registered behavior technician

autism support technician

autism support professional

behavior technician

paraprofessional

Kansas Behavior Supports

When I first joined this company, I was excited about the opportunities for growth, the collaborative environment, and the benefits that were promised. Two years later, I’ve realized that many of those promises are never going to be fulfilled.

One of the biggest disappointments has been the lack of internal growth opportunities. Leadership positions—such as operational directors, clinical directors, and quality assurance roles—are filled by individuals selected by the parent company without internal postings. Despite my tenure, I have never seen these roles made available to existing Heartland ABA employees, making advancement nearly impossible.

The process of obtaining full-time status and benefits has also been incredibly challenging—so much so that I have given up and arranged for insurance and benefits elsewhere. Due to inconsistent client referrals for BCBAs (which operate on a first-come, first-served basis, requiring constant email monitoring and quick responses to secure a referral) and RBT availability, it took over six months to reach full-time status. Even after meeting the required billable hours, I was told I had to maintain them for three consecutive months before qualifying for benefits. Unfortunately, when RBTs left—often because they, too, were promised full-time hours that never materialized—my hours dropped, making me ineligible again. Clients can remain unstaffed on caseloads for months, while families are left waiting indefinitely due to the ongoing staffing shortage. At some point, transparency should take priority, and families should be informed of their options rather than being left in limbo.

Billing and scheduling constraints create additional barriers to providing effective services. While the 10% supervision and 10% direct model aligns with best practices, poor collaboration from case managers often results in treatment plans that don’t match actual scheduling. As a result, treatment hours are underutilized, and BCBAs struggle to provide direct services because RBTs are scheduled based on what works for them and the case manager—often during times I had already planned to provide my 10% direct with the client. This results in lost billable time.

Case managers also do not coordinate with BCBAs regarding start dates for clients and RBTs, yet BCBAs are required to meet with parents before services begin, confer with the RBT, and provide supervision during the first session. These are best practices, but when BCBAs are given at most 48 hours' notice before an RBT's start date, it becomes nearly impossible to meet these expectations without canceling on other clients. To maintain a livable wage, a BCBA would need a caseload of 10-15 clients, yet clinical leadership suggests limiting caseloads to six—an unrealistic balance under the current billing structure.

Case managers also frequently push “make-up” hours with RBTs without including BCBAs in scheduling changes, requiring constant monitoring to ensure supervision hours are correct from week to week. This issue was "resolved" by placing the responsibility on BCBAs to call RBTs weekly to confirm their schedules and then plan supervision accordingly. This creates inconsistent treatment for the learner often causing ratio strain and making ABA aversive.  Additionally, company policy requires RBTs to complete four targets per hour of session, meaning that when make-up hours are added, BCBAs must adjust treatment plans, assign additional targets, and then put them on hold once the make-up hours are completed. This creates extra administrative work for BCBAs while also leading to inconsistent data collection and progress tracking for the client. As a result, during the treatment planning quality review process, BCBAs are then asked to justify these "errors" in data collection, despite the systemic causes behind them.

Another concern is the training and support for RBTs. New RBTs complete a 40-hour ReThink training and receive minimal hands-on instruction (a maximum of two hours) before being expected to provide direct services. While BCBAs are responsible for training and supervising RBTs, the 10% supervision requirement, coupled with inconsistent scheduling, makes it difficult to ensure quality implementation of treatment plans.

Additionally, the increasing complexity of treatment plans and documentation requirements significantly adds to administrative demands. A high-quality treatment plan requires 12-15 hours to complete, yet only eight hours are billable. The recent requirement to create separate FBAs/BIPs, despite the fact that much of the same information is already included in the treatment plan, further adds to the workload without clear justification.

At the end of the day, I care deeply about the work I do and the families I serve.  I do think they want to do a good job and provide quality of services but they need to be more transparent with families, RBTs and BCBAs. This company needs to quit over promising and significantly underdelivering. As the company continues to expand, it feels like quality services and employee support are being stretched too thin. If leadership focused on streamlining processes, improving collaboration, and supporting employees with reasonable expectations, this could be an incredible place to work. Without those changes, though, it’s hard to see a sustainable future here.

From the moment I joined, I felt aligned with the mission: improving lives through compassionate, evidence-based care. 

As a recruiter, I've worked with many organizations, but this company stands out as a place where hiring isn't just a function—it's a strategic priority. From day one, I felt empowered to make meaningful contributions to the growth of the business. Leadership truly understands the value of building strong teams, and they give recruiters the tools, autonomy, and respect needed to do the job well.

The collaboration between departments is seamless. Hiring managers are engaged, responsive, and genuinely invested in finding the right fit—not just filling seats. 

That said, the hiring process could benefit from some refinement. While the intent is strong, the workflow is consistently changing and it's frustrating to learn new systems on going. Timelines sometimes stretch longer than ideal, and communication with candidates during later stages could be more proactive. 

Overall, I love the culture, and the work-life balance is a dream. 

This is a new company to Nebraska, but has been around offering services in other states for 8 years (see Comprehensive Behavior Supports). The owners are in this work for the right reasons - they want to help the underserved receive the help and support required to be successful in our communities. We focus on serving Medicaid clients, but also take private insurance.

Since it's a "start up" in Nebraska things are a little hectic sometimes but we are constantly evolving and being challenged to meet the needs of youth with autism and developmental disabilities in the state.

It is enjoyable to be given the ability to think outside the box, meet new people from around the country (we provide telehealth!), and provide in-home services to people who used to be unable to receive it. The hardest parts are dealing with insurance delays and finding the right people who are committed to doing the work with us.

I had a mental health background and a psychology interest but I really did not have much work experience. I came across Nebraska Behavior Supports and they helped me obtain my RBT certification. I took a course with the support of a BCBA who I was able to ask all my questions to. I left the training feeling really prepared for the job. On the job, when I had any questions I was able to get the proper support I need. I never heard of ABA therapy before Nebraska Behavior Supports but now I am very knowledgeable in the field and have a really good understanding of how to use the methods to help children on the Autism Spectrum. A BCBA creates treatment plans and the RBT is the one who works on goals with the clients. The job is very fulfilling and purposeful. I really enjoy working with Nebraska Behavior Supports!

Nebraska behavioral supports promised me full-time hours and never delivered even close to full-time hours. This meant that I also had no benefits. For one of my clients I drove a hundred miles today round trip and after a few months of this they decided to stop reimbursing for mileage. They increased the hourly rate, but not by nearly enough to come close to compensating for the lost mileage reimbursement. They offered no training beyond the course you take for certification. Supervisory BCBAs were in remote locations so there was no direct supervision or support with programs. I'm now working at another ABA clinic that does the job right. If you are an experienced RBT, Nebraska Behavior supports may work out for you. But if you expect BCBAs to be present and to be trained in the proper execution of your job, I'd look somewhere else.

I loved working with the clients and I eventually had a great supervisor.  I felt supported and I felt like I was making a difference in clients' lives.  However when I accepted this position, I was under the impression that I would be working with clients both in homes and schools.  Unfortunately it was strictly in homes, which made it difficult to get daytime hours. Training was online, but I think it would be beneficial to receive additional training specific to the RBT's clients' needs.  I can't say there is a workplace culture as I did not really meet any colleagues.  I feel like there is miscommunication from the company regarding HR things.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Best part about the job is working with kids one on one. It allows me to dedicate my skills more precisely and it is a good workload having to work with only one client (instead of multiple at once). You are able to choose your own client and go through pairing sessions before you fully start to work on the case.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There is very little company training and communication with the company. Though so far, my BCBA and CM have been very responsive to me. Though, from the time I got my RBT cert and the time I actually started, there was about 3 weeks of almost no contact and no updates from anyone when I asked.

You will mostly be training yourself regarding any data collection apps used and you will be using your personal devices for this. You will also be expected to travel as far as Lincoln from Omaha for cases and will receive no compensation for travel/mileage as you will use your personal vehicle. There is no in-person interactions either, everything is done via email, phone calls, and google meets. This includes interviews, training, and supervision. There is also no guarantee of hours, it depends on the cases available however hours are pretty flexible.

You will mostly be training yourself. Your goals depend on other people, you will never receive any type of bonus promised. Management does not care about employees or their well being just about hours and utilization. Director indirectly threatens your job and says it comes from corporate, does not listen to anyones input and acts as a dictator. There is no in-person interactions for their staff either, everything is done via email, phone calls, and google meets. This includes interviews, training, and all supervision. New RBTs are often felt unsupported and isolated and it comes down on the case management team. 

Everything about working at Kansas Behavior Supports has been great! I can chose the cases that work for me, I get paid really well. I have a lot of support. They helped me get my RBT certification and then they helped me chose cases that were close to my home that fit my schedule so I could pick up my kids from daycare etc. The team is super supportive and this was my first position in the Psychology field. I enjoy every minute of my work and I am helping making a difference in the lives of children with autism! This is super fulfilling and a great company to work for

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered behavior technician 2080 salaries reported	$22.40 per hour
Autism support technician 402 salaries reported	$21.23 per hour
Autism support professional 157 salaries reported	$21.01 per hour
Behavior technician 462 salaries reported	$21.88 per hour
Paraprofessional 4 salaries reported	$26.50 per hour

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