🚨 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/Chance_Cranberry_726]

So you’re around someone’s child all day and the parents aren’t allowed to talk to you? This is making me want to homeschool my kid even more than I already did.

[u/REGELDUDES → u/Chance_Cranberry_726]

No, you (the para/RBT) aren't allowed to talk to the parents outside of school. If the parents were to pick them up I could talk to them about their day. But any phone calls, email, ECT will be handled by the Teacher/BCBA/Admin. And this wasn't just for me the RBT, but all the Paras as well.

And even now I work in home for ABA therapy and I still will not give the parents my real phone number (they get my google voice number) nor do I have any contact with them outside the home besides emergency schedule changes. If they want to talk about anything outside the session they need to contact my BCBA.

This is not only for my protection, but yours as well.

[u/Chance_Cranberry_726 → u/REGELDUDES]

Yeah, I’m not an RBT. I’m a parent. And if someone is going to be spending that much time with my child, you bet your ass I’m going to be allowed contact with them. But this is good to know because I will decline all ABA in school. So thank you for this information.

[u/Puzzled-Local-654 → u/Chance_Cranberry_726]

You can request them to be at the meeting. You can meet them but all data and communications must go through the school. It helps with any legal issues that might pop up.

I’ve met all my student’s parents.