entry level behavior technician

board certified behavior analyst

registered behavior technician

clinical supervisor

behavioral specialist

ACES ABA

I loved working for ACES ABA.  They are very thorough in their training.  If you don't have a current active RBT Certificate they give you 40 plus hours of detailed paid training.  A lot of companies want you to pay for that yourself now or will I my pay for the test one time and not for the teaining. ACES will reimburse you for  all of it.  They reimburse for your back ground check, your fingerprint scan, CPR certification  and I may have this wrong but I believe if you pay for your flu and TB shot they reimburse for that too (again might be wrong).  

The actual job training is all at home, online with a provided tablet, the trainers are so polite, experienced, thorough and supporting.  The company's on boarding process is very very organized.  Once all the online training is done you shadow others doing the job on site.  They allow you to play with the kids, try a few things yourself, ask a lot of questions and can ask questions.  You have lots of in home training one on one with a client whose team you will be on under the actual Supervisor of that client.  

As a clinic bases RBT you will always work one on one with a client at the clinic or in third home.  The job is all about implementing skills through play.  ACES teaches this skill and always builds on it.  If you like playing around and getting paid for it, that is how I felt working here.  

ACES is very good at meeting the board requirements of having more than the required supervisor overlap with your clients. They are constantly working on growing your skills, and asking you about your comfort in the settings you are.  The supervisors are very supporting and open to hear any concerns, and I recommend you use that communication with your supervisor. Once you have been trained, get experience, know the job that is expected of you I would recommend you learn your limits and boundaries.  No 2 children will ever be the same to work and play with especially behavior wise.  So learn what is out of that comfort zone.  You are in other people's homes, learn to keep the professional boundaries.  Don't cross those lines.  If you know your comfort zone, know the jobs professional boundaries then it make the job easier.  What I like about the supervisors is they pay attention to your skills, what you are best at and will not usually place you with a client they think will push your comfort zones.  For instance when a client has a behavior as a RBT you are not suppose to emotionally react or make facial expressions.  I leanered there is a specific thing a child would do intentionally too many times that I would loose the skill of remaining unreactive.  I expressed my experience and concern to a supervisor and they helped work on this.  These supervisors are the best I have ever worked with in my many years of working with children and because they are wanting to help improve your skills and care that is why I suggest you learn your limits and boundaries because they will work with you to grow and improve. 

On site you still work one on one with your client but the clients get to play together with games, toys and some even get to practice classroom group settings.  

ACES never put me in a environment or situation without all the skills, tools, and materials I needed! ACES always worked with me to improve my skills, grow withthe company, and supported me in anyway I needed! ACES reminds you when your board certification, your CPR Certification, or medical shot requirements are near expiring and give you time to renew them as needed.  If you want to work in a field that gives you self satisfaction then an RBT with ACES is the way to go.  If you want to one day be a clinical supervisor and are going to school for psychology and want paid experience and a company to grow with then ACES is the way to go!  If you want a supportive team with great communications then ACES is the way to go.  I only worked here for a year and did not leave because I wanted to.  If I did not leave for giving more attention to my own young child then I would still be there today working and happy I am sure of it. 

It’s a great experience to work with children especially those on the spectrum, but it’s a bad choice if you’re just looking for a job or a job to help you go further in the ABA field.

First, let me start with those who are just looking for a job: Work is not guaranteed AT ALL!! If you’re looking for a job to get full-time hours, look somewhere else. They do let you know that work is not always guaranteed, but they don’t let you know in the beginning that clients can cancel LAST MINUTE. That’s right. You can make a 15-30min+ commute to a client’s home and they can cancel at the door. They don’t reimburse for that drive time either!! If you have 2 clients per day but one cancels repeatedly or is out on vacation, then your work hours can go from 30hr weeks to 10-15hr weeks in a blink of an eye. I chose my desired hours 40 weekly, I work 25 if I’m lucky and I work Mon-Sat. It can also be hard to pick up sub shifts for more hours because if the sub shifts that are available don’t align with your current schedule, you’re just stuck desperate for more hours. And let’s say you actually see a a sub shift that you’d like and works with your schedule, if someone beats you to it, out of luck. 

Moving on, they offer little to NO benefits which is concerning considering the amount of effort and money you have to put into this job. The upkeep and hiring process is draining and just isn’t worth it for something short term. The pay isn’t high enough for all that they ask of you. While it is competitive pay, I guarantee you, you can find another ABA company that’ll offer you higher pay with actual benefits, guaranteed work, and one work location. 

For those who want a a career in the healthcare field or any career with children, ACES is a good start for short term and is an entry level position that helps you get RBT certified which will go great on a resume. But it you’re looking for a job to go further in your career as an RBT or looking to get RBT certified, I wouldn’t say ACES is best if you want to actually learn more about ABA and be able to test run everything you’ve learned during training. It feels more like baby sitting and you’re just asking the kiddos questions in their data book but not too much behavioral therapy being implemented. 

For non RBTs, after you complete training, 9x out of 10 you’ll only apply one or two things you learned from training. Of course you’re not going to need to implement every single thing you learned from training on a client, but my point is that everything you learned is immediately swept under the rug. Which also makes it difficult to pass a competency assessment a year later, assuming you do choose to stay. It feels wasteful, you undergo all the training to get RBT certified and get clients that are RBT only but hardly apply any of what you took away from training.

What I can positively say though from my personal experience, when you get your first client help and resources ARE provided to you. The supervisor will be with you for most if not the whole session. They’re sometimes remote, sometimes in person. It is much easier to learn if they are in person though, because remote supervisors have never even met their clients physically. The supervisor will walk you through it and check in on you once every week or two. They’ll demonstrate how to implement certain programs and answer any questions you need. That is one of the good things about ACES, communication was never an issue for me.

Overall, it’s a nice experience and can introduce you to ABA, the sweetest kids and coworkers, but if you want to learn more or work more, go to a different company. 

I have two children with autism and have always been interested in ABA therapy, so when I got the opportunity to work at ACES I was beyond excited. The training was intense and there is a lot required, the upside from that is the company will reimburse you for CPR and Registered Behavior Technician certification fees once successfully completed. The downside however is, you only get paid $10.00 an hour during all training and observations. It is not until you pass your RBT exam and start getting your permanent caseload that you then get paid $16 an hour. They also wait until after you have finished online training to go into depth about exactly how everything works. Just because you request a certain amount of hours per week doesn't mean you will get that amount (in most cases you will often get less). If a client cancels you don't get paid and are forced to either try to find a sub-session you can take to make up the hours or be screwed. ACES has no cancellation policy with their clients so this happens often and many times the same day. Great for the client, not so great for the employee. You get paid on the 8th and 23rd of each month, which I found very odd and hard to plan around monthly living expenses and you can only change your availability every 6 months. Although this was a huge letdown and something I wish I would've been told during the interview process, I decided to keep going because I wanted to get my foot in the door and be certified to gain the credential and experience. Luckily, I had another job so it was a lifesaver for keeping me afloat financially.  After passing my exams and finishing training my observations went fairly well and I was optimistic that all my hard work and studying had paid off. I began working hands-on in sub-sessions and gaining exposure, but as time passed I barely had any hours for the upcoming week and scheduling became confusing. When I finally landed a session or two it was always spare of the moment and became very aggravating. In many instances, I was left to fend for myself with clients that I was never briefed on beforehand and had minimal direction and help. I was sent to another location to take on a new permanent client but again relied heavily on RBTS to bring me up to speed with things that should have been communicated by a supervisor. In my experience, I was rarely briefed on the client I was working with, and was left to "figure it out" on my own. Thankfully, with the help of fellow RBTS I have been able to get through most sessions thus far. However, I haven't even been out of training for a full month and I am over it. Yesterday I was supposed to observe my new client with his current RBT only to find out it was canceled last minute through a Microsoft Teams message. The irony of all of this is I am scheduled to take this client independently by next week, and I have only met and observed him once!! I had such high hopes, but sadly I feel like this whole process was a waste of time. The is a lack of organization when it comes to cultivating new hires and the fact that ALL communication is run through a Microsoft Teams chat is beyond me. So thankful I kept my other job throughout this whole process, otherwise it could have been much worse. Take my advice: Look elsewhere...there are better companies that will pay and train you better. Huge disappointment and a waste of time and energy!!! Believe the reviews.

This job completely depends on your supervisors. Some are GREAT and genuinely care about you as well as the clients. There's one supervisor who's been with the company a longish time and seems to be jaded or just an unhappy person I don't know what...she cares about clients but thinks you're just an RBT who works beneath her (not a human being)  and if you ask the wrong question she won't hesitate to give you a snarky sarcastic reply that lets you know she has zero respect for you (really reflects great on ACES as a company). She gave me attitude for no reason and I've gone out of my way for her on more than one occasion so it's extra frustrating and next time she asks me to cover for someone on my day off I'm going to politely decline. You might have many split shifts. Working in schools is nice (Most ABA companies don't work in school districts) ASK for a raise yearly or you won't get one. Some kiddos are GREAT, some are nightmares, and some parents just won't get on board with what you are trying to teach their child no matter how many times they are told not to reinforce tantrum behaviors which can make you feel like you're making zero progress. Never answer questions from parents always defer to supervisors because you don't have a masters and therefore aren't allowed to have an opinion ( this makes sense from a liability standpoint..go back to school!). You basically have no coworkers. It's just you and the kids. 30 hours is considered full time and you can get benefits for that (most ABA companies do this though). Pay isn't that great but once you get your RBT other companies will want to pay you more. Having an iPad is nice. Lots of companies do paper data but not ACES. That's a perk.  ACES pays for your RBT which is nice but so does every other ABA company out there so it's not really a perk specific to ACES. ACES tries to promote their culture but unless you have sessions in the office you aren't really a part of it. 1 star for work life balance because having a session and 8 am in the morning, a few hours in the middle of the day spent waiting around, and one that ends at 7pm at night is awful and can be common if you are trying to work full time. Not sure if other companies do the same thing or not so maybe that's not a  fair judgment I don't know. 1 star for management because having to deal with  just one supervisor who makes you feel like you aren't worthy of respect totally wrecks your view of the company and really gets under your skin but I would give my other supervisors 5 stars.

Trust me, this company is horrible. The positive reviews are probably from the employer. lol. No stable hours. You literally have to fight for the hours with other employees. They sent out emails for substituting, and there were so many employees that needed work.   I worked with other supervisors and they were not compassionate, and they were very unfair.  One time, the supervisor watched me help a child, and she said I did fine.  Then she sent another supervisor and watched me to make sure I did things correctly. The second supervisor said I did a great job at work.  Of course, I knew my job. If I didn't know something, I always asked.  One day, I received a call from my supervisor, and she said the family didn't think i have enough experience, so they dismissed me from the case.  Okay..the family did not have any experience with working with kids who have disability.  How could they tell that I couldn't do my job? They pulled me off the case, and I really needed the hours (I have bills to pay, you know?).  The funny thing was my "supervisor" trusted the family.  Hello? didn't you and the other supervisor confirm that I could do my job? At least, give me another client. Of course, they didnt give me anyone. Any way there were other unfair situations. I worked here 10 months and I couldn't take it anymore. so of course, I quit this job. When I called my "coworkers" for support, no one answered their phone.  There was no support, and most employees here didnt really like their jobs. How did I know? You could tell by looking at their "sad" or "neutral" faces. I mean, these employees probably didnt have enough hours themselves.  I don't blame them. One employee told me that she needed more hours, and she was looking for a secretary job.  Isn't that sad? Only a few people actually looked happy being there.  The job was lonely, and every day i came to work..I was afraid the "supervisors"might dismiss me and I lose my hours.  Every time, they called me, it's like you are afraid they might fire you.  By the way, i knew how to do my job.  I was  not entertaining like some employees toward their kids.  I could teach my kids. My kids showed progress while I was there.  Trust me, get away from this employer.

This job is a good opportunity to learn more about serving individuals with autism and gain training for the field of ABA if you want to be a BCBA, a mental health worker of any kind, or SPED teacher. This position is not a good longtime career and I recommend only working in this role part time while pursuing further training/education. The issues that exist at this agency are the same issues that are rampant throughout the field of ABA and are not unique to this agency. The appointment based services paired with hourly pay for direct service providers leads to a situation where you can have a ten hour work day, but are only getting paid for seven hours. For example: client 1 8am to 11am; client 2 12:30-3 pm; client 3 4-6 pm = 7.5 hours. That's if you are lucky, or should I say well liked,  and have worked your way up to having those hours. Also, if you need a steady/expected income, well , good luck. If a family decides to go on a week vacation you will be missing all those hours and pay. They may try to makeup the hours before or after the vacation but that means you get to work with a burnt out kiddo being unethically pushed through a longer than typical session so that the hours can still be billed.  There are also other client and therapist makeup sessions to cover but you run the risk of a hectic draining session with a client/family that doesn't know you. To truly make ends meet you end up with work 6 days a week and paid hours scattered throughout your day and parents treating you like a nanny for all their kids despite the fact that you're enrolled in a master's degree program and specifically trained to work with only the client. Would I recommend this job to a friend? No. If you truly need this job/experience I will say that ACES was the best ABA company I ever worked for. 

I worked at ACES for 2 years. I loved my job and the people I worked with, but the administration was a big problem, and the company cared more about its profits than its people, as evidenced by its avoidance and inaction.

There is a complete lack of inter-departmental communication, poor follow-through, and zero accountability. The scheduling department is overwhelmed, and HR treats you like you are a nuisance. So, expect no help. Session canceled? Oops, they forgot to call you, but you already drove out. Schedule change? You'll have to stalk their department and wait several months for your request to be processed.

Wages, wages, wages. Experience and time served get you nowhere; expect new hires to earn more than you while you fight for a paltry raise.

Worst of all, they pretend to care. We were out in the field at the onset of COVID, risking our health (because little was known about C-19 then). Meanwhile, the company was sending out ridiculous videos of the founder cleaning toys INSTEAD OF SUPPLYING THEIR FIELD CREWS WITH PPE or answering questions about our health and safety. Several consultants reached out via DM and surveys, but it was all for show - no one ever followed up. As duties and requirements increased with new health and safety procedures, pay and allotted time did not. The company also froze incentives and raises without formal notice.

All that said, the work was challenging and highly rewarding. The supervisors, fellow BIs, office staff, and working environment were great (though your experience largely depends on your assigned supervisors)! Training and materials were more than sufficient.

Overall, this is an excellent job for someone still living at home who wants experience working in this field because the pay is below average and the hours are unstable. All others go elsewhere. You'll be dealing with the same aggravation, but at least you'll get paid enough to take it.

The job itself had its perks.
You get to be a part of a client’s process of making meaningful changes to better their life.
You get to build professionals relationships with people in ABA world.
They have a program that will help you through the licensing of becoming the RBT.
You learn plenty of tactics and resources used in ABA.
There are ways to move up in the company. 
BUT there were also flaws that outweighed the perks.
The staff was unorganized, and nobody was on the same page for the child’s care plans.
Employee drama happened often because there was no attempt to have caring, professional conversations or consistent communication.
It was often that you would not get assistance as a tech because of being understaffed. This made burnout a guarantee when working.
Schedules change frequently so there is no guarantee you will stay with the client you have made progress with.
Clients are often put with RBTs they don’t work well with and are required to stay with them for the companies decided time regardless of the client’s preference.
Managers/ BCBAs were inconsistent and seemed to be overloaded with clients so that they had no time to be involved with their client and RBTs needs even when they were supposed to be doing observation.
There were few who cared and loved what they did and made this place bearable but overtime the job puts a bad taste in your mouth because of the burnout. 
This job is not for the weary hearted so consider wisely before choosing this clinic or ABA therapy all together.
If you enjoy ABA therapy and can thrive in a workplace full of stress then this is the job for you, otherwise choose a different clinic. 

The job itself is meaningful-- its so rewarding to see young clients building rapport with you and slowly making progress in life. Staffs are also very nice at the office, I have been receiving amazing support when I just started and was a little overwhelmed by all the unexpected situations. 

The job requirement is on the higher side, it's a hard requirement of you to have a car and a DL with insurance, because some/most of the sessions are happened in clients home. Although they claim they reimburse your gas cost from one client's house to another, it rarely happens because most of the travel distance occurs from your home to the clinic/client house(could be pretty far away), and from there home, which are not covered. And you are to take the RBT exam to qualify for the job, which also needs to be renewed every year. The job also requires you to be super super super patient and knows your way around younger kids. They might ignore you, escape from you, attempt to harm you, attempt to harm themselves, so you need to be highly focused through out the entire session at all time. However, considering all the requirements, the pay is on the lower side; it's pretty much just the minimum hourly rate for RBTs, plus all the gas cost from and to client's home. I don't find a reason to work at a restaurant over here.

Scheduling is not flexible at all. I do not blame anyone regarding this because this is due to the nature of the intervention method deployed. Once you commit a schedule, you have to stick to it for at least half of a year. You can't change schedule, and you need to find a sub if you need day off.

At the end of the day, its a good experience and something nice to add to your resume as a college student. But do not expect this to be a serious career(well unless you intend to get its master's degree and take the higher certificate exams), nor to expect a good pay from it. 

I worked here for about 3 months and told in my interviews and throughout training that I would be GUARANTEED A MINIMUM of 38 hours. In three months, the maximum hours I worked in a week were 24. I don’t know how a single person can live off of a work week that isn’t 40 hours. Supervision was AWFUL, I would receive messages less than an hour before supervision started, giving me little time to mentally prepare for supervision. There was little to no communication with supervisors most of the time and when I needed help or had a question during a session it took at least a day to receive a response. This company does not tell the truth about their hiring or training process, they will lie and guarantee you full time knowing you might never reach full time due to not having enough clients. This was my introduction to working in ABA and I would recommend starting in a clinic if you’re just starting off because you will get little to no assistance on how to proceed with ABA techniques. The training process also does not cover everything it should cover and they throw you straight into working with clients without a training session, expecting you to figure out when you can overlap with an existing BI when in most cases it’s not possible because of other assigned clients, so you won’t get to see someone else implement targets before starting with a client. I also experienced driving all the way to a clients house just to find out the session was cancelled earlier in the day with no heads up and no compensation for the fact that I wasted my time and gas. They also do not fairly compensate for gas, I would drive 20+ miles a day to client’s homes to receive less than $10 in mileage reimbursement for two weeks of driving. 

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