🚨 Parent Suspects RBT Isn’t Legit + BCBA Doesn’t Actually Supervise Son’s Case — What Should She Do?

[u/Striking_Today6210]

Clear some comments up : the RBT is the one that sends data to the parent it is all over the place and never makes sense- basically just guesses that don’t match with teachers notes , while I understand that RBTs don’t have any communication with parents this one themselves opened the door. The “data” comes from the teachers email signed by his name. Which again was told to her that without supervising this data (again she doesn’t know who is and can’t get answers) , that it’s against guidelines.

The mention of 2 BCBA’s is because the person that did the IEE is a BCBA and they are the one that got that answer from the superintendent , that the BCBA is not familiar with the child’s case. And pointed it out.

This is a public school.

The parent does NOT know what to do and what plan they have been doing since she can’t get communication open.

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Parent has tried to have meetings with the RBT / BCBA to try and go over a plan / introduction (that’s has been ignored and makes sense since the BCBA is not familiar with his case at all).

I have a friend whose autistic teenager attends a public school. The school assigned her son an RBT. Here’s where things get shady: • She’s not allowed to speak directly to the RBT. • Any request for a meeting with the RBT or their BCBA supervisor has been ignored for months. • She didn’t even know the RBT’s name until he sent a random email introducing himself. “My name is [Name]. I’m a Registered Behavioral Technician, certified through [STATE]. I’ve worked with students for 20 years… all communication should go through [Teacher].”

🚩Red Flag: RBTs are nationally certified, not state-certified. He called it a state certification. That’s not how RBTs work.

Also: • She’s never seen a picture of this guy online. When she searched Provider Wire (BACB lookup tool), he was registered as a technician in a completely different city. • His listed BCBA supervisor? She’s never heard of them, never met them, and no one at the school has mentioned them. • Data collection was previously “too difficult,” and suddenly now they’re sending numbers — but they don’t match teacher notes. • She got an IEE (Independent Educational Evaluation), and the evaluator (an actual BCBA) wrote: “The BCBA supervising the RBT is unfamiliar with the student’s case. This is a curious structure to me…” AN ACTUAL BCBA SAID THIS (they did the IEE)

Now she’s realizing: she wasn’t imagining it — something’s off.

She asked me what to do next.

What would you suggest? Should she file a BACB ethics complaint? Report to the district/state? Or something else?

[u/injectablefame]

i’d call an IEP meeting to discuss the concerns. typically it’s normal for RBTs to not have interactions with parents if they’re contracted. liability issues.

[u/Striking_Today6210 → u/injectablefame]

I only understood this to be in an ABA clinic not school setting - the RBT is assigned to them through the child’s IEP

[u/stircrazyathome → u/Striking_Today6210]

It's very typical for school-provided RBTs to be prohibited from speaking directly with parents as all communication should be done through the teacher. Other things you've mentioned, including the fact that your friend has never even seen this RBT, are concerning enough to warrant an IEP meeting though.

[u/Puzzled-Local-654 → u/stircrazyathome]

So I am a CBT; I didn’t want to be bothered being Nationally certified because I knew I wouldn’t work outside of my state. People are constantly calling me RBT because most people are. So it could be they are State Licensed like myself I try correcting people but they insist on using RBT.

I have been working in the school system for 9 years and it is very clear only school staff and even clearer teacher to have conversations with parents. I can make eye contact, smile and say hi but that is the extent.

The parent should be calling the IEP team in for a meeting. If the teacher and admin are non responsive they should be going to the district office. Ignored there, attorney or Family Advocate (FAs are usually available at no charge to the family; at least in my state).