Worst ABA Company Out There - RBT - Registered Behavior Technician Soar Autism Center Employee Review

1.0
7 Oct 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Consent and assent based services (LOVE this) Very rewarding work Great coworkers! Awesome bonding with the kids Great resources available to the clients - OT, PT, SLP

Cons

Terrible management! Mostly remote supervision, everything was so disorganized and BIPs were so out of date. I would follow the BIP in Central Reach and an RBT would come up to me and say "oh that's not what we're doing any more. We haven't done that in ages". As a new RBT to a center, what is written in CR is what we follow and that written BIP should be updated as soon as it is verbally updated. That actually happened multiple times. There was also a walk out of BCBAs right when I started, not sure what happened but that was a major red flag. Remote supervision is wildly ineffective - having your supervisor on Google Meets to hear you while watching on the cameras all over the center was so hard to coordinate. The BCBA would ask you what room you were in and to move the Ipad next to a client while they were in behavior so that they could hear them. It was so weird. BCBAs were not able to provide adequate supervision because they were so overworked. A handful of RBTs were constantly reaching out to get supervision, not only to maintain their certification but also reaching out for help on cases where behaviors were too high and they felt like they were at a loss. Turnover was CRAZY. Everyday there was someone quitting and on the day of cohort returning there was a giant herd of new BTs coming in. That's always a red flag in a company. During onboarding, they tell you that you have to ramp up your schedule in order to reach full time hours. So in your first week, you might only work 10 or so hours. What they don't tell you is that you are not allowed to leave the office. So you will be scheduled from 8-9 and then from 12-1 but you cannot leave the center from that break in between 9-12. Which was so incredibly frustrating, especially as a full time student who could have used that time to study in a quiet place. Sitting in a loud break room on a couch for hours at a time was not a great introduction to the company. ESDM is also not a widely utilized or accepted early intervention approach for ABA because it not backed by enough research. It can be super useful as a supplemental assessment and to aid in curriculum, but how I saw it utilized at SOAR was inappropriate and ineffective. These are just a few of the cons that I experienced here. I have 4 years of experience in ABA and am working towards my BCBA certification. My short time at SOAR was my worst experience.

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Soar Autism Center Response
1y
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We are glad to hear you appreciated certain aspects of the resources provided to our clients and saw the value in our amazing team members here! We would like to address a few of the concerns you raised in hopes of continuous improvement. We are truly sorry to hear about the confusion surrounding outdated Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) in Central Reach. We completely agree that BIPs should always be up to date and reflective of the latest interventions being implemented. We are actively working on improving our rollout system for updated BIPs to avoid any miscommunication between team members. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. We understand how unsettling it must have been to witness a turnover of BCBAs right when you joined. We’re currently taking steps to address the issues that led to these changes and stabilize our team. We’re committed to creating a more supportive and consistent environment for all staff members. We recognize that remote supervision can sometimes be less effective, especially when technical challenges arise. We apologize for the difficulties you faced with Google Meet and camera coordination. We are reviewing our supervision caseloads, processes, and tools to ensure smoother, more effective interactions between RBTs and BCBAs, regardless of whether they’re on-site or remote. We want to ensure every RBT has access to the guidance they need, both for certification purposes and to feel confident in managing challenging behaviors. We are also actively working to improve our scheduling processes across all of our centers. We appreciate your feedback here, and are aiming to ensure that our employees with other commitments, such as school, are able to have a satisfactory and efficient scheduling experience at Soar. The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is backed by over 10 years of research, including multiple randomized controlled trials, showing it helps children make significant progress. While it may not be as widely adopted as traditional ABA, this reflects the field’s gradual shift toward naturalistic, developmentally appropriate models—not a lack of scientific validity. ESDM is just as effective as methods like Discrete Trial Training (DTT) for young children with autism. By blending ABA principles into natural, child-centered routines, ESDM addresses developmental needs more flexibly than rigid, trial-based approaches. Delivering high-quality ESDM requires skill, and we're committed to continually refining our approach to ensure meaningful outcomes for the children and families we serve. We are genuinely sorry that your experience at Soar didn’t meet your expectations. We are committed to learning from the concerns you’ve shared. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us reflect and make the necessary changes, and we thank you again for sharing your experience with us. We wish you the best of luck on your journey to becoming a BCBA.

Explore other reviews about Soar Autism Center

5.0
18 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Ongoing training opportunities Supportive leadership for complex cases

Cons

Fast-paced environment with frequent changes

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Soar Autism Center Response
1mo
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re glad to hear that you found leadership supportive, especially when navigating complex cases, and that the ongoing training opportunities were valuable during your time at Soar. We also understand that a fast-paced environment with frequent change can be challenging. As Soar continues to grow and improve how we serve children and families, we know it is important to support team members through change with clear communication, thoughtful planning, and strong leadership presence. We appreciate the time you spent with Soar and are grateful for the care you provided to the children and families we serve.
3.0
29 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexibility in the team was nice (no longer an option), diverse clients, integrated health model, iPads, play-based, ESDM, good training/hiring model.

Cons

Big corporation in autism care! Corporations are a business at the end of the day, and care can get diluted.

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