Pros
i cannot say enough positive things about ACES. it’s a company that makes me so proud of what i do. when i first started out with ACES, i was coming from an EXTREMELY abusive non-public school environment and they made every effort under the sun to reach out to me during the onboarding process, assure me that the client and staff safety was a priority, and offer me the best pay i could have asked for with my experience. every single one of my supervisors to date has taken time to get to know me as a person, compliment me when i do things well, and guide me with compassion when i need help. i have never felt ashamed to ask for assistance when i need it. the company culture is extremely warm and it radiates out to everyone as far as i can tell. i moved during the pandemic and began seeing all of my clients online. after almost three years, the thought of leaving my clients (and ACES) makes me genuinely choke up. i have recommended so many colleagues to ACES as a beacon of light in the ABA industry. truly, you will not find better training, coworkers, and (i might be biased here!) clients to work with. i have fallen in love with my job and it’s a thing i never every anticipated. this might sound weird, but i don’t feel like it’s a job. i have such a sense of purpose within the company that i feel like i’m doing what i was made to do. work doesn’t feel like work when you’re fulfilled as a person and as a professional. i had the luck to meet the CEO/founder of ACES (Kristen Farmer) a few years ago, and she is the perfect representation of how this business is supposed to be. strong, kind, educated, and a fierce listener. i’m such a small fish in the pond but i still felt comfortable speaking with the owner of this pretty sizable company as if she was my own supervisor. i wish i had more words to express what ACES has done for me as a person. there are not enough ways to express my gratitude for their kind teaching and expert service to the clients i love so dearly. everyone benefits when the company itself is as involved and compassionate as ACES.
Cons
there are only a few true difficulties with this job— most of which come with the industry itself. 1. it can be tough when clients cancel, but ACES allows employees to work at least a few hours per scheduled day if they receive cancellations. not so much of an obstacle here thanks to that. 2. ACES does still use some literature and participates in events associated with Autism Speaks, a company that has been soundly criticized by the autistic community as harmful. i would encourage the higher-ups to consider partnering with other organizations, such as the Autism Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN), which are known for promoting agency for and by autistic individuals. 3. this is such a silly one, and is probably more of a pro than a con. because you get to spend so much time with your clients and their families, you do genuinely fall in love with them and become part of their lives. it can be hard to separate yourself from them at the end of the day. a lot of in-home ABA companies do not allow contact between families and staff outside of work, which is of course a sensical decision in many ways, and ACES is among them. i will say that there are times i wish i could call a parent myself when i know their child is sick and check on them, but luckily, supervisors are very attentive and will more often than not pass on messages like these in a short period of time.
