Applying for jobs in ABA
I am about to graduate college and I am autistic. I was late diagnosed so I never recieved services, but i feel like the best career path for me is to work with other autistic people as I have found that I am able to connect with autistic kids and help them in a way that neurotypical teachers/professionals struggle with.
I realized this is what I wanted to do too late into my college career. Since I don't have a major in psych/special ed/etc I'm not qualified for many jobs. However, I have been eyeing RBT/ABA jobs, as they are one of the few jobs I am qualified for and feel I could have a positive impact. I've interviewed for a couple, and have gotten to the "second stage" of interviews for some of them, which is promising.
I know ABA is super controversial and sometimes extremely harmful for autistic individuals. However, it is also the most accessible service for families in my state due to insurance. I want to be able to be there for families and make sure everyone in the family has a successful time. I don't want to be talked out of going forward with these jobs, because I am very aware of the controversies, risks, and abuses. However, I would like people's imputs (if yall feel like it), on your experiences with ABA, and what you would change about the field/how professionals treated you. My goal isn't to continue the mistreatment of autistic kids, but to change that.
I think that as an autistic person, my voice is very important in the field of helping other autistic people, but as someone with lower support needs, I don't want to do this without listening to others in the community, even if it is a bunch of strangers online. On tumblr, which is the only other social media I use, I see that autistic people with lower support needs generally dislike ABA while people with higher support needs are more neutral. If possible, I'd like to gain a deeper understanding of autistic people's experiences, both as an autistic person who never recieved help, and as a aspiring profesisonal
tl;dr, ABA seems like a decent career option for me as an autistic individual about to graduate college. I want to be able to improve the field and learn about what autistic people who have recieved services feel/what yall would change.