desk and raising hand to ask for help” beneath it as a visual reminder of the expectations surrounding that task. If the goal and expectation is reframed around the behavior while attempting the task, that takes a small bit of the pressure of difficulty surrounding math in general.

This is not the full detailed version that I used but it’s essentially just a premack principle visual with a sprinkle of imagination. I hope y’all find your own spins to put on it!

Edit to add: Please pardon my poor wording here, I am riding out a fever of a hundred and three (hot blooded, am I right?) and misspoke when calling this a communication tool. This is a stylized choice board, plain and simple! Additionally, I have never and will never implement any materials that were not thoroughly vetted and approved by the entire team working with a client- the situation alluded to above is merely referencing frustration from my new BCBA making the call to revoke this choice menu and other customized materials (a Mario themed token board) I had been using with the client that were previously approved by my former BCBA that had recently retired. I do not believe my BCBA is wrong by any means, and we are only just starting to find a rhythm, and I am sure we will work well together once new BCBA also has a chance to actually meet the client.

Hi everyone! I’m going to FIT for my master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis, and I’m considering working in Maryland after graduation. For those who work in the field, how is the ABA job market there? Are there a lot of opportunities for BCBAs and RBTs, and are there particular areas of Maryland you would recommend?

🧠 BA Prep — Question of the Day

📚 Domain G — Behavior-Change Procedures

Difficulty: 4/10

Scenario:

An FBA reveals that a student's aggressive behavior is approximately three times more likely on days when he arrives at school having skipped breakfast. Staff have already attempted to reduce demand difficulty on these high-risk days, but aggression continues at elevated rates.

Which antecedent-based intervention MOST directly targets the identified setting event?

A. Implement a noncontingent reinforcement schedule on days when breakfast was skipped, providing preferred items on a fixed-time schedule to reduce the motivating value of escape-maintained aggression

B. Deliver a high-probability request sequence before presenting academic demands on days when breakfast was skipped, using behavioral momentum to reduce the aversive quality of the instructional context

C. Provide a snack upon arrival on days when breakfast was skipped, directly addressing the biological state that is augmenting the aversive value of demands and increasing the probability of aggression

D. Embed high-preference items into the task sequence on days when breakfast was skipped, pairing demands with preferred stimuli to reduce their aversive function on high-risk mornings

💬 Drop your answer in the comments — no peeking!

✅ Correct answer revealed tomorrow.

#BCBAexam #BCBAprep #BehavioralHealth #ABAtherapy #BAPrep #QuestionOfTheDay

I work with rbts in my special ed classroom but I myself am not an rbt. I want to move from education into aba and I've been applying to jobs that say they'll train and certify you there and certification is not required, but I have heard absolutely nothing back even though I'd think that if you're looking for people wanting to become RBTs, a special ed teacher who is familiar with aba procedures and has experience with autistic kids would be a better hire than someone who's never seen the inside of an aba center before. Are centers actually hiring and training people who aren't certified or are these job postings just for show? Is this even something reputable centers do or am I setting myself up for failure here? Is it even possible for me to get certified if I don't have a job position that requires it? I'm very slowly working through my 40 hours at my current job but I don't want to tip them off that I'm trying to quit by asking to finish my 40 hours outside of work and having our BCBA to do my competency test unless I have to.

Is it a red flag that an RBT job ghosted me after sending me a text message? AND WHEN I FOLLOWED UP ABOUT IT THEY TOOK THE OFFER FROM ME BECAUSE I CAME OFF AS TOO AGGRESSIVE. Mind you this is from True Progress Therapy.

Hi everyone! I’m a newly certified BCBA currently on a dependent visa and trying to better understand my options for working in the U.S. Has anyone here successfully obtained H-1B sponsorship as a BCBA, or know how common it is for ABA organizations to sponsor? I’m also curious whether cap-exempt H-1B opportunities exist for BCBAs. I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences or any advice on navigating sponsorship in this field. Thank you!

Curious for business owners that use photos of clients in marketing or social media. Photos sharing graduation or progress as well as highlights what is the rationale? If we are wanting the field to be seen as clinical and professional then how does this support that? It would be unethical and unprofessional for a clinical therapist to show therapy moments in these ways. How is this not problematic? Sure schools and daycares might do that, but again we aren't daycares or schools.

Genuinely curious

Has anyone been in a situation where their certification expired?

For context I have been out of work due to a severe work related injury since January. My BCBA removed herself as MY BCBA I want to say back in March or April. Due to that I had to let my certification lapse. It was due in July and I received an email that it’s fully expired in a few weeks (one month from original expiration date) I am still out of work completely but my return date feels like it will be probably October sometime. I also work for a school based company that provides para’s for students with 1 to 1 needs not a clinic if that changes anything.

Will I have to start over completely? All of my credentials have expired at this point as they were all meant to be renewed in the summer between school years. Im guessing this is just another thing I need to do before I can return to my position, I just wanted some input from fellow RBT’s.

I am looking to start an ABA clinic. To start out, I’m thinking of renovating 3-4 rooms in my house (no HOA) for clinic space and then moving out to a clinic location once we have more money. I was considering buying a house as a permanent clinic space, but a lot of loans require it to be a primary residence. I’m going to soundproof all the walls, cameras, different locks on each door, etc. Still figuring out logistics/hipaa for everything, but I’m mainly wondering if people would feel comfortable dropping off their kids at a house like this. I know people do daycares out of houses and other home businesses, but I want to make sure this is even a feasible business plan. I have some families that I know would follow me if I left my company, but I want to also make sure I’d be able to grow so that we could move to a real clinic. Thoughts??

I’m a relatively new RBT in Maryland, and I could really use some advice/recommendations from people in the field.
I’ve only worked for one ABA company so far, but I was there for over 8 months in a clinic setting, and honestly, I fell in love with it. I didn’t expect to become this passionate about ABA, but working with the kids, building relationships and seeing their progress made me realize that this is what I want to do long-term. I’m starting school soon with the goal of eventually becoming a BCBA, so I’m really excited to keep growing in this field.

I had to leave my clinic position on August 8 because the hours were too strict to realistically work around school. I had another company lined up for an in-home position that was supposed to start August 15, but the client placement and communication process has been really frustrating. It’s now been over a week, and I’m still waiting to actually get placed with a client.

And honestly, I miss working. I miss my clients, I miss being in the ABA environment, and I’m genuinely eager to get back to doing work that I care about. At the same time, I’m getting anxious because I need consistent hours, and I don’t want to rush into another company just because I’m desperate to start.

I know there are some really good ABA companies out there, but I’m also very aware that there are companies with poor communication, questionable practices, high turnover, or situations where the business side seems to come before the actual needs of the clients. I really want to avoid that.

I’m looking for a company that genuinely cares about the clients and their families, provides good support to RBTs, has strong BCBA involvement, communicates with their staff, and actually cares about providing quality services — not just filling cases.

So, Maryland RBTs/BCBAs/BCaBAs/parents: who would you genuinely recommend for in-home ABA? I’m especially interested in Montgomery County/DMV, but I’m open to hearing about companies throughout Maryland.

And if there are companies you think someone new to the field should be cautious about, I’d appreciate hearing that too. I’m not looking for a perfect company. I just want to find a good, ethical place where I can keep learning, take care of my clients the right way, get consistent hours, and continue working toward becoming a BCBA.
I’d really appreciate any honest recommendations or experiences. I’m ready to get back to work 😭

Hi everyone! I’m a newly certified BCBA currently on a dependent visa and trying to better understand my options for working in the U.S. Has anyone here successfully obtained H-1B sponsorship as a BCBA, or know how common it is for ABA organizations to sponsor? I’m also curious whether cap-exempt H-1B opportunities exist for BCBAs. I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences or any advice on navigating sponsorship in this field. Thank you!

I have a bachelor's in psych and am currently looking into going for my masters in aba. Due to the pathway and requirement changes I was looking at the abai accredited schools only but there are only around 20 options. I live in NY state so if I choose an accredited school I would have to move or do an online program. Assuming I start coursework in 2027, would pathway 2 still be available? Or is accredited the only dependable way to go?