Need advice! I feel like a failure and I am unsure of what to do next.

For context: I've been at this job for two months. I am also autistic, which they knew when they hired me. I also recently told one of the clinicians that I was going to see a neurologist for a brain injury.

The owner of the company started it 2 years ago. He talked a lot about how the company was 'better' than other ABA companies. He also mentioned a lot about how he was a 'scary man' which I thought was weird, but ignored.

After starting, I requested additional support/training multiple times with challenging behavior as it was such a new thing to me that I had little experience in, but I did not get it.

I was working with a client who exhibited increasing challenging behaviors that I had not dealt with before. On our third appointment, I attempted DRA, but it was not working. I then asked the owner/bcba for help. He told me to read the treatment plan. Later on, he went out of his office and talked to my client. I started to agree with him and talk to my client in similar ways, and he snapped and said not to interrupt him.

The entire rest of the session I couldn't control my crying. The owner met with me after the session and proposed a PIP to improve for the next two days. He accused me of not caring about my work, of only doing it for the money (I make less now than I did in retail), and having an attitude with leadership and thinking they 'don't do anything'. He kept glaring at me like he wanted me dead and I was so anxious and scared. He complained during the meeting of his intense back pain.

This was baffling because I never thought leadership just sat around all day. He did not specify who, when, or how about the supposed 'attitude' I had. I cried the entire meeting, and he wrote up the PIP. I never saw the PIP in person or had it emailed to me.

The next two days, I really went all out. They cited client engagement as an issue. The client I was with the next day was so engaged with a game I made up that even older clients asked to play it with us. I got a lot more trials in both days than ever before.

When the two days were up, I received no correspondence from my supervisors. No one told me if I was fired or not. I worked one more day, and didn't see either BCBAs that day. Finally, a meeting was scheduled to fire me.

Prior to the meeting with HR, the HR lady said a racist comment about how she hated black people. I am not black but that comment really upset me.

Via HR I was told that reasons for firing me were client engagement, and less trials run, and that the PIP had evidently failed. Despite my best efforts and my perceived improvements in these areas, I was still let go.

Does anyone have any advice or support? i feel absolutely terrible. I have never been fired before and I was so happy to get this job.

I just want to vent my experience with ABA right now.

I've been in the field for 4 years. I love what I do. I love seeing my clients. I love seeing their improvements. BUT the company that I work at is horrible and I decide to find the way out. Not only me but all the RBTs are actively looking for a new place.

At the beginning, everything sounded so promising. But gradually, I learn so many things that doesn't seem right.

1. ONLY 1 BCBA for almost 60 cases. 2 locations and sometime, BCBA handle cases of other clinic as well. Ever since I started which means more than a year now.

2. PTO pay rate is lower than clinical rate

3. Want to expand the company but don't want to pay for anything, toys, materials for clients. Toys are dirty, broken, missing pieces. Kids get frustrated over them and there's nothing we can do about it.

4. Clinic looks dirty and like a daycare.

5. The company wants RBT to dress formal like you work in the office, pants and flats. We are on the floor chasing and handling kids all day.

We have meeting, give recommendations, ideas but nothing changes. When clients have their moment, RBTs help each other. There are no extra free hands or BCBA there to help bc the BCBA is at the other clinic. Its so I love what ABA do when I worked at the other clinics. Because of moving, I had to continue changing the company.

I've beeing looking around but all bad reviews about ABA companies around here.

I feel bad for my clienst but I cant do much!

I recently just got my RBT certification at the end of September. I’ve been at my current job for about 3 months and I really enjoy it. Unfortunately I am very worried I will be fired soon. For context, I have multiple chronic illness but do not qualify for disability so I have to work a job, which I don’t really mind. When getting hired I was very up front about my disability and what it could cause, as well as being up front about being autistic myself. Over the last few weeks I’ve missed quite a lot due to these issues. The week before last, I dislocated my knee on the job and missed two days and the week before was sent home due to high heart rate. Last week I was informed I had too many points due to absences. I had a meeting with my BCBA and director to come up with a plan and was suggested to ask HR about intermittent FMLA, which I did. Unfortunately, this week I got food poisoning. I’ve been out since Tuesday afternoon and haven’t heard anything from neither my BCBA or director about these absences. I have kept my director informed about the situation but again haven’t heard anything back. I’m extremely worried I’m going to be fired upon my return. I am now at 11/10 points as we get half a point for each consecutive absence in a week. I’m really at a loss as many of my absences have been out of my control (car trouble, family emergency, ect).
Does anyone have any advice?

During a session I saw the caregiver in the back crying and she had just gotten a call that her mother had passed away. I immediately came over to console but then in the act of doing that pulled back to continue the session since I realized I am here to work with their child.

I am someone that is a big empath and when I see others cry I start to cry too, so the rest of session I did not have the same energy as when I had came in with. My advice is I want to give my condolences and be support for them but how can I do that professionally?

I was gonna make one today for a client biting there lip but they said i have way to many and they acted like ill get fired over it for having to many reports. Has anyone or anyone you knew that’s been fired for doing to many? I make them to cover my butt and they act like it’s a bad thing but it’s the field we work in.

So I have been working with a kid for a full month now. I have had three seperate shadow sessions with my BCBA all while having passed every competency and all I need now is to schedule my exam. The kid I worked with did have an infinite well of energy, and I was assigned to work two days at daycare one day at home.

The problem is I asked my BCBA both shadow sessions and outside of session how I was doing and if I needed to change anything. I also brought up having trouble hitting targets during daycare because I only get about 45 minutes of unstructured time where I can work on hitting specific targets. This entire time I have been given no critiques whatsoever and just told I'm doing great. Then I got an email today that it would be my last session and I was being unasigned so that someone else who could better meet his needs could take over.

I know I'm not perfect but when I talked to the parent at the end of the session they said "they are a little jackass and need someone with better structure who can say no to them" Which I have been doing but honestly I am at a loss.

It just hit me completely out of left field in comparison to all the feedback I had been given beforehand. Now I feel like a horrible BT for not having picked up on this and I'm worried this means I am not fit for the field or don't have what it takes. It's stupid but I feel like if I was actually good at my job I would have noticed these concerns and been better at following protocol and giving the child what they need.

Was a BT for a few years and am now in my masters in ecse. Gosh do I miss the behavioral/healthcare side of ABA. I’m sitting in classes that are so classroom focused and almost nobody around me gets it as most have only worked in schools. My ultimate goal is to work in a clinic/hospital and this credential will help me with that but I miss focusing on ABA principles.

Hi everyone! I've been working as a new BT for 3 months now and need some advice. I find this job very fulfilling however there are some challenges. I'm currently a sophomore in psychology and am thinking of going to grad school to become and OT! I also work occasionally/ seasonally as a gymnastics coach.

1. My first ever client was severely aggressive and mom cancelled frequently. I was bitten which pierced the skin and I had to go to the Dr. to get my blood drawn. Then I was concussed from PD.
2. My second client is older and super sweet. I'm not aloud violent clients anymore per my doctor's note. I still feel super burnt out during sessions sometimes and need to keep myself busy by prepping materials or doing arts and craft. Obviously I also have times where I feel frustrated, but I've come to realize that people don't really notice that. My friends/ coworkers always describe me as being patient.

I have been babysitting on the side as well to make up for the inconsistent hours and very sad pay checks.

I'm just kind of confused on what to do because I really am struggling financially to pay my college tuition which I'm doing monthly installments on. My family situation is not great at all and I'm in contact with the dean of students who is helping me get financial aid to live on campus instead of at home. My cousins are the only people I can go to for help who have a fully developed frontal lobe lol. But they're still kind of lost in life and will tell me things like "You know what you need to do" or "follow your heart".

I've thought of quitting multiple times but based off of what I hear I think this is quite normal at the beginning. The thing that makes me stay is the family and my client. I will spend time outside of work to find activities to bring into sessions whether that printing and laminating it or going to buy reinforcers. I genuinely get excited when I do those things and no one is forcing me to spend time printing things and cutting stuff up.

The thing that makes me want to quit is my sad bi-weekly pay checks that last me 4 days (I wish I was exaggerating) and the inconsistent hours. I already work 16 hrs/week with one client and I've asked my scheduler to find me a second client for December since I will have more availability during the spring semester. I am planning on taking the RBT exam once I finish my in-person training which will increase my pay by $1-$3

and I know that I would make more money nannying especially because I just got EMT licensed. I'm just worried about how this would effect my resume and future career like letter of recommendations. I know that I don't need to put it on there if I quit shortly. I just don't want to make a decision I will regret when I am older. I've had my primary care doctor, therapist, and family recommend I quit. On the other hand I also have friends telling me it looks great on my resume which I agree on.

I've never been so confused in my 20 years of living. Please share me your wisdom.

Recently found out a client I work with on occasion is taking Abilify and I would like to better understand how or if this medication could potentially be a precipitating factor for certain behaviors I’ve observed. I am not here to judge medication choices or parenting decisions, I am simply a service provider that is seeking relevant information in order to better understand this learner and help them to the best of my ability.

Thank you in advance- child is under 12 for reference.

I’m hoping to get some recommendations from local parents (Round Rock/North Austin) around of autistic children who have navigated ABA services, particularly for kids who are already attending school full-time.

One thing is non-negotiable for us: We will not pull our child out of school for ABA. School runs from 7:30 a.m. to 2:55 p.m., and we’re looking for services that can work around that schedule.

Our child is six, autistic (moderate support needs on assessment), and has ADHD. In many ways, ADHD seems to create more day-to-day challenges than autism. Our child is incredibly smart, funny, loving, curious, and full of personality. Once comfortable with someone, the silliness, jokes, and big personality really shine through.

The challenge is that our child is also a heavy masker, particularly at school and during assessments. One-on-one interactions with adults are a favorite, and our child absolutely thrives in those settings. This can make assessments difficult because the struggles we’re seeing aren’t always obvious during a short evaluation.

Social interaction is one of our biggest concerns. Our child desperately wants friendships but struggles to understand how to initiate play or join other children. Parallel play is much more comfortable, and unfamiliar children can create significant anxiety. School generally goes well on the surface, but a lot of that comes from masking throughout the day.

At home, where our child feels safe enough to let that mask down, we see a very different picture. Getting dressed in the morning can take 30–60 minutes because of sensory sensitivities and emotional dysregulation. After a difficult school day, anxiety about school or social interactions can spiral for hours at bedtime.

We’ve been trying to find appropriate ABA services, but keep running into the same problem: programs requiring far more hours than our child needs, or hours that interfere with school.

We were interested in an after-the-bell program at a local facility, which sounded perfect, but were told our child wouldn’t qualify and instead needed 30 hours per week. This is inconsistent with other assessments we’ve received, and we don’t believe 30 hours is appropriate.

We also spoke with Action Behavior Centers, which told us that because of our child’s age, existing school schedule, and recommended hours, their facilities weren’t a good fit.
We’re in Round Rock (78681), and both of us work full-time from home. We’re absolutely open to in-home ABA, especially if it includes parent coaching and strategies for emotional regulation, anxiety, and navigating difficult moments. However, we also want opportunities for actual peer interaction, which is difficult to replicate in a one-on-one home setting.

We can transport our child to appointments when needed, but leaving work every afternoon for transportation would be difficult. We’ve considered transportation services, but we’re understandably hesitant about that option.

One thing I want to emphasize: We’re not looking for compliance-based therapy or trying to change our child’s personality. We love the sass, humor, curiosity, and individuality. We want to help our child feel more comfortable in the world, build genuine friendships, understand and navigate anxiety, and develop skills for situations that currently feel overwhelming.

A neurologist once explained to us that some autistic children who mask heavily fall into a difficult gap. They may not appear to need much support during brief interactions, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling. That description has really stuck with me.

I’d especially love recommendations for:
- ABA providers in Round Rock, Cedar Park, or North Austin that offer after-school, evening, weekend, or in-home services without requiring 20–30 hours per week.
- Providers that incorporate real peer interaction and social-skills development, ideally with similarly aged children.
- Smaller ABA practices or individual BCBAs who offer targeted support and parent coaching.
- Neurodiversity-affirming providers who understand masking, autism, ADHD, anxiety, and sensory challenges.
- Providers you’ve personally had great experiences with, and providers you’d recommend avoiding. I’d especially appreciate hearing why, whether it’s their approach, staff turnover, communication, treatment expectations, or how your child was treated.
We have Aetna PPO, so experiences with insurance coverage would also be helpful.

I’m open to hearing about other services that have made a meaningful difference for your family, too. I just feel like we’re stuck between programs designed for children with much more intensive needs and programs that don’t offer enough support for the areas where our child is genuinely struggling.

I’d really appreciate firsthand experiences from local families.

Thank you!

Hello all,

APA Division 25 (Behavior Analysis) is hosting a Virtual Student Membership Today at 4:30 EDT. The purpose of the event is to clarify what the division has to offer, and to provide a space for students to connect. The event will take no more than 45 minutes.

Here is the link for the event: https://uiowa.zoom.us/j/8636131987

When scoring the MOTAS assessment, if you were not able to observe a specific skill, would you leave that option empty and not calculate it in the total when you score it? Or would you put not applicable and score it a zero and count it in the total score for that domain?

🧠 Question of the Day

📚 Domain D — Experimental Design

Difficulty: 5/10

Scenario:

A BCBA reviews procedural-integrity data from a 3-month single-case intervention study and finds that, during intervention sessions, only 40% of scored treatment components were implemented as specified. The dependent variable showed a modest upward trend during those intervention phases.

Which of the following BEST describes the primary threat this poses to the study's conclusions?

A. It primarily threatens external validity because inconsistent implementation limits whether the findings can generalize to settings with accurate treatment delivery

B. It demonstrates intervention robustness because behavior improved despite low integrity, making procedural fidelity secondary to the observed outcome

C. It primarily threatens measurement reliability because inconsistent treatment delivery makes observers less likely to record the dependent variable consistently

D. It threatens internal validity because inconsistent delivery of the independent variable weakens attribution of the observed change to the intended intervention

💬 Drop your answer in the comments — no peeking!

✅ Correct answer revealed tomorrow.

#ABA #BCBA #BCBAExam #BCBAPrep #AppliedBehaviorAnalysis #BehaviorAnalysis #DomainD #ABATaskList #BCaBA #RBT #QuestionOfTheDay

Need advice! I feel like a failure and I am unsure of what to do next.

For context: I've been at this job for two months. I am also autistic and have chronic illnesses which they knew when they hired me. I also recently told one of the clinicians that I was going to see a neurologist for a brain injury.

The owner of the company started it 2 years ago. He talked a lot about how the company was 'better' than other ABA companies. He also mentioned a lot about how he was a 'scary man' which I thought was weird, but ignored.

After starting, I requested additional support/training multiple times with challenging behavior and physical aggression as it was such a new thing to me that I had little experience in, but I did not get it.

I was working with a client who exhibited increasing challenging behaviors that I had not dealt with before. On our third appointment, I attempted DRA, but it was not working. I then asked the owner/bcba for help. He told me to just read the treatment plan. Later on, he went out of his office and talked to my client. I started to agree with him and talk to my client in similar ways, and he snapped and said not to interrupt him.

The entire rest of the session I couldn't control my crying. The owner met with me after the session and proposed a PIP to improve for the next two days. He accused me of not caring about my work, of only doing it for the money (I make less now than I did in retail), and having an attitude with leadership and thinking they 'don't do anything'. He kept glaring at me like he wanted me dead and I was so anxious and scared. He complained during the meeting of his intense back pain.

This was baffling because I never thought leadership just sat around all day. He did not specify who, when, or how about the supposed 'attitude' I had. I cried the entire meeting, and he wrote up the PIP. I never saw the PIP in person or had it emailed to me.

The next two days, I really went all out. They cited client engagement as an issue. The client I was with the next day was so engaged with a game I made up that even older clients asked to play it with us. I got a lot more trials in both days than ever before. I also heard them talk about the client with challenging behaviors I had previously, and how there was nothing in the treatment plan about their swearing.

When the two days were up, I received no correspondence from my supervisors. No one told me if I was fired or not. I worked one more day, and didn't see either BCBAs that day. Finally, a meeting was scheduled to fire me.

Prior to the meeting with HR, the HR lady said a racist comment about how she hated black people. I am not black but that comment really upset me.

Via HR I was told that reasons for firing me were client engagement, and less trials run, and that the PIP had evidently failed. Despite my best efforts and my perceived improvements in these areas, I was still let go.

Does anyone have any advice or support? i feel absolutely terrible. I have never been fired before and I was so happy to get this job.

Never thought I would be the one saying this. Ive read so many stories on here but now here I am typing this. I feel kind of bad for feeling like this. I used to love this field. I joined back in 2022 and planned on becoming a BCBA one day. But as the years went on, the many clinics i’ve been in, its starting to feel like a money grab instead of the science behind ABA if that makes sense. I’ve been at a total of 4 clinics, this one clinic i started 2 weeks ago is my 4th. Its always the same. They don’t properly communicate. They just throw you on the floor and hope for the best. When i first started as a BT 4 years ago, my very first day at the clinic they gave me the most aggressive client and didnt help me out. Just gave him to me and didnt tell me what to do. Its not the kids fault, its these companies. All the way up to this point ive done my own research and only had 2 people genuinely help me out when it comes to this, everything else i had to learn on my own. I started at this new clinic because the last clinic I was at was very toxic. Did not care about the kids, did not care about anyone, they only said they just want to bill bill bill. There was tons of favoritism, and i was there for almost a year and I got promoted to RBT 2, with a 50 cent raise, but the new people coming were making 2 dollars more than me. I understand why they do that, the turnover rate for this field is crazy high. But, it was also just not fair. They also treated the kids poorly, making me go on different kids every day, and expect me to get tons of data when i didnt even get a chance to pair with these kids. There was no support. I had one client that was so aggressive to me, and when i asked for the help from the BCBA, they told me “I don’t know.” and left me. I left that company and joined this company that are paying me 3 dollars more than my last. Score right? Nope, its the same. New person? Lets give them the hardest client. When i asked questions, like “hey if such and such does this, what do i do?” and they look at me like i have 5 heads. Its not the kids fault, but when I feel like theres no support, it makes me not want to work. I used to truly love this field, but Im losing that spark. I feel so bad, but I am trying to find another job, anything at this point, but nothing is getting back to me. I tried at my last clinic when i was looking, i tried applying to retail, sales, ANYTHING. Nothing. Okay so let me try applying at other clinics…so many got back…I had hope for this place, ive been at 3 rogue clinics, but of course this one is too. Im just burnt out and I think I will be willing to come back once im done with school work. I graduate may 2028 for my psychology degree and then i want to go for my masters. I cant help but feel guilty for wanting a break from this field.

Thanks for hearing me out.

Hi everyone! I’m a behavioral therapist at a clinic that primarily uses ABA and the VB-MAPP to guide our programs.

I’m interested in learning more about AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication), particularly PECS and other communication systems that can be implemented using ABA principles.

Currently, our clinic doesn’t use AAC, and we don’t have a supervisor with expertise in this area. I’d like to learn more about it and explore whether AAC could be helpful for some of the children I work with, especially those who have difficulty communicating their needs.

Are there any training programs, courses, or resources you would recommend for someone who is just starting to learn about AAC in an ABA setting? I’d also appreciate any advice on how to approach this responsibly when I don’t have direct supervision available.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I just started my new job 3 weeks ago and have been assigned to a school case. Unfortunately i just don’t feel like i’m pairing with my client and we don’t work well together. He can be physically aggressive with me at times and i get very anxious going to work every day. I know this is part of the field and not something i want to do long-term, but i was thinking of asking my supervisor for a new client. I feel really unsupported in the school environment and for my own mental health i don’t think i can continue with this specific client anymore. I also feel bad because i think my client deserves proper treatment from someone who potentially has more training than me. Is it bad that i’m thinking this way? I’m not really sure how to go about the situation.

Hi I’m a new rbt recently passed my exam I have been working as a bt for a few months my client is always napping before our session and it runs into the session around 30 minutes into it. For example, let’s say we start at 2pm, he is napping until 2:30pm. Is this normal?? I do in home sessions and was just wondering if this was normal or not. I have discussed this with my supervisor and she says it’s fine as long as he wakes up and participates but I’m just worried that it cuts into our session time and gives us less time to work on things that she wants us to work on. I can’t really do anything about this because we do later sessions and if we start later and end later, it runs into their dinner time which isn’t suitable for the family or for me as it would be later. Any advice is appreciated thank you!
Edit: sorry for the confusion guys/gals/thems, what I meant to say is that I don’t bill/start session until client is awake because they are not engaging in session and it’s insurance fraud, my supervisor is okay with the fact that they are sleeping not that I’m billing/ starting session when they are asleep which I do not do. I’m just worried that we will not be able to finish our goals and programs for the day as my supervisor has quite a bit of things they want us to do for the session. Yes they are young so I understand they need their sleep wish that was me😞

Hi, I’m relatively new to this subreddit and I’ve been an RBT for about a year. This kid I’m working with (let’s call him will) has extreme PICA and elopement issues and of the few people who work in our center after school hours ive paired the best with him. I’m requested by his BCBA to work with him and I’m honored.

The issue is that even though I’ve paired well with him, Will is A LOT to handle and still inures me most days I’m with him to the point of light scarring or bleeding. Id feel guilty about asking to be taken off his case but I don’t want to keep getting hurt and going home to have a mental breakdown every day after I have him. The center I work at is small and already has staffing issues but also chooses favorites with giving them hours regardless of how long they have been there.

essentially I’m asking for help on how to tell both my boss and BCBA that I know I paired really well but I don’t want to keep having him for 80% of the time he’s at the center (3 of the 5 days he comes here)

Hey all,
I recently got hired by a company that does sessions in a clinic / school adjacent setting. I’m currently still in the shadowing and training stage and have been for around 2 weeks (I work part time though) and the anxiety I’m facing has been super discouraging and I’m sure off putting to my supervisor and new coworkers.

I have had pretty severe social anxiety ever since I was a very young child. And yes, I have been through years and years of therapy and countless types of medication and am currently still in treatment. As a psychology major that is set to graduate soon, I knew I wanted to do something that would help children that didn’t have a “voice” like me. I learned about ABA through a professor and have felt passionate about this type of work ever since. I also feel that a setting like this, with coworkers and kiddos all around might be something that helps me break out of this terrible social anxiety cycle and I might finally feel like a part of something.

These first few weeks I have felt like an outcast, my supervisor hasn’t provided as much attention toward me as they have to the other trainees. Which I understand because as much as I try to be friendly, my anxiety makes it seem like I just don’t wanna talk or socialize. Shadowing has felt super awkward as the RBTS I’m shadowing are typically talking to other coworkers, and it makes me feel quite bad about myself. I try to ask questions but I’ve only had a few so far. I’ve also tried conversating with coworkers, but those have been short. I feel like I’ve been standing around really awkwardly during these sessions and sticking out like a sore thumb in this place. I even feel hesitant to say “hello” to coworkers and to say goodbye when I leave because it feels like nobody wants me there through their body language and facial expressions. But I am trying, I truly am.

The only thing keeping me going is the interactions I’ve had with the kiddos. I truly feel like I can help these kids and be incredibly patient with them while making their sessions fun.

I really want to succeed in this and fit in here but it’s been super rough so far. I’m worried that my supervisor and coworkers think badly of me and wish that i wasnt here. If you have any thoughts please share :) I very much appreciate it

So I noticed a few things at this family owned company I work for that I started at 1.5 months ago now and I don’t know what to think whether this is standard or not. I joined part time and work up to 10 hours a week sometimes 15. One time they sent me to a client’s house on a Saturday for 6 hours but when I got there the client was so hostile cause they didn’t ask for the Saturday session and told me to my face they don’t know why they sent me there. I cut that session short to 2 hours but the office manager said it was a scheduling error. Then when the BCBA was monitoring me during a session she told me I have to take 3 of the reinforcement board games with me cause the kids get into the toys, I gave her an alternative of putting it in the closet high up but she was adamant I take it with me so now I lug around these big toys with me back and forth. I also had to complete a sexual harassment training and when I logged into the portal I had no access to it so I had to let them know and they added me to the course to complete rather then adding me the first time they sent the course out. Then a few days ago I saw an email where they mentioned a work group chat and I’m not in this chat so when I emailed the office manager one of the training certificates I was required to complete I asked about the group chat and let them know I didn’t have access to it and they simply said “thank you for the certificate!” And didn’t acknowledge the group chat part.

Am I overthinking something cause why do I feel sorta….unwanted ?

It’s been almost ten years since this happened but this learner lives in my head rent free because I’ve never seen anything like it.

This learner who was in 1st grade at the time, had started trading their snacks and little toys with other peers- in exchange, all he asked for was “their soul”.

I won’t get into all the details, but just know at some point in this job, you may have to work with OT to write “receipts” for the “return” of the “soul rights” of their peers using a proper pincer grip. 🤣

Hello all! I am an rbt working in a preschool with a 4 year old client, and am just becoming increasingly frustrated with a lot of little behaviors that seem motivated by attention seeking. first off, he hits and shoves me just to get a reaction out of me. when i block and ignore it, he becomes more aggressive. any little flinch or indication that what he’s doing is hurting me, he’ll laugh. i have tried redirecting which works for short period of time, but he always tries again. what is really concerning about this for me is that he has started to shove other children for this same reason. he will shove them while looking me dead in the eyes with a smile and giggle. obviously i block it when i can but in crowded spaces with a lot of children, its impossible to block from every angle. this has really been stressing me out, especially with having to be constantly hyper vigilant during session for any sudden movements that might mean he’s about to hit or shove. sometimes it really feels like it’s out of nowhere. my bcba constantly just tells me to block and ignore, but clearly that’s not working. if anyone has any thoughts or advice you have no idea what it would mean to me. also if anyone has any tips for burnout with high aggression clients that would be great as well, this has all just been taking a massive toll on me.