Realizations from a recent ABA Reddit Post
I am a former RBT turned SLP. Recently a post was generated in r/ ABA where the premise was why SLPs are critical towards RBTs . It led to some very productive responses (and a few trolly ones) but made me realize several miscommunications:
1) Misunderstanding of Education - A lot of discussion of the educational requirement differences where many commenters did not realize SLPs have master degrees and SLPAs have at least an Associate's degree.
2) EVERYONE WANTS REFORM - Many of the commenters agreed that the current pathway for RBTs is unsustainable, the entry requirements are too low for the qualifications needed to work with their respective clinical populations. Some ideas expressed were expanded education that allowed for clearer scopes to be defined and respected. (like RBTs having to receive AA degrees)
3) Philosophical Differences - While these particular posts can be filled with tension, I think more and more both camps are realizing were just different in every way imaginable. Measurable behavioral outputs vs. Linguistic/Cognitive Systems. It's like comparing Pokemon to Elder Scrolls: you can't compare them cleanly because they aren't the same game. Do they each have role playing elements? Yes, but they stand alone as two different video games.
4) THE SYSTEM - I think something all camps should consider is how much money and various overseeing systems pit our fields against each other, intentional or not. Insurance billing, productivity expectations, and services hours are all areas that the system refuses to adapt or reform because it's not about us (the providers) being financially stable. It's the system.
All in all, I do think this was one of the reddit posts where a lot of misunderstanding was addressed. Does it completely erase any online turf wars? It does not. But it's a positive step forward.