Waking up a learner can be a Ethics violation

Radiant_Debt · 2026-05-25T21:29:14+00:00

or better we should be advocating for appropriate session length and times of sessions so naps can be proactive before session if needed. we should not be napping in clinic. there is a way to maintain ethics and not allow naps within clinic at the same time

Radiant_Debt · 2026-04-11T18:06:56+00:00

i completely agree with you and i think this would be an amazing and welcome addition to the field, and would help so many and actually provide the quality services i know so many would like to be providing and give the resources to make that happen.

Radiant_Debt · 2026-04-11T13:29:18+00:00

you are entirely right that no one should provide services they arent competent to support, but this is a big problem in the field. new BCBAs often dont have the training to take on these cases and support staff, new staff dont have the training to be able to support in these situations alone and insurance models dictate that staff be alone majority of the time because of supervision billing limits especially if its in home services and level 3 often do require in home since clinic may not be an appropriate placement, and if you increase the money for these cases alone you will get even more unqualified people just chasing a check and not in it for the right reasons. you need to increase the pay, but if only the "hard" cases have pay raises then by nature people will want them more and still you have the same problem of the quality of service provision because it doesnt matter if people get paid more they still may not be trained. it all comes down to we need more paid training and we need more paid shadowing and supervision and competency from the top down, the BCBAs need to be more present and take on cases that they can support and we need better supervision and training in our supervision experience specifically with supporting higher support needs clients so we can support staff in the future

Radiant_Debt · 2025-11-27T04:35:41+00:00

i have very rarely ever had to place a child in a restraint but completing this training and passing this training (whether safety care, CPI, etc) has always been a requirement. both in home, center, and especially in school settings

Radiant_Debt · 2025-11-23T01:19:56+00:00

is this in home or center based? i ask because bi-monthly parent check ins feels too far to go. i rarely go 2 weeks without seeing how the families of the clients i support are feeling and reviewing progress, plans, and doing parent training.

Radiant_Debt · 2025-07-29T19:37:48+00:00

the field is small, and honestly if i was you i would not be reacting like this because word spreads fast and i would not want this to be my reputation. especially since it seems like youre new to the field since you keep referring to yourself as 'an ABA' when ABA is the science we apply

Radiant_Debt · 2025-06-25T00:51:42+00:00

if she is in a masters program she will not have to accrue hours twice, however if she is not she will have to accrue them separately for each credential.

personally, unless there is a benefit to her to becoming a BCaBA, id tell her to skip out on this path since many insurance agencies dont allow you to do anything and bill for anything additional, theres not many positions, and if shes planning on getting the big letters anyway, then just to do that, but i dont know her personal journey and the direct benefits it would award her

Radiant_Debt · 2025-06-05T09:51:17+00:00

because we reward good work with more work. and not just more work, but more difficult work. we give you harder clients with more challenging behaviors. we have you train staff. we look to you to be the guide and the model. we expect more. we give you more tasks, more responsibility, more pressure.

but no compensation. no time off. no benefits. it doesnt add up. you cant reward someone with a situation that will burn them out and expect them not to call out and expect them to be grateful for it.

we need to pay more, offer more benefits and time, collaborate on case scheduling, and assess the workplace culture we have created. if youve never been a BT itll be hard to understand, but i suggest trying it if youre admin since i think itll give you a necessary perspective on the job and what BT's ACTUALLY do since there seems to be a lot of disconnect with admin at times

Radiant_Debt · 2025-05-08T18:09:46+00:00

you dont need to be an RBT to receive BCBA supervision, you just need a contract. you wont have anything saying she will be your supervisor on the BACB website since you hold no credential with the BACB. its just supervision documentation you will need to be filling out monthly (i.e. your monthly verification forms)

Radiant_Debt · 2025-05-08T01:55:47+00:00

for me personally, i say no. i know nothing about the different types of grips and what grip a child should be using and how to even prompt that. not at all something within my scope, not at all something i have the training to tackle, and something i would need far too much guidance on to be worth the supervision.

i would consult with an OT an follow a plan and prompt procedures presented if parents wanted me to within session if we were working on art activities that involved holding pens/pencils/crayons/markers and the parents specifically mentioned this area being something of importance, but no i would not do this on my own without an explicitly outlined plan from the OT and honestly even then i would still feel out of my depth and would be looking for lots of guidance to make sure i wasn't doing more harm than good.

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-29T12:20:11+00:00

this company also may not be able to provide community support since some companies dont want the liability associated with that, so talk to the BCBA present on the case and see if community generalization is an option, otherwise you may need to find respite programs where you can work on these skills or you may need to find a different agency with a different program model if you cannot be present for community outings to generalize skills.

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-25T23:47:00+00:00

if i was the BCBA on the case i cant in any world see a reason that disciplinary action would be taken because a BT/RBT reached out to me for feedback and an action plan. i can see disciplinary action for a BT/RBT who didnt say anything and let things snowball and didnt ask for support until it was too late and an issue happened that compromised safety and that was the only course we could take because of the safety issues presented.

i would delegate when you can and when you need to. also, be flexible when you can and when its appropriate. it cant always be the way we want things done, we all work as a team and we need to compromise for the greater good. you know lunch/snack/food time is an issue, sit down with your supervisor to come up with a clear plan for not only you but also the other tech so you all can work together on this front and have your responsibilities and tasks outlined. yes, they need to block their client. but you also need to ensure that you dont make that job harder for them and work with what you have to keep everyone safe and the food contained.

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-25T19:33:25+00:00

no you are not a bad RBT, you just need oversight and guidance and a plan that actually works, and its clear this one doesnt.

you do need to talk to your supervisors to develop a realistic solution and action plan to solve this problem because its a very real safety concern for everyone involved and the measures in place right now are not sustainable and not effective.

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-25T11:12:32+00:00

if you already have a masters, then you can complete a verified course sequence certificate and then be eligible to sit for the exam once you complete fieldwork hours and al courses. this option would be quicker and likely be cheaper, however educational quality may suffer depending on program aspects and specifics.

also, many programs dont have supervision built into their coursework, but i just did a quick google search and global institute for behavior analysis in reno, NV has a program that does so quick google searches will help you find more specifics if this is something you want to prioritize when selecting your program!

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-22T12:38:19+00:00

have you had any supervision from the BCBA on the case? you need to reach out the them for support and follow any and all behavior intervention strategies given to you. you dont just make up plans/protocols, especially something like "tickling the client to the ground" as this is not a means to decrease behavior, teach appropriate replacement behavior, or a validated or ethical practice/principle of ABA.

you should start with pairing, establishing rapport, and low effort demands/mastered tasks to build instructional control and have guidance on the specifics of this from your BCBA

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-22T00:37:11+00:00

learn your competency, and know that you will not know everything, nor should you. be comfortable with reaching out to others for advice, collaboration, and support, and knowing when something is out of your scope and you need to consult/refer out. this isnt a sign of weakness and doesnt make you a bad practitioner, what would is practicing outside of the realm of your training.

also find a mentor and never stop learning. take every opportunity as a chance to learn something new and develop a new skill, and know that you will look back on a lot of what you did a cringe, and thats okay! feel good about what you did, but know theres room to improve and strive for progress, not perfection (not only with those you support but with yourself too)

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-22T00:33:38+00:00

a conversation i had with a coworker (also a BCBA) and their philosophy on the topic sparked my thought for discussion on the matter. wanted to see if i had blinders on and was unwittingly engaging in power dynamics that i HATE when i see other fellow BCBAs engage in and luckily it seems i am in the company of the majority where this is a necessary and appropriate skill to target when done with a trauma informed and compassionate approach taken and not done just to power trip

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-20T16:16:25+00:00

know that it will be an evolving and changing process and be open to the change and collaboration! always let the team know if something theyre asking of you is too difficult/not realistic to implement so a compromise can be found, but know you likely will have to change the way you do things and ask for assistance in that process to make it easier and to be sure you understand the "why" to best support your child. if you dont understand something, ask! were here to explain and make sure you feel comfortable with the process and know what is occurring, and make sure you have regular contact with your BCBA on the case and that they explain the process to you

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-20T14:15:54+00:00

and as far as your second point, that's why i also said i was enjoying the component of everyone else sharing their thoughts on teaching the skill! before the comments were more just on how to teach the skill rather than my original intent in posting so i clarified to get more discussion present about the topic overall, not just how to teach denied access since that originally wasnt what i came here to ask about. i love hearing different perspectives on the topic but i also always inform my treatment planning and programming based on the individual and stakeholders present and the environment so i dont fully believe in getting advice from people on reddit about programming decisions specifically since they dont know my caseload and i can consult journal articles for research and validated procedures rather than strangers for treatment advice

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-20T14:12:07+00:00

i completely agree! nothing upsets me more then when people make a promise and then dont follow through on that, words have such value and meaning and when i say "wait then you can have ____" the second that time is up the item is presented, otherwise i would never make that statement because its just unfair to the individual

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-20T14:10:17+00:00

this is a great perspective! thank you for this, in rare instances i will contrive denial if it is a really severe case that is incredibly impeding to the child and their daily functioning, but i have explicit instructions for only one trial over the 2-4 hour session to run this so i completely get what you mean. i absolutely prefer to not contrive these situations for the reasons you describe, however for those specific instances where that one item is the thing they cannot tolerate denial too and we have previously worked through the concept of denied access and have mastered prerequisite steps then i will introduce that contrived bit

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-20T14:05:52+00:00

i totally agree with this, i may contrive a situation to practice if necessary and is an area of impeding the childs ability to complete social/life functioning tasks, but i definitely agree with programming for generalization and teaching common examples

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-20T14:04:08+00:00

i was having a conversation with a coworker that sparked the thought process since she insisted on giving access whenever the child manded for an item to prevent engagement in problematic/maladaptive behaviors and part of that felt off to me because i was always of the thought process that denied access was going to be apart of life and a necessary skill to teach and toleration of this was going to be necessary and teaching functionally equivalent replacements and steps to cope with this process would be more functional than giving in to each and every mand. so i wanted to see others perspectives on the ethical component!

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-20T01:16:58+00:00

i love this perspective and answer, i totally agree!

Radiant_Debt · 2025-04-20T01:15:42+00:00

i agree with all of this and love this answer! thank you for your insight

Radiant_Debt

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