board certified behavior analyst

occupational therapist

speech language pathologist

registered behavior technician

behavior technician

Soar Autism Center

I absolutely love some elements working at Soar. The deep friendships I’ve made with my coworkers and the joy I found in working with my clients makes this job fulfilling, even though the work is challenging. I feel truly grateful to show up to work every single day, and Ive experienced tremendous personal and professional growth during my time here. 

I also deeply aligned with the company’s proclaimed values, particularly its integrated care model and commitment to reforming the harms of ABA, I believe strongly in the ESDM model and assent based practices, so I was initially drawn to Soar’s mission.  

However, as the company has expanded rapidly, I’ve witnessed a concerning shift toward a more corporate structure. The prioritization of growth and revenue has begun to overshadow client care.

The initial training for RBTs is extremely limited and does NOT adequately prepare new staff for the sensitive and demanding nature of the work. Support during the early months is extremely minimal, which directly harms clients and generates HIGH staff turnover.  The ESDM model that appears central to Soar, unfortunately is not effectively implemented.  The majority of RBTs unfortunately do not have enough training or understanding.  

Unpaid labor is also a serious concern.  Many RBTs feel compelled to clean and restock essential hygiene items on their own time just to maintain a basic level of care for clients. Insurance notes are almost impossible to complete in session which forces RBTs to perform hours of unpaid labor.  All of this combined with a faulty break system that makes consistent breaks highly unlikely.  

 Policies around illness/sick time for children and staff create a high-stress environment, where many RBTs are frequently ill and unable to recover due to limited time off. I personally experienced prolonged illness that led to serious health issues as a direct result of this culture.

The administrative leadership (MODs, CODs, MOS, etc.) often feels distant, unsupportive, and lacking in empathy. There have been ongoing issues with harmful and neglectful staff, but despite repeated concerns from team members, these unsafe staff members continue their behavior without additional support or disciplinary interventions. 

Recent scheduling changes have left long-term part-time employees with drastically reduced hours (sometimes scheduled for 1 paid hour a day), pushing coworkers to quit despite being high ranking and established RBTs. The scheduling system as a whole, is one of the most inconsistent, unreliable, and stressful parts about working at Soar.

The physical environments of the centers are another issue. All the centers are in corporate office spaces with harsh lighting, loud noise, little access to natural light, and no outdoor areas.  Clinics are far from sensory-friendly for clients.

I’m sad to express these concerns because I care so incredibly deeply about Soar’s core values, my coworkers, and the clients we serve. But in some areas, the children and families at Soar deserve more consistent, ethical, and high-quality care. Passionate and skilled RBTs are being stretched thin in subpar environments, and without serious systemic changes, I worry about the long-term impact on clinicians, RBTs,  and clients.

Main problems at Soar you know before starting below. You won’t find this out during training because they have a (very good) centralized training. The training is misleading and not anything like working in a center. 

There is little supervision. From day one, you’re on your own to figure out what’s going on from boilerplate documentation and it’s confusing. Everyone around you is harried, frazzled. There isn’t a specific person to ask for help. I’ve been an RBT for years and most times I’m at a complete loss as to what I’m expected to do in a given scenario because I’ve had no supervision on most of my cases. And if I make it up, I’m usually told I’m doing it wrong by someone. Feedback is rare, and positive feedback is negligible. I never go home feeling like I’ve done a good job or even that I’m improving. It’s a demoralizing work environment if you take your job seriously.

No consistent caseload: every day you will have a new case and may not see that child again for weeks / months / ever. You’re also expected to do “cross center coverage” meaning go to another center and work with children you have zero experience or rapport with, in a center you aren’t familiar with, any time they ask. You can’t get into a routine because every day is completely different. 

Inconsistent hours and inconsistent schedule: your schedule may change up to minutes before. For example you’re scheduled to come in at 10 am on Monday, you may get a call or text at 7 am Monday instructing you to come in at 8 am. 

Inefficient system of group chats facilitating communication within the center that have to be monitored constantly, so you’re glued to a screen. You will be in at minimum 10 group chats not including DMs.

Little behavior analysis is actually used, no follow through on expectations for the kids, no guidance on ESDM. Run mostly like a daycare or preschool. Every type of behavior is tolerated from the kids. Instead of using ABA interventions they try to solve every issue through “making it fun” no matter how ineffective it is. The kids know they don’t have to follow directions which makes everything 10x more exhausting. No instructional control. 

Peer to peer aggression is normalized with no consequences. You will see (often nonverbal) children getting punched, slapped, kicked, hair pulled, by peers with no consequences for the aggressor. This is the most heartbreaking part. 

No note writing time during sessions, you’re expected to find time at some point either on or off the clock to write notes. You can have in excess of 5 notes per day. Because you can have sessions as short as 15 minutes. 

No breaks between sessions, so you will always be late to your next session due to handoffs. 

No one in center is on the same page. For example if a child is eloping, running full speed down a hallway, other staff will literally move out of the way to allow the child to continue running instead of block the child from eloping. Running through hallways is considered normal at Soar and even encouraged. 

Basically nothing that happens at Soar is normal and I don’t mean in a good way. It’s a chaotic environment that uses almost no behavior analysis. The reality of working there as an experienced RBT is surreal. 





As a BT you are given a caseload of clients (varies by your availability). For example, my schedule is three days a  week from 8am to 3pm and I have three clients. This client base schedule has changed several times (once completely new base clients, and a few times with a client or two switched out). You are made aware of this change via email. If your client is out you will likely get a call asking to take a coverage session.

There are several meetings. A once monthly mandatory meeting takes place at 7am. The bulk of these meetings are for giving out awards to staff, the last 5 minutes are any changes or updates happening at your center. There is breakfast provided which is nice, overall, an unnecessary meeting. There is also a supervisor meeting which covers a topic which is helpful to your role (challenging behavior, transitions, etc.). Meetings or overlaps will occur during sessions with bcbas, training supervisors, trainers with an interviewee . Notice is usually not given if so then it happens via a chat just before joining so they can find out where you are. 

This was mentioned in a different review and I really have to agree with it. NO outdoor space for the children. The centers are in office buildings. There isn't a designated safe and enriched area for outdoor play. We are working with children    here and not having an outdoor space is limiting their skill building opportunities and their opportunity to just play and be a kid. 

Breaks. These are hard to come by believe it or not. The center has made efforts to ensure people are getting breaks (break buddies, and floats). If your break buddy client is out though it makes things challenging. Floats have a timeframe to reach set groups and if there is time you can ask floats to relive you for your 7 minute break. Truthfully, it is almost always a headache to get a break. Bathroom breaks are easier to do, if in a room with another BT we usually ask each other to watch our client. The easiest and surefire way that ensures a break is when your client has OT or SLP sessions. 

Other things: 
Attendance is highly tracked and counts towards pay raises. 
Profit driven company.
Sign-on bonus needs to be paid back if employment ends before 6 months from start date.
Clique environment, very obvious favoritism from supervisors. 
If you deny coverage, it counts against you.
Ignoring certain challenging behaviors' is recommended which can feel very uncomfortable and strange. 

Overall, if you are interested in learning more about ESDM and how to implement those skills as a BT, this would be a company to expand your knowledge. Initially, when I applied for the position I felt like it was perfect on paper. The job listing has so many wonderful things stated and it felt too good to be true. My time with the company has been mostly negative. If you decided to join them, I hope your experience is different. 


When I first got hired on at Soar, I felt LUCKY. I couldn't have imagined a better place to be employed while in school working on becoming a BCBA. ESDM and early intervention are a dream, limited DTT, absolutely NO physical management made it even more amazing.  

Since I was interviewed, hired and trained; everything has completely changed. 

When I went through  training, it felt like it was lacking what was expected from RBT's and clinicians; and filled with information that could have been read in a handbook. 
What I've heard from recent hires is that they feel completely unprepared, it's been the worst start to an ABA center they've ever experienced. The training is lacking in adequate software updates and new hires who have never worked in the ASD field are expected to perform at 15 trials per hour with clients that have extremely challenging behavior. 

When I started at my home center, things were organized. Most toys had all of their pieces and there was a system. It was fully staffed, all of the clinicians were helpful and informative. 

Over the time I've been there, 10 clinicians have left due to the organizations radically changed expectations. All clinicians are expected to do a minimum of 30 supervision hours, ontop of RBT supervision meetings, quarterly progress meetings and note writing often working over 50 hours a week.
 Over 20 RBTs have left from my home center due to policy changes of 5 minimum trials per SD, and if the minimum isn't met it isn't counted towards trial per hour minimum. 
RBTs are expected to maintain a 20 trial/ hour minimum. Note writing is expected to be done in the last 15 minutes of a session, even if the session is only 1 hour long. Including coverage shifts of 30 minutes with clients you've never worked with. 

Many RBTs and Clinicians at multiple feel like the organization is more interested in profit than they are client success. Soar is opening more centers while their current centers suffer have an excess of clients and a shortage of RBTs and clinicians.  

Daily scheduling has been handed off to people who have never met the clients and don't know their structured schedules. Resulting in clients being scheduled for SLP/OT while they're napping or not even in the facility. 

It's complicated because I know that almost every other in-center early intervention company like Jumpstart and Firefly actively practice physical management and DDT, restraints and holds, where Soar does not. And it's the only reason I haven't left.

I originally started as a full-time employee and went down to part-time. This change was due to high stress from work and a depletion of my emotional well-being. I'm sure many people can do it full-time, but after my entire client schedule changed it was impossible to maintain. I've talked with many co-workers who have expressed burnout, stress, and overall dissatisfaction. 

There is a high turnover rate. New employees come in every two weeks. For example, this week, 3 RBTs quit and three people are coming in. Last month, 2 BCBAs quit. One put in two weeks, the other didn't. There's an expectation to put 2 weeks in advance time off, they reject it if the "cap" for the site is maxed out. I completely disagree with that policy as you are giving ample notice. Your attendance will be monitored if they feel you have taken too many "last minute" days off. Last minute has included a day before notice, and hours before session notice. 

Overall, the first few weeks will be very challenging. On your first day after you have completed training, you will feel kind of lost and not supported. You need to get to know your clients and their goals. Learn the l ayout of the site. Sometimes you will have support like a BCBA or trainer, but most of the time not. I'm only staying the 6 months because if you quit before that time you will need to pay back the sign-on bonus. You are paid at two rates, billable ($20-25) and non-billable ($17). Billable is for the time directly with a client, and non-billable is for any other time like nap coverage. 

Not flexible. They just updated their time off process. They implement an outage cap where even with a two-week notice request, you can be denied. The cap varies by site but a standard center is (i.e. Monday 2 rbts, Tuesday 3rbts, Wednesday 3, Thursday 3, and Friday 4). Calendars are available to everyone to create "efficiency". Basically, if you see a day where 2 RBTS have already requested time off, you cannot take that day off. At my site, I would say there are about 30 to 40 RBTs. I never know since the turnover is so high. This is absolutely ridiculous. 

If you are a student, I especially advise against working here as you will find it difficult in terms of flexibility. 


A typical day at Soar, for me, begins by checking my schedule and preparing for my sessions. I then run ESDM therapy (sometimes blended with elements of SBT) with my base clients who I see regularly as well as coverage sessions as needed with other clients in the clinic. Sessions are up to four hours in length, but rarely over three hours per client. I have a minimum 30 minute break partway through the day. At the end of session or at the end of the day, I write my notes to submit to insurance, and for future reference from the clinician team. The therapy we run is ethical, trauma-informed, and evidence-based, I greatly value that each of these things are absolutely top of mind at this company. 

I have learned a lot about ABA, ESDM, and a great deal about running an effective therapy session for a child with autism. Personal growth is constant as I navigate challenges every day with the constant support and guidance of my coworkers, clinicians, and other staff. 

Management communicates effectively on an operational level, and support is quickly available in the clinic. The culture is one of mutual support, fun, and genuine belief in the work that we do. 

The hardest part of this job can be emotional endurance, when compassion, empathy, and energy are a constant need on the job. However, for the right person, this is a great quality of the job, and affords tremendous personal growth. I love the support that is available for me at Soar on a daily basis. Hours can be variable, which is sometimes challenging. I am guaranteed 30+ hours per week as full time staff, but may need to advocate for myself if I do not have 30 hours of work (operations staff can almost always fix this issue if it arises). I earn enough to pay my bills, and there are regular opportunities to be promoted and earn more. 

I love seeing the children in our care make progress, have fun, and feel safe to be themselves in our clinics! It is rewarding, fun, and I am very glad to be part of the team. 

When I received an offer from Soar I was elated, I thought I had finally found my dream ABA company; I wish I could say I still felt this way.  There are many issues which the company writes off as, "Growing pains", however that is cop out.

These issues range from lack of support to extremely high expectations. As a clinician you have very little say over your caseload and the programs you choose to target and how. The company does a phenomenal job micromanaging you into a panic attack. Soar often times feels too focused on turning a profit; they are actively opening more clinics in Colorado and other states. With other ABA companies closing in Colorado, they seem too eager to take over their staff and clients. The company prides itself on utilization of the ESDM however, RBTs and clinicians alike are grossly under trained on what the ESDM is and how to accurately implement it. The work life balance is non-existent. As a clinician you'll be expected to get everything done and the company does not stop putting more onto your plate, from giving you last minute intakes to making you run direct session (also last minute). With all this work, it would be helpful to have a supervisor step in to support, however, all the supervisors are of no help and spend more time tearing clinicians programming and clinical expertise apart than offering a helping hand. The TF (treatment fulfillment) is insane! Clinicians are expected to be billing every second of every day and if you don't reach TF for the month you're forced to use your PTO to cover the difference, even it's only 45 minutes. 

I've worked in ABA for a long time but this is the first company where I have seen a gross amount of turn over from not just RBTs but also clinicians. Most people stay for the sign on bonus (which must be repaid if employment ends too soon) or for the kids. If you're interested in ESDM then this place might be for you but be weary of what you're getting into.  

The big positives are that for the most part the RBTs and clinicians are totally dedicated and here for the kids. There is so much love and dedication given to them, you have the opportunity to for, close bonds with your kids, and seeing all the growth they make is incredible to watch and be a part of. However at this stage there is still a lot of disorganization. You’re supposed to have regular supervisor meetings, but my supervisor has changed 7 times in the 9 months I’ve been here, and I’ve only had 2 meeting throughout that whole time. The training to working transition is quite rough, I remember being totally overwhelmed and unprepared as a new employee my first week, had never been to my home center or met any of my clients and had little guidance or support, and felt judged instead of helped for not already having everything figured out. Now I see new employees having the same experience, and the way the lack of readiness impacts the kids. This is a transition that I think could be helped my shadowing another RBT for a few days first to get a sense of the way the schedule, transitions, behavior management, etc, are best done. A big part of what soar is built upon or my impression at least, was the one team approach with active overlap and communication between RBTs, Ots, SLPs, and BCBAs. However in my experience the majority of my kids SLP/OT appointments are coverage and I’ve had little to know opportunity to collaborate with most of them over the past few months. Soar is fantastic for the kids, and can be rough on employees. However management does send out lots of surveys, host lots of listening sessions, and makes active changes off the feedback to make improvements. It feels like they want to be supportive and figure out the policies and procedures, it’s just still in the stages of figuring it all out. Overall it’s been a good job that has it’s frustrating exhausting days and it’s fun inspiring days.

I have been with Soar for just over six months now. Overall, the work can be stressful and rewarding. There is a clear sense of purpose, at times it does not feel that way when you are working with a client and there is a challenging moment and there is no support. One of the biggest issues I have is the lack of an outside space for the clients. Some children arrive at 8 am and leave the center at 4/5 pm. They are inside all day most of the time. There is an opportunity for a "walk" at my center which is through a parking lot and in a small grassy space.  This walk does not happen frequently. If you value outdoor time as a self-regulator for yourself, keep this in mind. 

The company seems to be very focused on growth and expansion for profit. While I see the benefits of expanding the reach and availability. It seems more appropriate to be able to fully serve your current centers, consider providing a safe outdoor space, and focus on the quality rather than the quantity of work. 

Things to consider: part-time employees are not paid for holidays (11 a year), no outdoor space, an employee economy, and a clique environment- clear favoritism.  If your client is out for the day, and there are no coverage needs, you will not be needed at the center and not paid.

*Soar closes their centers from December 25th to January 2nd. If you are part-time, you will not be paid for that break. During Thanksgiving and Christmas break, you will have lesser pay if you are part-time. Just something to consider if you are interested in a part-time position. 





I began working here almost 2 years ago, and since then it has became a totally different company. We are treated more like glorified babysitters  than therapists. You will likely have more coverage than base kids, you're expected to take last minuet sessions and if you don't, it will negatively impact your "score" of getting promoted. on the topic of getting promoted, the company prides themselves on promoting and career progression but once you've started you never get the proper supervision to grow your skills and they will withhold promotions unless you're well liked and bend over for the company that does not take care of you. we never get our full breaks, bathrooms for staff are located on a different floor than the center so getting to the bathroom and waiting for an open one can take upwards of 7-10 minutes; which is the allotted time for breaks. the toys are all missing or broken the communication is sub par at best everyone in corporate plays hot potato with your questions and concerns and the turn over rate for therapists, BCBAs and office managers is more of a revolving door. This field is high burnout in general but the lack of compensation, lack of work life balance and complete disregard for employees makes it that much more challenging. 
I stayed for so long because I am passionate about what I do and love each of my clients as my own kid, we become so invested in their care and helping their families it is so rewarding but after so long with the company I had to move on as it was stagnant and dead end. I could go on and on but before applying know that this is not just a job it takes genuine passion and love for kids to put up with this nonsense. 

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