It will be the first weekend in June. The service is Saturday (have an outfit already for this), celebration is Sunday. Is this dress appropriate for the celebration? If not, is it the cut/style of the color that is wrong?
It will be the first weekend in June. The service is Saturday (have an outfit already for this), celebration is Sunday. Is this dress appropriate for the celebration? If not, is it the cut/style of the color that is wrong?
Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice/insight from other BCBAs, especially those with experience in preschool settings.
I recently began a case in a preschool, which is a completely new environment for me. I’ve primarily worked in clinic settings, so I’m still adjusting to the pretty massive shift in expectations, lack of structure, and overall dynamics that come with a classroom. One of the main challenges I’m running into is with a teaching assistant in my learner’s classroom. She tends to micromanage nearly everything the kids do… how many pumps of hand sanitizer they’re allowed to use, how they sit on the carpet (must be cross-legged), how many tissues they can take, etc. Her tone is often harsh, and she seems to have very little patience, especially with my client. From what I can tell, she has little to no experience working with children with autism and seems to hold some unrealistic expectations for them.
She also appears to have a more “old school” mindset, and she believes that if our learners can’t fully blend in with the rest of the class (the neurotypical kids), they shouldn’t be there at all. Because of this, she is constantly on top of my client. I’ve also noticed she interacts differently with him when I’m present versus when I’m not. I know that others have addressed concerns with her in the past, usually by explaining our programming, why we approach things the way we do, and how we choose which “battles” to prioritize—but it doesn’t seem to stick, and the issues are ongoing.
One recurring situation that’s been particularly difficult involves snack time. The children bring lunchboxes, but they’re only allowed to choose one “healthy” snack for morning snack. If staff don’t approve of the child’s choice, they’ll tell them no and make them pick something else. This feels very foreign to me… both from my clinical experience and just from how I grew up. Typically, kids had access to their whole bag, and if they chose to eat the “unhealthy” option first, then that was their choice.
My learner, understandably, struggles with this. For example, if he wants cookies for snack, this teaching assistant will take them away and replace them with something else. This often escalates to problem behavior, and there have been times he’s attempted to hit her (natural consequence on her part, dare I say? lol)
I feel really conflicted here. On one hand, I don’t want to step on the toes of the classroom staff or disrupt their routines. On the other hand, this expectation isn’t consistent with his home environment or anywhere else in his life, and I completely understand why he’s frustrated. From my perspective, this doesn’t seem socially significant or aligned with any of his current goals. My instinct is if he wants to eat the cookies, let him eat the cookies… he’ll have the rest of his snacks later.
I’m struggling with how to navigate this. How do you balance respecting classroom norms with advocating for your client when those norms feel arbitrary or counterproductive? Is this kind of food restriction typical in preschool settings nowadays? And how have others handled situations with staff who are resistant to or misaligned with ABA approaches? Any advice would be really appreciated.