How did we build a whole field around behavior…
but treat canceled sessions like the behavior doesn’t exist anymore?
A client cancels and it’s like everything comes to a halt:
No support for the family.
No pay for the RBT.
No follow-up.
No pivot.
Just… nothing.
How is that okay?
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⚠️ In ABA, a Cancellation Often Means:
RBT goes unpaid
Parent gets no help that day
BCBA loses billable time
Client loses opportunity for support, skill building, or regulation strategies
The company just moves on to the next session
We treat canceled sessions like voids instead of windows.
But a cancellation is communication—it’s telling us something.
And right now, we’re not listening.
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💡 What If We Flipped That?
What if a canceled session became a cue to shift support?
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✅ If a Parent Cancels…
We could ask: “What do you need instead today?”
A quick transition tip for mornings?
A visual for leaving the house?
A modified sleep schedule while the child is sick?
A phone consult to adjust a goal they’ve been struggling with?
We can send a home plan update.
We can coach.
We can offer regulation strategies.
We can still show up.
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✅ If the Client Isn’t Available…
We can support the RBT with:
Paid admin time
Creating or updating stimuli
1:1 supervision without distractions
Shadowing another client
Reviewing fidelity on previous sessions
Catching up on training and support
Because RBTs are not disposable workers.
They’re skilled staff who deserve continuity, even when sessions don’t go as planned.
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🤯 Here’s the Bigger Truth
The very reason a family might cancel—
👉🏽 dysregulation
👉🏽 transition issues
👉🏽 behavior escalation
👉🏽 health or schedule barriers
…is exactly why they need our support.
So why would we treat that as a “gap in service” instead of a moment of need?
We’re out here writing behavior plans—but when life behaves unexpectedly, we have nothing in place?
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🚪 The Cancellation Should Open a Door
It should open a door to:
Parent coaching
Systems-level support
Real-life generalization
Staff development
Supervision that isn’t squeezed between sessions
And most importantly: it should remind us why we’re here.
If we say we’re here to support behavior,
then we need to show up when behavior shows up—in all its messy, inconvenient, real-life glory.
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🧠 Final Thought
A missed session isn’t the end of support.
It’s a shift in where support is needed most.
We don’t need to shame parents for canceling.
We don’t need to cut RBT hours when life happens.
We need to build systems that adapt—because isn’t that what we teach?