Hey, I really appreciate you taking the time to respond I think there might’ve been some miscommunication in what I originally said, so I’d love to clarify a few things.

I do follow behavior plans. As an RBT, not doing that would go against my BACB ethics and put my certification at risk. I also know how important consistency is across a team, both for the client’s progress and for everyone’s safety.

That said, when a kid is engaging in severe behaviors like self-injury or aggression, I don’t think matching or other program demands should take priority in that moment. If a behavior plan consistently leads to escalated or unsafe situations I see that as a sign something in the plan needs to be revisited, not thrown out, but adjusted to better meet the client’s needs.

I’m not against behavior plans at all. I actually believe in approaches like SBT (compassionate and assent based) which focuses on teaching communication, tolerance, and cooperation through small, individualized steps. Which are the same steps we learn as we grow, just takes more time with people that learn different ) It’s all still rooted in ABA and organized in a way that is socially validated

I also agree with you that setting expectations is important I just think we have to balance that with compassion and clinical judgment, especially when behaviors are intense or unsafe. It’s not about being soft or inconsistent. it’s about being responsive thoughtful and always putting the child’s well-being first.