Rehab center owner pushes for change following assault in his Colorado Springs facility

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The owner of a Colorado Springs facility called Rehab For All is speaking out about the systemic changes he hopes to see after a 9-year-old child with autism was assaulted by a medical professional in his facility.

A man named Brian Schaffer was hired as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) working with children at Rehab For All in July of 2021. He had worked there for less than a week when court records show, despite not being assigned to the client, he insisted on working with a 9-year-old with autism.

In order to attain BCBA status, you have to have a Master's degree, complete 2,000 hours of supervised experience, and pass a rigorous board exam given by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). Once you attain BCBA status, behavior analysts will typically work in a supervisory capacity, which is why Schaffer wasn't questioned when he stepped in to work with the 9-year-old.

Court records show Schaffer broke protocol and briefly worked one-on-one with the child. During that time, the child told police Schaffer picked him up and threw him across the room, and strangled him. He also told police that he couldn't breathe, felt terrified, and thought he was going to die.

Rehab For All staff told KRDO that they immediately called the police, but failed to notify the boy's parents until they came to pick him up from the facility. They admit that they should have immediately notified his parents and have created a new policy to ensure that happens if any future incidents occur.

The facility also added cameras with audio to all the rooms where patients receive care and extended the amount of time BCBAs receive supervised training following the incident with Schaffer.

Staff at Rehab For All also told KRDO Tuesday that Schaffer told them about a past allegation of abuse when he worked in Arizona, but he told them he was falsely accused. When staff ran his background check and pulled his license status, no prior incidents showed up.

However, meeting notes posted publicly from the Board of Psychologist Examiners for the State of Arizona reveal that he was accused of "conducting overly aggressive and restrictive behavior" with a 4-year-old with autism. With limited evidence, the board decided to censure his state license and notify the board that holds his national license, the BACB, but not take any further action.

Somehow, the prior abuse complaint never impacted Schaffer's license status, something that is frustrating to Pickerill.

"We need a national registry because you can just cross state borders, and just, it's almost like having all your [complaint] history just gone," Pickerill said.

Schaffer's license has since been suspended. He pleaded guilty to felony assault of an at-risk person in April of this year. He's set to be sentenced for the crime on July 19, 2022.