r/bcba

I’m a male BCBA located in NC currently. I passed my exam early in March, so I am officially a BCBA. I am now in the process of waiting for my LBA license to come through, through the state. Is it normal to continue to be paid as an RBT during this time? I am currently still receiving the same RBT pay-rate I was at before I passed the exam because my employers “have to wait until my licensure gets approved and comes in the mail.”

I am just wondering if this is typical for companies to do or if this is something I should be weary of.

thank you to all the people here that post their study habits and mock scores etc u all made me feel so much less anxious going into this love u guys

I have been in the field for 10 years now, 4 years as a BT and now 6 as a BCBA......I am 8 months pregnant with my second and spent the morning getting beat up by another persons child. I am over childhood autism interventions. I am tired of normalizing abuse towards clinicians....so I am looking to pivot....any suggestions? I also have experience as a director for training and education of multi-disciplinary teams across 5 states, and experience in IBHS, IEP, and EI models...I have also received a cert in OBM.....I cant do this for the rest of my life guys, I am so discouraged especially considering the current job market overall....thanks in advance

Hey everyone,

I'm just trying to gauge if I'm slow at my job or not. Now, I don't usually have many things to fix after getting feedback on my treatment plans, but I do wonder a lot if I take an abnormal amount of time on them.

I also wonder a lot about the standard 8 hours insurance gives for the entire year, which makes out to 4 hours per authorization for the year. Do you guys really finish everything you need in that time frame?

I’ll be starting my masters in the fall and have about 8 years of experience working as an RBT/BI, along with a few years as a spec ed teacher.

We all know RBT/BI’s are paid terribly and I’m not at a point in life that I can continue being paid that low while going through a masters program but I’ll of course need supervision hours. Teaching is not an option anymore because I’d need a different certification that I currently don’t have.

What are other roles that pay well that could count towards getting my supervision hours?

I am a remote BCBA for a company out of NC. Today we got an email that a bill may be passed that requires 50% of supervision be in person. My company is entirely made up of remote BCBAs, most not even in the state.

Any ideas of what this could mean?

Need honest feedback from parents who have been through this process.

My son is 6.5 and currently in a mod/severe autism classroom. I am currently trying to get him the support he needs at school, including a 1:1 aide. (Due to his behaviors and huge regression since transitioning from full-time ABA for years to actual school/classroom).

I first requested a 1:1 aide back in January. The district told me that in order to assess whether that level of support was needed, they would need to complete an FBA first.

We recently had the IEP meeting last Thursday to review the FBA results. At that meeting, I made it clear that I did not agree with their findings because I felt they greatly minimized his behaviors in writing. During the meeting though, the school psychologist verbally said multiple times that he is very very hyperactive and climbs constantly. They also acknowledged concerns with eloping and disrobing behaviors.

After the meeting, they proposed a BIP plan and gave me Prior Written Notice declining the 1:1 aide request.

I told them during the meeting that I would be requesting an IEE (external/independent evaluation) for the FBA (functional behavioral assessment) in writing, which I did immediately after the meeting.

Earlier this week, I also emailed the program specialist with the BCBA I selected for the independent evaluation so things could start moving forward.

Then today, the program specialist called me and asked if the “support” I am seeking for my son would be long term or short term, meaning the aide.

I told him ideally it would be short term because I hope my son gains skills and progresses so he can live a normal life, but honestly he has needed a very high level of support for a long time already, so I cannot say for sure right now.

He paused like he was thinking or taking notes, then said that was his only question and that I should have a reply by Thursday regarding my IEE request.

For those who have been through this, does this sound promising? Does it seem like they may already be reconsidering the 1:1 aide or gathering more information? I would really appreciate honest feedback.

My job has implemented a new way of training, they are hiring anyone at this point and they start, the first day they watch orientation videos they have them on floor in the afternoon shadowing for like 2 days and then they comp on kid they haven’t paired with at all. So completely random and then once they pass their comp they are scheduling them for their exam?! Then they posted that they are putting RBT trainers that will I guess go back and train them after they passed?? The quality of care is about to be so bad! They are throwing these people to the wolves?? I thought about applying but I would still have my full caseload and have to train these people at the same time?! Like am I crazy or is this like insane?? They were like well they can like have the tablets and do the work while your training them?? I’m like these kids who have made actual progress should not have the quality of therapy compromised because they are cutting corners and fast tracking training? Also there’s no extra pay for being a trainer. So double the work still getting underpaid.

Feeling the burnout at my current company. I’ve been here 5 years and to this day I’m having trouble with work-life balance. This is the only company I’ve been with for ABA. So Is it just the field or my company? I’m debating if the grass is green elsewhere or if I just need to water what I have. The clinic I work for is open for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. However we are given clients with various start and end times so it just feels like I’m expected to be on call all hours of the day we’re open. It’s been so exhausting.

I’ll preface this with saying I’m an elementary teacher. I’ve been working on my fieldwork hours since August 2025. My work environment has become very toxic and I need out. What are some jobs I can look for that can replace my current salary (~$60k) and also work for obtaining the remainder of my hours (around 1000 hours).

I’m a part time RBT working toward my BCBA. Because I’m part time, and have a generally flexible schedule, I get asked to come in and cover sessions regularly. Sometimes I wake up to a “can you come in at 8:30” text multiple times a week.

There is no “on call” policy in place, and I’m already meeting my obligations for sessions weekly. Waking up to these messages so frequently is adding to my already existing stress. I finally told them I’m not available to pick up shifts, but this has me wondering how this is typically handled in ABA clinics.

In other healthcare jobs there is an on call policy, where an employee is expected/scheduled to be available for certain shifts, and are even compensated for that wait time and then given a rate differential if they do get called in. Do any clinics in ABA operate this way, or is it always a scramble to find coverage?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working at Team PBS as an RBT, and I’m debating whether I should leave for another company.

(Haven’t started working for them yet)

My main issue is that at my current job, I’ve basically never had the chance to work in person with children. Most of my experience has been limited, and I feel like I’ve been missing that hands-on exposure that this type of work really requires. I also think this played a role in my RBT exam—I recently took it and failed by 14 points, and it felt like I didn’t have enough real-life experience to fully connect the material.

Recently, I applied to another company, and their process seems much more hands-on. I did a mock exam over Zoom, passed it, and they told me that if I move forward, I would start with in-person training and work directly with clients while being trained. They also mentioned that I don’t necessarily need to be RBT certified right away—I can basically work in a “RBT-type” role, and certification is more so to ensure I understand the material rather than a strict requirement to start.

Now I’m stuck deciding whether I should stay with Team PBS and try to stick it out, or leave and go to this new company that seems like it would give me the experience I’ve been missing.

I’m genuinely curious about newer or older BCBAs taking on remote roles! what was your experience like?

Curious as to if anyone has any insight on ethical places to work in NJ.

i’m getting ready to start fieldwork hours and I’m trying to figure out the best way to track everything (preferably in google sheets).

for those of you already accruing hours:

•	do you use a google sheets template? if so, which one?

•	where did you get it from?

•	if you made your own, would you be willing to share what you included / how you laid it out?

I’ve seen some templates on Etsy but I’m not sure how reliable they are or if they’re worth it. Would you trust those?

I’d prefer something free or one-time (not a monthly subscription), so any recommendations or inspo would be super helpful!!

I would love it if someone could direct me to research that potentially targets decreasing eating speed to decrease risk of choking on kids with autism.

The other concern I have is that a client tends resist when others modify his plate, even if he was given a small amount of food and may still be hungry. From parents report, they mentioned that the client will accept the food as is and gets upset if something is added or removed from his plate. They noticed this when they were managing portions to slow down his eating. I haven’t had a chance to observe it, but also wanted to do some reading on the topic to prepare myself. Thanks for your help!

I’m a BCBA from NJ looking into moving down to SC…

I’ve been doing loads of research and the market looks promising, but coming from a state with so many different service options/schools for individuals with autism it seems as though SC is fairly limited to big companies with a plethora of listings which to me looks like a red flag. Is that a sign these companies are experiencing high BCBA turnover or does the state simply just need more behavior analysts?

What’s your experience like working as a BCBA in South Carolina? Any red flags I should look out for? Any companies you’d recommend to look into or stay away from? I’ve mainly been looking in and around Lexington/Richland counties.

I come from a company where support is abundant so I’d love to find a place where BCBA’s are supported. My other worry is PTO, as I’ll still have family in NJ I’d like to come see for holidays if I do choose to make this move. Any and all advice, recommendations, and feedback is welcome!!

Currently, our circle time programming is aimed at our early learners. In the afternoon, our clinic population shifts toward a more school-aged and more advanced group. I am looking for ideas or a curriculum for about a 10-minute lesson or activity that would be more appropriate for the kids in that time block. I am not trying to create a social skills group in the sense that it goes on for 2 hours, but more of an advanced version of circle time. The age group I am targeting is quite interesting because I feel like they are straddling the line between circle time and a more lesson-oriented social skills group. If anyone has any advice or resources, I would appreciate it. Thank you!

As the title suggest I am just trying to get a bit more information how how this works. I know as a BCBA we have a very limited number of hours we can bill anyway and large part of our work isn't build.

Anyone here know how this service is dispensed? To actual clients and to ABA therapy agencies? What tests? Costs? Insurance/Medicaid reimbursement?

Please be in touch. Thanks in advance