Staff, Tariffs, and RFK Jr.: What ABA Companies Need to Know Right Now

ABA Business News Roundup – April 28, 2025

If you're running or supporting an ABA business in 2025, this past month has been a wave of challenges, wake-up calls, and policy shifts. From devastating turnover rates to global economic pressure through new tariffs, to a controversial national autism registry proposal out of Washington — there’s a lot to keep track of.

This roundup breaks down the three biggest developments affecting ABA practices and what they actually mean in practical terms. We’ve also included direct links to deep dives on each topic and tools you can start using right now.

🔁 ABA Staff Turnover: A Crisis We Can’t Ignore

Let’s be blunt: some ABA companies are now replacing their entire workforce annually. According to CentralReach’s 2025 data, large enterprise-level ABA providers are reporting a 103.3% turnover rate. Mid-size organizations? 89.3%. Small businesses? 77.4%.

These numbers are devastating — financially and clinically. Turnover leads to treatment disruptions, inconsistent client-staff relationships, burnt-out supervisors, and frustrated parents. It can even affect your payer relationships and business reputation.

We explored this in our popular I Hate My Job podcast series:

• Episode 84 – Burnout and Unethical Practices
• Episode 114 – Real Solutions to Workforce Instability
• Episode 112 – Ethical Dilemmas from the Field
• Episode 111 – Frustrations of ABA Professionals

Want to know what this is costing you? Try our free tool:

For a full breakdown and solutions, read the article below:

💸 Tariffs and the Rising Cost of Doing Business

The U.S. has issued new tariffs on imports from China, including toys, books, electronics, and more. These are items ABA providers use every day — and some tariffs are as high as 145%.

This means higher prices for laptops, tablets, fidget toys, flashcards, and sensory items. Many printed educational materials are also affected. These rising costs put pressure on budgets and may limit what you're able to offer staff and clients.

What You Can Do:

• Buy refurbished tablets and laptops (e.g., on eBay or Back Market)
• Use digital tools instead of physical ones where possible
• Source used materials locally via Facebook Marketplace or Buy Nothing groups
• Plan ahead and bulk-buy what you know you’ll need

For more practical tips:

🧬 RFK Jr.’s Autism Registry: A New Era of Surveillance?

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed creating a national autism registry that would collect data from health records, insurance claims, pharmacy logs, and even fitness trackers. And it may be done without consent.

Advocates, including ASAN, have spoken out strongly. The concerns are big: privacy, autonomy, stigma, and who controls the data. There’s also worry that this could lead to more ableist policy-making.

If you're an ABA provider, you need to stay alert. If this registry ever becomes linked to payer systems or compliance measures, it could seriously affect your operations.

Breakdown here:

🧠 Final Thoughts: These Aren’t Separate Issues

Whether it’s turnover, costs, or policy, these are all connected. They’re signs that your systems may need an upgrade. That’s what we built the ABA Business Leaders Platform for.

• Growth paths and raise structures
• Onboarding systems to reduce early burnout
• Admin tools and ethical training tracks

If you’re ready to make change instead of reacting to chaos, we’re here to help.