Table f C
Table f C
A Mea
e
e
eme
A 1 Prepare for Data Collection
A 2 Implement continuous measurement procedures e g , frequency, duration
A 3 Implement discontinuous measurement procedures e g , partial whole
interval, momentary time sampling
A 4 Implement permanent product recording procedures
A 5 Enter data and update graphs
A 6 Describe behavior and environment in observable and measurable terms
B A
e
me
B 1 Conduct preference assessments
B 2 Assist with individualized assessment procedures e g , curriculum based,
developmental, social skills
B 3 Assist with functional assessment procedures
C Skill Ac
i i i
C 1 Identify the essential components of a written skill acquisition plan
C 2 Prepare for the session as required by the skill acquisition plan
C 3 Use contingencies of reinforcement e g , conditioned unconditioned
reinforcement, continuous intermittent schedules
C 4 Implement discrete trial teaching procedures
C 5 Implement naturalistic teaching procedures e g , incidental teaching
C 6 Implement task analyzed chaining procedures
C 7 Implement discrimination training
C 8 Implement stimulus control transfer procedures
C 9 Implement prompt and prompt fading procedures
C 10 Implement generalization and maintenance procedures
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
2
C 11 Implement shaping procedures
C 12 Implement token economy procedures
D Beha i
Red c i
D 1 Identify essential components of a written behavior reduction plan
D 2 Describe common functions of behavior
D 3 Implement interventions based on modification of antecedents such as
motivating operations and discriminative stimuli
D 4 Implement differential reinforcement procedures e g , DRA, DRO
D 5 Implement extinction procedures
D 6 Implement crisis emergency procedures according to protocol
E D c me
a i
a d Re
i g
E 1 Effectively communicate with a supervisor in an ongoing manner
E 2 Actively seek clinical direction from supervisor in a timely manner
E 3 Report other variables that might affect the client in a timely manner
E 4 Generate objective session notes for service verification by describing what
occurred during the sessions, in accordance with applicable legal, regulatory, and
workplace requirements
E 5 Comply with applicable legal, regulatory, and workplace data collection,
storage, transportation, and documentation requirements
F P
fe
i
al C
d c a d Sc
e f P ac ice
F 1 Describe the BACB s RBT supervision requirements and the role of RBTs in the
service delivery system
F 2 Respond appropriately to feedback and maintain or improve performance
accordingly
F 3 Communicate with stakeholders e g , family, caregivers, other professionals
as authorized
F 4 Maintain professional boundaries e g , avoid dual relationships, conflicts of
interest, social media contacts
F 5 Maintain client dignity
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
3
A. Measurement
A-1 Prepare for data collection.
Data collection is a key component when delivering services to clients The following
are preparations that can be taken when preparing for data collection before a
session takes place
Read over plans goals put in place by the BCBA prior to the session, this way you know
exactly what you are collecting data on
Collect all necessary materials
Set up the environment prior to the start of the session
A-2 Implement continuous measurement procedures (e.g., frequency,
duration).
Name f C
i
Mea
eme
F e
e c
De
i i
E am le
a continuous measurement
procedure that measures
the number of behaviors
over time
E am le Your ex has called
you 23 times in the last half
hour The f e e c of calls
is 23
Ra e
The number of occurrences
of a behavior OVER TIME
E am le Jim engages in 10
instances of hitting in 5
minutes The a e is 2 per
minute
D
The amount of time in which
the behavior occurs
Duration measures how
long a behavior has
occurred, and is used for
behaviors with a clear
beginning and end
E am le You are trying to
get a baby to sleep
throughout the night You
decide to take the duration
of how long the baby sleeps
by recording the minutes on
your stopwatch Pg 79
How long between the end
of an SD and beginning of a
response
E am le Alyssa s mom
asked her to brush her teeth
The client sits on the stool in
the bathroom for five
minutes before picking up
a i
La e c
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
4
her toothbrush The
La e c is 5 minutes
I
e e
e Time
The amount of time that
elapses between instances
of a particular behavior
E am le Billy is engaging
in frequent head hitting
throughout his session The
BCBA determines that a
DRO needs to be put into
place but before doing so
IRT data will be collected
During a session Billy hits his
head 4 times Time in
between each head hitting
is 20 min, 25 min, 15 min and
20 min The a e age IRT i
mi
e
A-3 Implement discontinuous measurement procedures (e.g., partial &
whole interval, momentary time sampling).
Discontinuous Measures describes any form of measurement in which some
instances of the response classes of interest may not be detected Discontinuous
measurement may yield data that are an artifact Always measured in a percentage
of intervals yes intervals total intervals
Po W u
Name f Di c
i
Mea
eme P ced
Wh le I
e
al Rec
di g
e
De
i i
E am le
The observer records
whether the behavior
occurred for the whole time
or not Typically used for
behaviors you want to
increase Can underestimate
the occurrence of behavior
readysetaba
E am le Sitting during
circle time is broken down
into :30 second increments
to show the percentage of
sitting If the child sits for the
whole interval you will mark
an X, if they get up during
any point of the interval, you
ReadySetABA
5
mark a O
Pa ial I
M me
e
a
al Rec
di g
Time Sam li g
The observer records
whether the behavior
occurred at any time during
the interval Typically used to
decrease behaviors Can
overestimate the occurrence
of behavior
E am le Hitting others
happens several times per
hour IRT is taken
interresponse time and the
data shows it occurs about
every 5 minutes You take
data on whether the
behavior happened at all
during the five minute
interval
The observer records
whether the behavior
occurred at the end of the
interval
E am le The teacher is
taking data on a student s in
seat behavior She sets a
timer for 10 minutes and at
the end of every 10 minutes
checks to see if the student
is in her seat If the student
is sitting in her seat at that
moment the teacher will
mark an occurrence
A-4 Implement permanent-product recording procedures.
Measuring the end product of a behavior by observing the effect it had on the
environment
E am le A learner is required to make the bed before going outside, we go to the bedroom
to observe the bed made, and allow the learner to go outside
A-5 Enter data and update graphs.
A-6 Describe behavior and environment in observable and measurable
terms.
When describing defining behaviors it is important to describe them in observable and
measurable terms It is important that any individual reading goals data can get a clear
picture of what the behavior looks like and or what they will be taking data on There are
three key components including:
Clea readable, provides a clear picture of what the behavior looks like, can be replicated
C m le e provide examples
Objec i e The behavior is observable
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
6
B. Assessment
B-1 Conduct preference assessments.
Preference assessments are used to determine stimuli that may act as a reinforcer
This does not necessarily mean that the item WILL be reinforcing, just that the
learner prefers that stimuli over others
F ee O e a P efe e ce A e me
Observing the learner in the natural
environment and recording the items that they interact with
Si gle S im l P efe e ce A e me
Presenting the learner with one stimulus
at a time and recording the level of engagement with the item
Pai ed S im l P efe e ce A e me
Presenting two items at a time and
recording the item the learner chooses It is important that all items in the
assessment are paired together to create a preference hierarchy
M l i le S im l Wi h Re laceme
Presenting multiple items 3 6 and
recording which item the learner choses Then the item the learner chose is
presented in a new array, and the item the learner chooses is recorded and so on
until all trials have been completed
M l i le S im l Wi h
Re laceme
Presenting multiple items and recording
which the learner chooses The item is then removed from the array, and the
remaining items are presented
B-2 Assist with individualized assessment procedures (e.g.,
curriculum-based, developmental, social skills).
Sometimes, you will be asked to participate with an assessment procedure.
Assessment procedures will help determine targets behaviors that need to be a
part of a client program. All goals targets should be socially significant to the
client and operationally defined.
B-3 Assist with functional assessment procedures.
Sometimes, you will be asked to participate in a functional behavior assessment.
This includes indirect assessments such as interviews, checklists, and
questionnaires about behavior functions. This also includes direct assessments
like ABC data collection forms. You will be asked to ask parents questions about
behaviors like when they often occur, the frequency of the behavior and severity.
You will be asked to take data collection on the behaviors in real time. ABC data
collection includes the Antecedent, the Behavior, and the Consequence.
Here is an example:
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
7
Date Time
Antecedent
Behavior
Consequence
3 3 21 Lunch,
11:30am
Client sitting in
the lunch room
with 10 other kids.
Loud
environment, 1 1
therapy, demand
presented to get
lunch box and sit
down.
Client sat on the
floor and said,
no combined
with crying and
hitting attempts.
This lasted about
:30 seconds
Therapist
gestured to the
lunchbox and
said, Let s grab
your lunch box
After this data is gathered, the ABA team will create a behavior intervention plan
and hypothesize the function of the behavior. You may be asked to help with the
operational definition and make suggestions on strategies that are working in
your sessions.
C. Skill Acquisition
C-1 Identify the essential components of a written skill acquisition plan.
Data is the driving force of behavior analysis Every few months a BCBA Team
reevaluates the learner s need for services Behavior analysts analyze data across
behaviors and skill acquisition programs to determine the need for ongoing services
Sometimes, data tells us that the learner is ready for discharge, or the decrease of
services Additionally, the progress on a behavioral and skill level can tell us services
need to continue, or increase The essential components of a written skills
acquisition plan are explained in more detail below
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Description of the target behavior skill:
Material needed to teach the skill:
Strategies to teach the skill:
Consequences for correct and incorrect answers:
Mastery Criteria:
Reinforcement Strategies:
Plan for maintenance and generalization
C-2 Prepare for the session as required by the skill acquisition plan.
Prior to the beginning of a session with a client the following should be completed
1
Set up the environment based on the skill acquisition plan
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
8
2
3
Gather materials needed to implement the skill acquisition plan
Ensure that all reinforcers that may be needed preferred throughout the
session are present
C-3 Use contingencies of reinforcement (e.g., conditioned/unconditioned
reinforcement, continuous/intermittent schedules).
Using schedules of reinforcement is key to consistency when teaching acquisition
goals and intervening with behaviors As an RBT there are many types variations of
reinforcement schedules that you might be asked to implement with a client These
will be decided on by the BCBA and demonstrated taught to the RBT s on the case
The four types of intermittent reinforcement schedules are:
T
e
Fixed Ratio FR
De c i
i
E am le
FIXED same RATIO per
response
E am le FR3, means for every 3rd
response, the individual receives
reinforcement
Fixed ratio schedules produce
high rates of responding
Fixed Interval FI
FIXED same INTERVAL time
E am le FI5min, means every 5
minutes the individual will receive
reinforcement
Variable Ratio VR
VARIABLE average RATIO per
response
E am le VR5 means the individual
will be reinforced on an average of 5
responses A learner may receive
reinforcement after every 5th
response, then every 4th response,
etc as long as an average of 5 is
maintained
Variable Interval VI
VARIABLE average INTERVAL
time
E am le VI2 means the individual
will be reinforced on an average of 2
minutes A learner may receive
reinforcement after 1:30, after 2:15,
etc as long as an average of 2 min is
maintained
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
9
C-4 Implement discrete-trial teaching procedures.
Di c e e T ial They are used to teach new skills and involve an Sd followed by a
response, then followed by a consequence Operant conditioning This is controlled
by the clinician s presentation of stimuli
Operant conditioning is learned behavior that is shaped by the consequences
Positive and negative reinforcement along with positive and negative punishment
are ways that behavior changes Looking at ABC data can help us dissect
contingencies at play When we say contingency, we think of depending upon
Without the A, we wouldn t have the B and therefore wouldn t have the C These
three terms are contingent upon one another
Here is a way to break down these scenarios
1 What is the behavior
2 Was something added or ake away
3 Did the behavior i c ea e or dec ea e in the future
Let s look at an example from the example from above:
Date Time
Antecedent
Behavior
Consequence
3 3 21 Lunch, 11:30am
Client sitting in the
lunch room with 10
other kids Loud
environment, 1 1
therapy, demand
presented to get
lunch box and sit
down
Client sat on the
floor and said, no
combined with
crying and hitting
attempts This lasted
about :30 seconds
Therapist gestured
to the lunchbox and
said, Let s grab your
lunch box but did
not prompt The
client escaped the
demand
Lunch time 3 4 21
Lunch room,
demand placed to
get lunch and sit
down
Falling to the floor,
crying, hitting, verbal
protests
Therapist ignored
the behavior and did
not follow through
1
2
3
Behavior is sitting on the floor, saying no combined with crying and hitting
Demand removed negative
Did the behavior increase or decrease increased Reinforcement
The main components of a Discrete Trial Training DTT session include:
1
Mixing and varying targets by using Sd s and prompting
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
10
2
Clear and concise instructions, and clear definition of what a correct response
looks like
3
Some examples of Sd s in often found in DTT sessions are What is it
Give me,
point to, show me Match, What goes together
What does a cow say What is your
name Find the
C-5 Implement naturalistic teaching procedures (e.g., incidental teaching).
Incidental teaching Naturalistic Teaching Non Intensive Teaching is using learning
opportunities in everyday activities with the child s interests and initiations
Guiding principles to Incidental Teaching include:
Natural Environment
Generalization
Language and MO
Indiscriminable contingencies never know when getting reinforcement
E am le Barb is intrigued with playing her alien game Her teacher is trying to get her to
answer WH questions in the form of an intraverbal Instead of trying to move her back to
her desk, she decides to join her on the floor and ask her WH questions about aliens
C-6 Implement task analyzed chaining procedures.
Chaining is a behavior change procedure that is used for teaching new, complex
behaviors When teaching a chain of behaviors, a task analysis is required A task
analysis is breaking complex behaviors into smaller, teachable components
There are four types of behavior chains:
1. F
a d Chai i g The learner is required to perform the first step in the task
analysis, then the rest is prompted Once the learner master s the first step,
they will move the second and the rest will be prompted
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
11
2
Back a d chai i g Reinforcement occurs at the end of the chain The
learner is prompted through all of the steps until the last step The learner is
expected to perform the last step and has a sense of completion, then after
that step is mastered, they are expected to perform the last two steps This
chain is faded backwards accordingly
Backward chaining is often chosen when the learner does not have any of the
skills in the chain
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
12
3
Back a d Chai i g i h Lea Ahead This chain is backward chaining
where the individual can already perform the last few steps You would leap
ahead to teaching step 7 and require them to perform 8 and 9 on their own
4 T al Ta k Chai i g Wh le a k c c
e chai i g This chaining
procedure is used when the learner knows parts of the chain but not all
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
13
C-7 Implement discrimination training.
Di c imi a i
In simple terms discrimination is learning the difference between
things This occurs when certain stimuli evoke a certain response Example: A learner
says Mommy in the presence of their mom, but not when seeing their aunt
C-8 Implement stimulus control transfer procedures &
Stimulus control occurs when rates of responding happen exclusively or at a higher
rate in the presence of a stimulus rather than in its absence
E am le You stop your car in the presence of a stop sign, or a red traffic light but do
not stop your car on the road during your drive Stopping the car is controlled by
specific stimuli
When evaluating stimulus control, we want to ask ourselves: Wha i c
lli g he
beha i
Is this what we want to be controlling the behavior or is there something
else Wha d
e d Stimulus control transfer We prompt fade Start with partial
physical guidance, move to gesture and eventually the demand Line up should
control the behavior
C-9 Implement prompt and prompt fading procedures.
When we think about stimulus control, we think about the Sd, or the stimulus that is
controlling the behavior Ask yourself, what is needed for the person to exhibit the
behavior
When we stop at a redlight, the redlight is needed for us to stop Before we learned
what this was, we needed someone to say, When it is red, we stop Maybe at first,
the person teaching you to drive pointed and said, Stop it is red The words, Stop, it
is red were controlling your behavior paired with the redlight It wasn t until a few
trials later, that you learned to just stop when the light was red This is an example of
a stimulus control transfer procedure
In the classroom, we may see kids lining up by the door when the teacher says, Line
up One child in particular may need a gesture prompt every single time this is said
Right now, the gesture prompt is controlling the behavior We need to work on
transferring the control of the gesture to the line up along Prompt fading is used
to transfer stimulus control
The purpose of a prompt is to increase the likelihood of correct responses Prompts
are divided into two groups response prompts and stimulus prompts
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
14
There are many ways to fade prompts We should know that least to most prompting
is always preferred We want to be as least intrusive as possible We know that when
teaching skills, we may need to provide support initially We often want to give kids
the chance to respond on their own, then represent the demand Sd and prompt
H
d
e
m
Re
eP m
ABC contingency
happen during the Antecedent or BEFORE the behavior in the
T e Verbal prompting, Modeling, Gesturing, Physical Guidance
E am le A teacher asks the class What day is it Then points to Monday on the
calendar
S im l P m
Operates ON the antecedent stimulus or discriminative stimulus
SD These include position cues moving an object closer touching, pointing,
looking at the correct item, redundancy clues such as pairing shapes color size
E am le You say, What is this With the visual prompt apple already written on
the picture Anything that occurs WITH the SD is an example of a stimulus prompt
P m Fadi g The gradual transfer of stimulus control from the prompt to the
naturally occurring SD such as least to most or most to least
Also g ad a ed g idance hand over hand prompting with fading It is important
to know that prompt fading is related to stimulus control transferring
E am le Stimulus fading such as adding more letters to the name or fading the
work apple out
C-10 Implement generalization and maintenance procedures.
Ge e ali a i
This occurs when a variety of stimuli evoke a similar response
E am le Manding in a variety of environments, to a variety of people
Mai e a ce Displaying a skill, without additional teaching over a predetermined
period of time
E am le Without continued intervention, the learner is able to sort a variety generalization
of items by color, shape and size
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
15
C-11 Implement shaping procedures.
Sha i g is differential reinforcement of successive approximations to a target
behavior Shaping is used when a learner does not have the behavior in their current
repertoire, or when they cannot do the behavior at all
H
d
e im leme
ha i g Using prompts, models, gestures, instructions can
enhance the efficacy of shaping Pathway to Passing the BACB Exam book
Sha i g E am le Molly is a 4 year old girl with autism who is just starting to show
expressive vocal language Her therapist wants her to be able to say swing when she wants
the swing Right now, Molly can say s and ring spontaneously Her therapist wants to
shape the word Swing by reinforcing successive verbal approximations to the target word
swing , To start, Molly s therapist will reinforce the s sound In action, Molly runs to the
swing and her therapist says, What do you want Molly says, s her therapist follows with
You want swing good telling me while placing her in the swing Next session, Molly runs to
the swing and says s , this time her therapist says, What do you want Say sw Molly says s ,
her therapist does not provide reinforcement yet but instead repeats, sw Molly says, sw
and her therapist provides reinforcement Next session Molly will be reinforced for swi until
she is able to say swing
C-12 Implement token economy procedures.
A procedure in which smaller reinforcement tokens is delivered contingent on
responses As the learner earns a predetermined amount of tokens, they can
exchange them for a higher value reinforcer Often the higher value reinforcer is
determined at the start of the session
D. Behavior Reduction
D-1 Identify essential components of a written behavior reduction plan.
The essential components of a written behavior reduction plan include the following:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Target behaviors
Definition of target behaviors
Function of target behaviors
Antecedent Strategies
Replacement Strategies
Reinforcement Strategies
Consequence Strategies
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
16
D-2 Describe common functions of behavior.
ABA is a science that focuses on socially significant behaviors using research based
strategies to improve behavior As an ABA clinician, you must understand the
importance of objectively measuring and describing behavior
Basically, if we can figure out why the individual is doing what they are doing, we can
replace it with a more appropriate behavior We have to know the function What are
the functions of behavior
F
c i
E am le
E am le During math class Alyssa engages in
disruptive behavior including getting up from
her seat, tapping on her desk and ripping up her
paper Everytime she engages in these
behaviors the teacher sends her out of the
classroom to sit in the hall Therefore, Alyssa
engages in these behaviors more because she is
able to escape from math class
E ca e
A e
i
E am le Everyday during lunchtime Aiden
throws his fork on the ground His teacher picks
up the fork and says Aiden please keep your fork
on the table
Ta gible
Se
a
ma ic ei f
E am le P wants access to his brothers trains,
he goes over and snatches them with force from
his hand without asking
ceme
E am le Nail biting is often an example of
sensory behavior This feels good to the person in
some way In ABA we want to avoid targeting
sensory behaviors that cause no harm to the
individual Most of the time, it is just a way to
regulate which we should not intervene In the
case of a behavior that is harming the individual,
we want to provide strategies to address this
We must provide replacement behaviors for these target behaviors that match
the function! If we expect the child not to engage in aggression when trying to
escape the task, we must provide them another way to ask for a break. Meanwhile,
we need to figure out why they want to escape and fix our teaching. Is the work
too di cult Is the environment set up to accommodate the child How can we
provide more intrinsic motivation or reinforcement
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
17
D-3 Implement interventions based on modification of antecedents such
as motivating operations and discriminative stimuli.
It is important that we set up the environment to promote learning Creating a
motivating environment is key to setting the individual up for success Countdowns,
warnings, timers, coping strategies, functional language are all examples of
antecedent strategies
D-4 Implement di erential reinforcement procedures (e.g., DRA, DRO).
Differential reinforcement refers to reinforcing your learner on a specific schedule, for
a specific behavior or absence of a behavior while withholding reinforcement for a
problem behavior
Diffe e
ial Rei f ceme
P ced e
De
i i
E am le
Diffe e ial Rei f ceme
O he Beha i
DRO
f
Any other behavior can be
reinforced besides the
target problem behavior This is
often utilized for more severe
behaviors, or behaviors that
present a safety concern
E am le Peter engages in
severe head hitting behavior
that leaves bruising The BCBA
on his case decides to
immediately implement a DRO
procedure that will allow Peter
to engage in any other behavior
besides head hitting First, they
take IRT interresponse time
data on head hitting to
determine an interval schedule
They determine after a short 1
hour observation that he will be
on an interval of 7 minutes
Every 7 minutes, if Peter does
not engage in head hitting, he
will receive one minute of a
youtube video
Diffe e ial Rei f ceme
Al e a i e Beha i
DRA
f
Behaviors alternative to the
target behaviors are reinforced
These often include
replacement behaviors and are
rather general
E am le Reinforcing walking
next to the therapist rather than
eloping, Nice walking with
me or also, Great sitting in
your chair rather than out of
seat behavior
A replacement behavior is
selected that is incompatible
with the target behavior
E am le folding hands
together in replacement of
slapping peers, hands in
Diffe e ial Rei f ceme
f
I c m a ible Beha i
DRI
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
18
pockets instead of sucking on
thumb Sitting in your chair
instead of running around the
room These behaviors cannot
physically be done at the same
time
Diffe e ial Rei f ceme
f
L
Ra e f Beha i
DRL
This schedule is used when you
don t want to completely
extinguish a behavior
E am le You want to decrease
the amount of time between
each behavior For example,
Garry eats too fast, he is on a
DRL to reduce the rate of
eating He must wait 10 seconds
between each bite
Diffe e ial Rei f ceme
f
High Ra e f Beha i
DRH
This is a behavior you want to
increase such as hand raising A
particular reinforcement
schedule in which
reinforcement is delivered for
rates of responding ABOVE a
specified predetermined
criterion based on the
individual s performance in
previous intervals
E am le Veronica answers 3
questions per class regularly,
her teacher wants her to answer
8 questions per class period to
increase her responding She
will be given a sticker after
answering 8 questions
D-5 Implement extinction procedures.
Withholding reinforcement that previously maintained the behavior Extinction does
not equal ignoring What is maintaining the behavior What is the function
In an extinction procedure, you are withholding reinforcement that maintains the
behavior, this is not always attention Noting and understanding the function of the
behavior is important here, as extinction will be ineffective if it is not withholding the
correct reinforcer
E am le A client engages in a tantrum when a peer is playing with a preferred item
The learner is engaging in this behavior to gain access to the item During an extinction
procedure in this case, we would deny access to the item, until the learner calms and is able
to request for the item appropriately, or moves on to a new activity if the item is unavailable
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
19
D-6 Implement crisis/emergency procedures according to protocol.
Sometimes, calm down protocols will be written to deescalate severe behaviors In
this case, there is a specific criteria for emergency situations Refer to your employee
handbook and BCBA instructions on how to handle difficult situations in order to
keep your client safe
E. Documentation and Reporting
E-1 E ectively communicate with a supervisor in an ongoing manner.
It is important to ensure that 5 of your direct therapy hours are supervised by a
BCBA. Your supervisor will schedule to come into your therapy sessions to
supervise and give feedback on an ongoing basis. It is important to
communicate with your supervisor if you are low on hours, have questions or
need specific feedback.
E-2 Actively seek clinical direction from the supervisor in a timely manner.
Be sure that you are asking your supervisor if you need client materials or have
behavior questions in a timely manner.
E-3 Report other variables that might a ect the client in a timely manner.
It is important to report variables that might a ect client progress as they are
noticed. Reporting these could include but are not limited to:
Session Notes
Communicating directly with the BCBA on the case
ABC data on new behaviors not included in the behavior intervention plan
Some of these variables might include:
Illness
Medications
New behaviors
Changes in sleep patterns
Changes at home school etc.
E-4 Generate objective session notes for service verification by describing what
occurred during the sessions, in accordance with applicable legal, regulatory,
and workplace requirements.
Ensure that you know the session note requirements for your individual work
place. In general make sure you are following the following:
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
20
1. Complete session notes for all clients in a timely manner.
2. Make sure data is collected and recorded on all current goals.
3. Make sure all required documentation is filled out including data of
session, start time end time.
E-5 Comply with applicable legal, regulatory, and workplace data collection,
storage, transportation, and documentation requirements.
Upon starting your job as an RBT make sure you are aware of your workplace
requirements for data collection, storage, transportation, and documentation. It
is important to do the following:
Maintain client confidentiality
Keep documentation for 7 years per the BACB
Not share any photos, pictures of client work, etc. with individuals or social
media
Keep files documents secured. Documents are often electronically stored
but if using paper all documents should be locked away when not in use.
F. Professional Conduct and Scope of Practice
F-1 Describe the BACB’s RBT supervision requirements and the role of RBTs
in the service-delivery system.
The BACB has specific supervision requirements that an RBT must follow once
they become credentialed. See the chart below for those requirements.
Who can supervise an RBT
A BCBA or BCaBa who has completed the
proper supervision requirements to
supervise others.
What is the duration of a supervision
period
1 month
How many hours need to be supervised
5 of an RBT s total direct hours worked
each month
What are supervision activities
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
21
F-2 Respond appropriately to feedback and maintain or improve
performance accordingly.
As an RBT you should receive frequent feedback from supervisors, clinic directors,
ect to maintain or improve your performance. Remember, this is beneficial to help
you be the best clinician you can be. It is vital that you take that feedback, ask
questions and work on making those improvements.
F-3 Communicate with stakeholders (e.g., family, caregivers, other
professionals) as authorized.
You will be asked to provide parents, caregivers and other professionals updates
on behavior interventions strategies at times. It is important to provide objective
language and provide data when possible. Parent involvement is crucial to the
success of therapy.
F-4 Maintain professional boundaries (e.g., avoid dual relationships,
conflicts of interest, social media contacts).
It is unacceptable to accept gifts, babysit, or interact on social media with any
clients. Also, if you are in public and see a client, you should not approach them.
It is important to protect client confidentiality therefore, clients and their families
should not be discussed with other families or clients.
F-5 Maintain client dignity
It is imperative to respect your client by accepting their autonomy and privacy.
You must use initials when discussing progress to your supervisor and
colleagues. You must not discuss your client with anyone outside of your ABA
team. Avoid physical contact as much as possible unless specifically instructed by
your BCBA for safety reasons.
Tips: Preparing for your competency assessment
When preparing to become an RBT follow the steps below, work with your agency
and or BCBA s and reference the BACB website.
Step 1
Anyone working to become an RBT must
meet the following requirements set by the
BACB
Must be at least 18 years old
Must have a high school diploma
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
22
Must pass background check
Must complete a 40 hour training
Must complete initial competency
assessment
Step 2
If you meet all the above criteria you can
apply to become an RBT at
https: www.bacb.com rbt
Step 3
Once approved by the BACB you will
receive information on how to sign up for
the exam. You will sign up for a time slot at
a Pearson testing center.
If you pass the test you will proceed to
the next step, if you need to retake the
exam you can do so 7 days after your last
attempt per the BACB.
Step 4
Once you pass and become a registered
behavior technician RBT you will need to
maintain the following requirements
Receive supervision from a BCBA
5 of your direct hours spent with
clients must be supervised
Adhere to the ethics set by the
BACB
Renew your certification annually
this will include a new competency
assessment given by a supervisor
and a renewal application that will
be completed and submitted in
your BACB portal
For more resources please check out readysetaba on Instagram, Facebook and
Our new YouTube Channel
Version 1.2 Revised 4 3 2021.
readysetaba
ReadySetABA
23