Registered Behavior Technician (RBT)

notes from a RBT class I took and turned some of it into flash cards

Five categories of intervention from least to most intrusive:

1. Antecedent based interventions

2. Reinforcement Based interventions

3. Extinction Procedures

4. Negative Punishment

5. Positive Punishment

NCR (Non-contingent reinforcement)

delivering a reinforcer on a time-based schedule, independent of whether the target behavior occurs.

Differential reinforcement

reinforcing a desired or alternative behavior while withholding reinforcement for the behavior targeted for reduction, according to the specific differential-reinforcement procedure.

Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)

reinforcing a behavior that is physically incompatible with the problem behavior, so the two behaviors cannot occur at the same time.

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative behavior (DRA)

reinforcing a specific alternative or replacement behavior instead of reinforcing the behavior targeted for reduction.

Differential Reinforcement of low rates of behavior (DRL)

reinforcing a behavior only when it occurs at or below a specified low rate, with the goal of decreasing the frequency of the behavior without eliminating it completely.

Differential Reinforcement of High Rates (DRH)

behavior when it occurs at or above a specified rate, with the goal of increasing the frequency of that behavior.

Extinction

discontinuing the reinforcement that previously maintained a behavior, which should result in a decrease in that behavior over time.

List Behaviors that can use extinction

1. disruptive to others in the environment

2. used to avoid compliance

3. used to obtain attention, items, access to activities

4. provide sensory feedback

Attention Extinction

not allowing the target behavior to produce escape or avoidance of the task or demand

Escape Extinction

procedures that involve denying the opportunity to escape something the individual finds negative or aversive

Extinction burst

temporary increase in the frequency, duration, or intensity of a behavior after reinforcement is discontinued.

Emotional Responding

Showing alternate feelings like crying, yelling, having a tantrum, or acting out when they no longer get something they want for a behavior that use to work.

Spontaneous Recovery

temporary return of a previously reduced or extinguished behavior after a period of time.

Goal of Punishment and when to use it

intended to decrease the future frequency of a behavior. Implemented when procedures are authorized in the behavior plan and under supervision.

Type 1 punishment

adding a stimulus or consequence that will serve to reduce future occurrences of a behavior. Also Called Positive Punishment.

Type 2 Punishment

removing a stimulus or reinforcer after a behavior, resulting in a decrease in the future occurrence of that behavior. Also Called Negative Punishment.

Time Out

temporary loss of access to reinforcement following a behavior, according to an established procedure.

Non-exclusionary time out

client stays in the same setting but is not allowed acces to reinforcement for a brief time

Exclusionary Time out

the client is removed from the reinforcing environment for a short period.

Behavior Acquisition Plans

identifies the skills to teach and the procedures for teaching them.

Errorless Learning uses what kind of prompting

most to least

What is in a Behavior acquisition plan

may include goals, target skills, materials, teaching procedures, instructions, prompting procedures, reinforcement, data collection, and mastery criteria.

Stages of Learning Tasks

1. initial behavior acquisition

2. fluency

3.generalization

4. maintenance

Discriminative Stimulus (SD)

signals that a particular behavior will be reinforced.

Responding Joint Attention (RJA)

responding to another person's direction of attention, such as looking toward an object when the person points to or looks at it.

Initiating Joint Attention (IJA)

gaining the attention of someone else for the purpose of showing or telling something

Match to sample task

learner to select a comparison stimulus that matches a sample stimulus

Listener Responding

Responding to a verbal instruction or verbal stimulus from another person, such as following the instruction “touch your nose.”

Tact

verbal operant in which a person labels or describes a nonverbal stimulus, typically contacting social reinforcement.

Level 1 autism

requires support. Social-communication differences and restricted or repetitive behaviors are present

Level 2 autism

requires substantial support because social-communication difficulties and restricted or repetitive behaviors cause significant interference with functioning.

Level 3 autism

requires very substantial support because severe social-communication difficulties and restricted or repetitive behaviors cause marked interference with functioning.

Types of Behavioral Functions

• attention,

• access to tangibles/activities,

• escape/avoidance

• automatic reinforcement.

Summarized and Graph Data Provide

show patterns and trends, evaluate progress, and determine whether an intervention may need to be continued, modified, or discussed with the supervisor.

What is the focus of ABA interventions

focus on observable and measurable behavior and on identifying and changing environmental variables that influence that behavior.

Critical observation Skills

1. attention to detail

2. patience and persistence

3. objectivity

4. analytical skills

5. Ethical Judgement

6. Accurate Note Taking

Structured observation

Setting up specific or controlled conditions so a behavior can be observed and measured.

Target

A specific, clearly defined behavior or skill selected for teaching, measurement, or behavior change, based on assessment and functional impact.

Mand

Request for something a person wants or needs

Probe

A brief assessment used to see if a learner can perform a skill, checks the skill rather than teaching it.

Task Analysis

skill broken down into smaller steps

Norm-reference

type of evaluation that compares an individual's performance against the scores of a peer group

Task analysis Steps

1. identify the target skill

2. break down the skill into smaller steps

3. create a data sheet with each step listed

4. observe the client performing the skill

5. identify the steps they can and cannot do

Functional Assessment Steps

1. define the Behavior

2. collect data

3. review data to identify patterns

4. hypothesis development (possible functions of the behavior)

5. . Hypothesis Testing (systematic test to confirm theory)

Activities RBT's perform in an assessment

1. data collection

2. preparing materials

3. implementing

4. assessment protocols

5. providing support and motivation

6. communicating with supervisors

Functional assessment

systematic process for identifying environmental variables and possible functions related to a challenging behavior.

Forward Chaining

help the learner master a multi-step skill by teaching the first step first, delivering reinforcement after the learner completes the step being taught

Backward Chaining

Teaching a task by teaching the last step first, then adding the steps before it until the learner can complete the whole task.

Total Task Chaining

Teaching and practicing all of the steps of a task during each teaching opportunity, using prompts and reinforcement as needed.

Anecdotal recording

a narrative account of behavior and its context, often in an open-ended format. Used to identify behaviors to address as the first step in determining what other kinds of data needs to be collected.

ABC recording

Documents the antecedent, the behavior itself, and the consequence. Can help identify patterns and possible behavioral functions.

Consequences

events that happen after a behavior often as a result of the behavior.

Discrete behaviors

have a clear beginning and ending.

Rate of response is calculated

The number of times a behavior happens compared to a unit of time. Rate = frequency ÷ time x 100

Duration recording

measures how long a behavior lasts from when it begins until it ends.

Latency recording

measures the amount of time between a specific cue, instruction, or SD and the beginning of the target behavior.

Antecedents

any event that occurs before a behavior that can also serve to trigger it.

interdisciplinary collaberation

a coordinated effort of different professionals to ensure the best outcomes for clients

Multidisciplinary teams

A team made up of professionals from different fields who work with the same client while focusing on their own areas of expertise.

Hierarchical structure

A team or organization with different levels of authority, where people have different roles and decision-making responsibilities.

effective communication

exchanging information in a clear, concise, and purposeful manor

Effective communication involves

verbal and nonverbal elements such as active listening, body language, and being able to adapt messages to different kinds of audiences, and should be brief and to the point

Active listening

fully concentrating, understanding, and responding.

The appropriate tone conveys what

respect and professionalism, also conveys the content of the message and emotions behind it.

Tips for ensuring role clarity

1. Define roles early

2. Written documentation

3. Ongoing communication

4. Training and supervision.

Ways teams can manage conflict

1. Establish team norms.

2. Address conflict early.

3. Use structured problem-solving.

4. Practice active listening.

5. Focus on the client’s best interests.

Collaboration Requires What

team members to communicate, coordinate their roles, share relevant information, and work together toward a shared goal.

Role Clarity

each team member understands their responsibilities, boundaries, decision-making authority, and how their role interacts with the roles of other team members.

Aspects of Mutual Respect

acknowledging expertise, equal contribution, active listening, open communication, collaboration over competition, supportive interactions

types of observation-based discontinuous data recording

1. Whole interval

2. Partial interval

3. Momentary time sampling

Permanent Product Recording

Measure the lasting result of a behavior.

whole interval data collection sheets need to have

1. Space to record the data,

2. the client,

3. the target behavior

4. who is collecting the data .

5. A column to record the start time of a data collection period

6. Several columns for the intervals where data is recorded

calculating the percentage of intervals

Percentage of intervals = (total number of intervals) ÷ total number of intervals × 100.

Momentary Time Sampling

records whether the behavior is occurring at a specific predetermined moment, commonly at the end of each interval.

Partial interval recording

Behavior is recorded if the behavior happened during the interval at any time even if it doesn’t occur for the entire interval. Best for high rates of behavior but can overestimate the frequency the behavior occurs

Discontinuous Data Collection

records behavior during selected portions or moments of an observation period rather than continuously. Types are partial, whole interval, and momentary time sampling.

Whole interval Recording

scores the behavior as occurring only when it happens for the entire interval. If behavior stops it is scored as non-occurrence.

Permanent Product Placement

Looks at what was left behind or changed by a behavior.

Behavioral Crisis

occurs when behavior creates an immediate or significant risk of harm to the individual or others and requires a safety-focused response according to the crisis plan.

Aggression

may cause physical harm to another person or damage property and should be defined using observable, measurable behavior.

Topography

physical form, shape, or appearance of a behavior.

Self injurious Behavior

intentionally producing an injury to ones own body

Stages of a Crisis

1. Calm

2. Triggers

3. Agitation

4. Acceleration

5. Peak

6. De-escalation

7. Recovery

Response Hierarchy

sequence of behaviors that can produce the same or a similar outcome, often arranged from lower- to higher-intensity responses.

DTI session require

Highly structured, fast-paced teaching session. Breaks big skills down into parts and teaches them using quick repeated practice.

physical prompt

help the learner perform the correct response, ranging from partial assistance to more complete physical guidance.

partial physical prompt

limited physical guidance to help the learner begin or complete a response, while using less assistance than a full physical prompt.

modeling prompt

performing the response so the learner can imitate it.

gestural prompt

use a motion to guide to the correct response.

verbal prompt

telling the learner how to respond.

hand over hand

full physical prompting in which the instructor physically guides the learner's hand through the required response.

positional prompt

moving the object related to the prompt closer

time delay prompt

presents the SD and then waits a planned amount of time before delivering the prompt, with the goal of transferring stimulus control from the prompt to the SD.

information that must be documented:

1. Change in behavior

2. Client illness

3. Changes in schedules or locations for intervention

4. Parent requests regarding interventions and schedules

5. Other events that could impact services or responses to services

6. Incidences that interrupt services

Variables that affect clients

1. illness

2. unexpected behaviors

3. significant family

4. disruption suspected

5. maltreatment or abuse

new behaviors that should be reported.

1. New self-injurious behaviors

2. New aggressive behaviors

3. Behaviors that indicate a loss of skills

4. Behaviors that indicate the client seeing or hearing things that are not present

protected healthcare information (PHI)

1. Person’s name

2. Date of birth and dates of treatment

3. Person’s address, contact numbers, email addresses, or websites

4. Social security, driver’s license, or medical account numbers

5. Physical identity information like photos or fingerprints

6. The client’s current diagnosis or other health conditions

7. The client’s past or future diagnosis or health condition

8. The intervention or treatment the client receives

9. The payment information for the services the client receives

HIPAA breaches that can occur in an ABA organization:

• Sending emails with PHI that are not encrypted

• Disclosing PHI in common areas

• Not shredding documents that contain PHI

• Transporting documents containing PHI in unsealed folders

• Transporting documents off-site in unlocked containers

• Wearing a company logo while working with a client in the community

• Using a telehealth system that is not HIPAA-compliant

• Texting PHI to other staff

Session notes Contain What

1. Date and time of the session

2. The client’s demographics

3. Relevant intervention goals or objectives

4. Description of the client’s behavior during the session

5. Interventions used during the session

6. Type of data used to record responses to trials and stimuli

7. The RBT’s observations 8. Information needed to communicate to the supervisor or for the next session