r/ABA • u/makogirl311 • 1d ago
Advice Needed Coworker eating stimuli?
We recently hired a new tech. I’ve been training her the past few weeks. She told me she was on the spectrum which I understood because I’m also on the spectrum. Today I was training her and one of the clients tasks involves edibles. She started eating the stimuli. I told her that it was stimuli and that she shouldn’t eat it. She apologized and we moved on. About an hour later she was eating it again. Do I report this to my Bcba? I was extremely direct when I told her we don’t eat stimuli. I don’t know what to do as I’ve never been in this situation.
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u/CommunistBarabbas 1d ago
we eat the kids left over snacks all the time that would have other wise gone old. 🤷🏾♀️
However we never eat the “active” snacks, snacks that the kids still need for motivation/trialing.
the strange part here is you identifying that the snacks are not leftovers and are needed and she’s still continuing to eat them. you’re totally right reporting to your BCBA.
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u/GirlBehindTheMask-LW RBT 1d ago
I just find it odd that she did it after you already told her not to. Maybe try one more time and if she does it again tell a BCBA?
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u/makogirl311 1d ago
There’s been other stuff she’s done even after she’s been told. For instance my clinic stocks ramen for techs and clients. Well one clients mom brings him his own box. The clinic ran out of ramen so it was just the clients box left. She ate a pack and we informed her it was a clients. She apologized and we thought she understood. Literally the next day she’s eating the clients ramen again.
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u/fencer_327 1d ago
Is it possible she doesn't have enough food? You might be able to gently bring that topic up and suggest a nearby food bank if that is her issue.
Otherwise she should be bringing her own food. We eat patients food all the time at my hospital, despite technically not being allowed, but only if they're released, can't eat it or died and we would have to throw it away.
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u/makogirl311 23h ago
I don’t think that was the issue because she’s doordashed several times and did so after eating the clients food as well.
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u/iamzacks BCBA 1d ago
The fact that your coworker is on the spectrum doesn’t matter FYI. She is just a coworker.
The fact that she is eating therapy material is a problem.
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u/makogirl311 23h ago
I included that because I try to give her more grace and thought maybe she just didn’t understand what I had explained to her even though I thought I had been clear.
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u/art_addict 17h ago
Yeah, autistic and ADHD and trauma and depression and anxiety and poverty over here. Literally none of these things actually matter. She was told what to do, she needs to be able to follow that rule. Her autism doesn’t give her the grace to take the food stimuli and snack on it. That’s great, she’s autistic too. Doesn’t mean she doesn’t understand no. Especially if she’s teaching impulse control as part of a program to younger kids…
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u/iamzacks BCBA 23h ago
Yes, and what I’m saying is that the point is she shouldn’t be eating stimuli and if she is witting it doesn’t make that any less bad. You already tried to tell her, you then tell your supervisor.
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u/Playbafora12 1d ago
I understand your point, but respectfully disagree. It could matter. Does the coworker have any accommodations in regard to receiving and implementing feedback? Is the OP trying to communicate that they are concerned about providing feedback about a behavior that could potentially relate to diagnosis?
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u/No-Willingness4668 BCBA 22h ago
No it doesn't matter. Being allowed to eat a clients treatment materials is not something that could be considered a "reasonable accomodation" to staff with ASD. Maybe some sort of special consideration could be taken if it were a Pica diagnosis. But the issue of consuming treatment materials is entirely irrelevant to ASD diagnosis.
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u/Playbafora12 13h ago
I think you’re misunderstanding me. I’m not saying it would be a reasonable accommodation. I’m saying that when you have a coworker who has disclosed their diagnosis, it is not irrelevant. I’m hearing this person say that they think the diagnosis might be influencing their understanding of the boundary/feedback so they’re unsure how to approach it. That they are trying to parse out “do they not understand what I mean?” Or “do they understand and they’re doing it anyway.” Each would have a different response, but either way I agree with others to hand it off to the BCBA.
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u/Own_Advice1681 RBT 1d ago
You can tell your BCBA. But when I worked in a clinic we all ate the kids edible candy. We had to throw it away at the end of the day anyway so it didn’t matter if techs ate it. We really only filled the box so the kids saw it was full, they weren’t eating the whole box of candy that day.
Its pretty harmless
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u/makogirl311 1d ago
It’s candy for object permanence. Which means the kids use the same candy over and over for their tasks.
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u/Worldly_Pie_9646 1d ago
(Not that you should have to by any means) but did you explain the "why" behind not eating the candy besides just that it is stimuli? I'm also on the spectrum and while I would have completely respected your "no" to begin with I could also see how someone might think "oh I'll just buy new candy" or something like that if they didn't realize that the specific candy was important.
*Edited for spelling.
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u/Able_Date_4580 RBT 1d ago
Yes, inform your BCBA. You’ve also stated in the comments this isn’t the first time she’s done it; she should not be eating client’s food and edibles used for therapy and has disregarded both times you’ve told her to stop. I wouldn’t bother trying to ask the tech why is she still eating prohibited food/edibles, let your BCBA handle and address the tech
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u/ThrowRAOWCG 23h ago
One of my brothers who is on the spectrum used to steal SO MUCH food from me growing up. I would buy things for myself and he would eat half of it or all of it or pick out the best bits. EVERYTIME. He just cannot control himself around food. Not making an excuse for this new coworker because of course, you need to be able to do the job you signed up for; I'm just curious if they have the same impulse issues with food
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u/Magic_Apples 10h ago
If you haven't already, make sure all this feedback is sent to her in an email so it's documented.
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u/nataliabreyer609 Parent 1d ago
Honestly, I'd see if she understood that it's all snacks. For example if the first item was fruit snacks and the next was chips, did she think one was okay and the other wasn't? Maybe she's not quite understanding something?
I saw another comment about maybe she doesn't get enough food at home. Maybe she's on medication that affects appetite?
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u/triggafish 1d ago
"She started eating the stimuli." Lmaooo. I'm sorry, but that phrase is just hilarious to me for some reason.