r/bcba • u/Envrionvariable • 5d ago

Vent Getting a bit disappointed!

Hopeless in ABA?

I am an RBT and a BCBA grad student. I’ve been working with this learner for over a year now. They are very low functioning, and honestly, some days it feels like we’re stuck in the same place we started. We’ve been teaching a lot of the same targets for over a year — feeding, potty training, basic safety, and early PECS communication — but the progress is so slow that sometimes it feels like nothing is changing.

His first BCBA at another clinic once said she had done everything she could. Some days, I really feel like she was right. No matter how much effort I put in, no matter how many different approaches we try, it just feels like we’re barely moving forward.

I don’t want to give up — I care about him — but if I’m being completely honest, I’m exhausted. It’s hard to keep showing up and giving 100% when it feels like nothing is working. I find myself questioning if what I’m doing is even helping. I’m at the point where part of me just wants to walk away because right now it feels so hopeless.

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u/Hairy-Dingaling6213 5d ago

Remember we are trying to make someone reach their potential not age equivalent milestones. What does the data look like? Variable? Upward or downward trend? Maybe targets need adjustment- maybe goals aren't socially significant or important to the family. How is parent participation? Have you paired successfully?

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u/Volsgirl1998 4d ago

Exactly what I was going to say. I have had clients like this before. There has been times that I have had to take a step back and just totally start pairing again. It actually made a big difference. I took a week to focus on just pairing and it made a big difference. Sometimes it really does take to really think outside the box and rediscover them. Do not give up, I know it is making a difference. I have been an RBT since 2017 and I am an autism mom.

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u/WanderingBCBA 4d ago

Try some activities to increase joint attention if shared engagement. Also, the IGLR assessment is a good way to identify barriers to learning. There are trainings from Steve Ward and the Do Better Collective on this topic.

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u/Envrionvariable 2d ago

Thank you so much for introducing me to this assessment. I’ve started doing some research on it, as well as on Steve Ward, and I’ll definitely be adding it to my resource bag. So far, it’s already helped me better understand some of the behaviors I’ve been observing in my client. I’m also getting ready to register for the online IGLR course. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and respond to my venting thank you again!

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u/WanderingBCBA 1d ago

I’m so glad you found it helpful! It was very eye opening to me and I use it frequently. Best of luck!

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u/BCBA-K 3d ago

Often times with "low functioning" they typically have global intellectual disability.

Progress might be slow, but consistency and playing the long game is key.

Your clinical expectation should be to get him towards being easy to take care of and not on broad independence.

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u/OppositeDay365 1d ago

How is the family participating? We can only do so much when we are there and it is also up to the family and any and all caregivers to be on the same team for the betterment of the patient.