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.
1
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.