Step Ahead ABA in North Carolina — Applied behavior analysis therapist in Charlotte, NC

I have been scheduling my competency assessment with them for about a month because they kept cancelling on me for no real reason. Today when I have my second try because I got one question wrong in my first (had to reschedule multiple times since because they cancelled on me so much that I wound up having other things coming up that interfered), I was kicked from the meeting and never even got to try. I think this process needs work within this company because this is already so nerve-racking when it's your first time becoming certified, but the fact that they are making it this frustrating is just very upsetting. Fair warning to anyone looking into their RBT program; I was hopeful this would be beneficial, but instead have just wound up annoyed with this company and their lack of consistency.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Step Ahead Therapy – A True Gift to Our Family We are beyond grateful for the incredible support from Step Ahead Therapy, especially our therapist Deja and care coordinator Candace. Deja has worked with our middle son for several years, and her impact has been nothing short of life-changing. Watching him read, write, and express himself in ways we never imagined has been a beautiful journey—and Deja has been at the heart of it. Her patience, kindness, and consistency make her not only the perfect therapist for our son, but a role model for our entire family. Even when she’s not here, we find ourselves quoting her or joking about how “perfect” she is—because she truly is. Our youngest and oldest sons adore her, and even our puppies light up when she arrives! Candace, her manager, is just as wonderful—always responsive, thoughtful, and available whenever we need support. Together, Deja and Candace have brought peace, progress, and joy into our home. We couldn’t imagine our lives without them.

My son has been working with step ahead ABA for about a year and a half now and to be honest this is the best place I’ve found for in home ABA ! You can tell they really are passionate about helping my son from the RBT’s that he’s worked with to the staff ! They are very open to communicating needs and wants . And are very educated in my opinion ! My son was on 2 different waiting list for ABA services for 2 years and once I heard about step ahead they hit me up about services within that week . It took a little time to find a therapist but they communicated with me the entire time and it didn’t take too long to find one but I just love how this company is and to top it all off my son is actually progressing ! I’m a real person and they really do help !!! Highly recommend !

Jasmine and the entire team at Step Ahead ABA were amazing. We enjoyed having them as part of our daily routine and family for the over a year we were with them. Nicholas made life changing improvements with their services, and he has retained the habits he built and still utilizes the tools he learned. I would recommend Step Ahead to any family looking for an ABA therapy practice.

If I could give NO stars and still leave a text review I would! My son was accepted into this “organization” in January of this year. Their promise to no waitlist meant he was accepted but we WAITED 5 months to get any kind of in-home therapy and then got discharged from the practice because THEY couldn’t find a therapist to assign to him. I was made aware that this was a possibility a month before their “deadline” in accordance with insurance. Okay, that stinks but they said they would continue to try and place him with someone in the meantime. That date comes and goes and it takes ME having to reach out to them to see what’s going on. The response I got from his BCBA is basically, well we told you we couldn’t place your son so we are done with you…no actual follow up, no update that they couldn’t place him since I was told they would be working to up until that date. Nothing, crickets. I wrote back how horribly handled this was and it’s gross that since you can’t collect a check on my son you just wash your hands of him without any actual notice?! I did receive a follow up call from THAT email with an apology from someone else but only to be told that shouldn’t have happened and they apologize it did. OBVIOUSLY it shouldn’t have happened. Anyone with an actual care for the wellbeing of the children would know that’s not how you handle having to remove them from your practice because of lack of therapist. Anyone with actual concern would send them on their way with nothing less than well wishes. Not this BCBA, she ASSUMED I would just take the date as an end all be all without an update from their end. So moral of the story is…yeah there’s no waitlist to be accepted but the chances of actually getting services could run months and months and once they can’t place you just assume they are done with you. Totally disgusting and I understand why they have a 2 star rating. We have been dealing with therapist and companies for years since my son was first diagnosed developmental delayed and this is BY FAR the worst experience I have EVER EVER EVER had.

I had 3 children receiving services from Step Ahead starting in 8/2022. Staff turnover was very high, which is common in this field, & each child had multiple RBTs & BCBAs of varying quality. Some were really good, & my children progressed so much, hence the 2 stars. However, others were not so good, with various issues such as unreliability & failure to follow the program well. Some staff repeatedly left trash from their lunch for me & my partner to clean up over the course of several months. There was also other property damage, which I admittedly didn't officially broach with the company because I was afraid of straining relationships. My boyfriend wanted me to raise the issues with management, but I told him to stay quiet about it & I would absorb the costs ($100s). On 6/4 the BCBA informed me that there were issues with our home & handed me a checklist saying there must be improvements shown before 6/14. A Medicaid family was given less than 2 weeks to make improvements that would require a significant financial burden. Several of the issues had been raised before, but my partner & I saw them as requests instead of requirements. I spent at least $600 to buy things necessary for the improvements, such as a higher-powered AC for the therapy room. On 6/6, sessions were ended early due to a child getting sick, & by that night we were both vomiting. This resulted in me suspending sessions for a week while the kids got sick in succession. Normally, their dad would help, but he had to leave town for most of the week for personal emergencies. One of his longest friends had a catastrophic accident & wasn't expected to live. So even though I was sick, I was the only caregiver for almost a week for 4 kids, doing the work that it normally took 2 parents to do. I pushed myself really hard all week. By the time the dad came home, he was sore from days of sleeping in chairs & could not help me with the labor to finish the checklist. I informed the BCBA on Thursday that we could have sessions on Friday, which happened to be the deadline, but I wasn't able to finish the list. I didn't want to miss another day if we didn't have to. On 6/14, we had sessions, then the BCBA told me we were being discharged. It didn't matter that I'd already invested a significant sum & had all materials ready, to show good faith intent on my part. It didn't matter that we'd had extenuating circumstances for the preceding week. It didn't matter that all we needed was a weekend to finish. It didn't matter that we could be given the weekend as a grace period without putting the staff at risk, since they weren't due to step foot into the house over the weekend. Three children's relationships with their RBTs were severed due to issues that could have been easily fixed without putting anyone at risk. The BCBA even told me when 1 child was still in the room & removed the boxes of reinforcers in front of him. I emailed Nick H. at 3:25 to make sure he knew of the extenuating circumstances. He did not respond until Monday. He'd had his phone on silent even though he knew what was happening with us on Friday. He insisted on discharging. At this point, the RBTs were still showing up on online scheduling. On the Friday after discharge, I finally heard from the COO. She said she was responding to various messages I'd sent other people & yet she didn't directly address several points, such as the fact that granting us grace would have hurt absolutely nobody. On Monday, we finally received the discharge papers. They include a blurb about reason for discharge, that conveniently leaves out context & could potentially prejudice other companies in the future. Before signing up, please decide whether you want to open yourselves up to similar treatment. We had extenuating conditions, but we had shown good faith by investing significant money, & just needed the grace of a weekend. The company's handling of the matter was inflexible, disproportionate (not necessary to protect staff) & really cruel to the kids, who still ask about their "friends" & are heartbroken.

My son had therapy for 11 months with Step Ahead ABA. Cacey was an absolutely exceptional rbt, mentor, friend, and an amazing person. Vanessa was also amazing and so attentive! They listened to my concerns, did their best to answer my questions, and had no problem helping me research when we didn't know. We've been to a lot of places, and through a lot of therapists, these girls were easily the best. I was so sad to see them go, but so glad we were able to have them in our lives for as long as we did. Cacey and Vanessa are the best!! Getting in touch with any of the office people is crazy though. 🙃

Waste of time, we waited almost 7 months for an RBT, never got one, was told "sorry, times up! we have to discontinue your services" nothing but excuses, BCBA's are no help, unprofessional. Do yourself a favor, don't even bother with them.

I was going to start Aba therapy here with my youngest child but the hoops and the disrespect of every level made me change my mind. They overstep their bounds and talk down to you. I am glad I found out before I decided to bring them in my home. If I were you I will stay clear of this agency. They say they can accommodate you but them come up with excuses on why they cannot. BEWARE!!!! This place is no good.

This company is a joke! BCBAs are manipulative and damaging to your child. If you do not agree with their "treatment" plan, they will retaliate against you and drop you, leaving your child without therapy. We have had many ABA companies and so far the treatment of this one is the worst! Was told to set up a meeting or services would be terminated-tried to get meeting scheduled and BCBA cancels two minutes before the meeting. Very unprofessional and rude! Stay away from this company!