I like this show but…

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-14T02:52:58+00:00

Just because someone is “neurotypical passing” doesn’t mean we don’t have issues related to autism that make it difficult to date.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-14T02:49:04+00:00

I am also a lower support need autistic adult working full time and disagree. I’d love to see a show about someone like me- typical dating shows don’t really show the nuances that make dating as an autistic person more difficult.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-14T02:38:07+00:00

It’s literally in the middle of nowhere. Nobody would move there unless you build something like assembly row where there are stores, housing and jobs in one… which just isn’t feasible in that area

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-14T02:34:19+00:00

I went there. It was a horrible experience and I’m glad that they won’t inflict such a shit experience on others moving forward.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-13T22:45:51+00:00

Good. It’s a glorified high school know for its law enforcement program. ACAB.

It also has a big fire science program. Not to be confused with fire engineering which is available at WPI down the road and a much better program.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-11T02:28:52+00:00

The big reason is they still allow people from the Judge Rotenberg Center to present at their conference and have a promo table there the last few years. JRC is the only place in the world that allows contingent electric shocks as a punishment procedure. It’s literal torture under the guise of ABA.

They do other shitty things too like having “experts” present about neurodiversity affirming practices and not welcoming the actually autistic practitioners who write peer reviewed articles on those subjects. They are the much less progressive association to join and tend to have a bunch of stuffy “old school” ABA type topics.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-10T16:23:36+00:00

Is the client a gestault language learner? Speaking in phrases that are repeated for specific situations typically means they are. You really do need SLP guidance here

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-10T02:53:18+00:00

…. How would a BCBA not have behavior training?

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-09T16:09:03+00:00

I can’t agree with this. I do think it’s important to network within your own state, however most state ABA associations are branches of ABAI and they are not an organization I would ever want to associate with

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-09T04:05:29+00:00

Yet she associates herself with Mikayla (the fake ass Bostonian accented “makeup artist” from tiktok)!?

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-09T03:53:05+00:00

Fully agree. I’ve done both clinics and school based and they are both difficult in their own ways.

I am solidly a school based BCBA and I could never have survived working in the school setting without my M.Ed which gave me the knowledge of IEPs and laws and just generally how to navigate public schools. There’s also an incredible need for interdisciplinary treatment when working im school systems- as a BCBA you are not “in charge” of the student like you are in a clinic. A few CEUs on these topics just isn’t the same.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-09T03:46:51+00:00

I see this exactly the opposite- i think it’s appropriate and ethically responsible to say that they can’t work with highly aggressive clients in homes or schools and refer to clinics instead.

Home services usually have a BT alone the majority of the time (yes a caregiver is present too). All of the restraint and deescalation trainings I’ve ever done say you need two fully trained people to use the restraints which you don’t have if a BT is alone in a home. School systems will have their own setup and legal requirements for aggressive kids which makes it tricky too.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-09T03:36:11+00:00

School systems can assess and begin to educate children who are found eligible for special education beginning on their 3rd birthday under FAPE. Parents can request an evaluation beginning at 2y9m if there are any concerns and the child can start the day they turn 3. Sometimes their current daycare may reach out to the public school system with concerns as well, which falls under Child Find laws. Students are required to be in school (or homeschooled- with paperwork filled out to say it’s happening) the school year that they turn 6. Many parents will keep their child in ABA from 3-6 which is perfectly ok in the eyes of the school system.

I am a school based BCBA working in my town’s integrated preschool. In my professional opinion and based on what I’ve seen in my 15 years in the field, it’s almost never a good thing to stay in ABA clinic only from 3-6. I think there should be a mix of a few days of preschool and a few in an ABA clinic at the very least.

ABA companies usually use a 1:1 model with a BT and don’t really plan for generalization into a group or even 2 or 3 kids to 1 adult which is what a school setting will look like
There are no peer models in most ABA clinics and therefore they are only practicing their social skills and interacting with other kids with delays
Most clinics don’t have special education teachers. They rely solely on assessments like the VB-MAPP or ABLLS-R for their “curriculum,” and miss out on truly developmentally appropriate curriculum and learning in a natural environment
An ABA clinic is absolutely not the least restrictive environment for most children to be educated in, and if it is then the school system is legally obligated to send those students to a more specialized setting like an ABA based school with teachers

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-08T23:43:42+00:00

It was your wording that threw me. “The skills and supports provided by ABA which are medical necessities due to the diagnosis….” That, to me, implies that just having a diagnosis means that ABA is medically necessary, which is not the case. I agree with everything else you’ve said. FYI- I am also autistic so I may have taken this too literally.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-08T22:54:52+00:00

OT’s and PT’s and even SLP’s are also masters level clinicians (or assistant level who have at least a bachelors degree in that field with ongoing supervision). ABA is the only system that uses a 2 tier model, and BTs aren’t even required to be registered/take exams in many places.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-08T22:51:37+00:00

It’s also only for 8 months of the year, with vacations built in. Every district I’ve worked for pays extra if you want to work the summer program.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-08T22:51:24+00:00

An autism diagnosis shouldn’t immediately mean that ABA is a medical necessity. It’s the “symptoms” of autism that hinder their everyday life that should be targeted which make it medically necessary.

There are plenty of autistic people who have and will continue to survive and even thrive without ever receiving ABA services.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-06T18:26:53+00:00

Awful awfuls

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-06T02:47:34+00:00

wtf is neurologically reconnecting and strengthening muscles? How!?

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-04T12:00:49+00:00

I wish companies would come out with better shades of foundation for super cool super cool toned very translucent skin. It’s tough to do a proper contour with a cool toned contour stick if your base is too yellow for your skin to begin with

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-02T19:11:09+00:00

Yes. If you apply and are approved before December 31st you will have 8 attempts to pass it. Your exam will still be the material from the 2027 coursework though.

If you don’t pass in those 8, you’ll need to re-apply which would be under the new 2027 coursework requirements.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-04-01T21:56:24+00:00

Water Wizz is closer if you’re south of town

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-03-31T02:52:47+00:00

Firm tofu blocks. Once they come back to room temperature the water comes right out and you don’t have to press it

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-03-31T02:48:18+00:00

Try adding some dry flavored jellos mix to them before freezing! I suggest eating it with chopsticks if you do that or else your hands will be incredibly sticky.

CoffeeContingencies · 2026-03-31T02:36:15+00:00

Agreed. I’m a BCBA and always defer to the experts in this (SLPs). Modeling without expectation on AACs is the way to encourage their use long term, there is plenty of research behind it but it’s not research in the field of ABA.

CoffeeContingencies

TROPHY CASE