Location: California
I recently got a job as an early intervention aide. It’s a state funded program meant to help socialize toddlers who are all likely on the spectrum, before they are old enough for state-run preschool. While this is my first full job in the field, I’ve volunteered in plenty of these roles before.
Within the first few weeks on the job, however, I noticed the teachers (my supervisors) denying kids access to water and snacks during snack time if they couldn’t sit still or be quiet. This is unfortunately common with any ABA based therapies, but what isn’t common is them not putting a time limit on the punishment and sending kids home without ever offering water.
This is after 2 hours of structured play in an extremely warm room, often with the same kids crying their eyes out the entire time. And these are 2 yr olds. There’re compounding issues here that I know would lead individual organizations to fire people over: 1) Not allowing a child access to their water bottle or any other water when asked for (in this case reached for). 2) Requiring standards of nonverbal, special-needs toddlers that most neurotypical toddlers could not reasonably follow. 3) This punishment is done in front of all the other kids, as the other kids eat and drink, making it a humiliation tactic as well.
I am considering quitting because my concerns have been brushed off. I have been told “It’s only 2 hrs, they’ll be fine”, and “it’s not a punishment, they weren’t completing a task so they didn’t get to move on”. I feel physically ill watching kids beg for water with hand motions and be ignored because they couldn’t be still, then ignored more because they’re crying. I’ve also seen ASL ignored on multiple occasions, pushing the kids to vocalize despite making a perfect sign.
Anyway, I would like to know if there are any specific state or federal laws, or precedence, on this matter that I could bring up to HR and the program’s director. I have peer reviewed studies to reference on the harms of these tactics, but based on the reception I’ve gotten so far I doubt they’ll care to update their methods on that alone. They seem very fixated on it only being two hours, therefore not harmful or illegal to deny water. Because these kids cannot talk, it’s also my word (the new aide) against theirs (two long-time employees).
I’m at a loss. I don’t want to quit, and I was so excited for this job, but now I go home sick to my stomach every day thinking of my own kid being treated that way.