Applied Behavioral Analysis Practice Flashcards
Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) Role and Job Requirements
Professional Title and Scope: Ari's First Big Girl J-O-B refers to beginning a role as a behavior technician (BT). This role involves providing therapy and support to clients with Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
ASD Characteristics: Autism Spectrum Disorder is identified as being different for everyone. It is categorized as ASD 1 in some instances. The focus is on understanding how a child learns and applying scientific methods to support them.
Team Structure: Behavior Technicians work closely with a client and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) supervisor. Technicians are responsible for writing clinical reports.
Onboarding and Timeline:
Start Date: April 1st.
Onboarding Checklist: Managed through the Workday email system.
Maryland ePREP: A required component of preparation/onboarding.
Training Duration: The 40-hour training course typically takes 1 week, but may take up to 2.
Certification Deadline: There is an 8-week window to complete the training. Start Date: April 1st; End Date: May 27th.
Professional Growth Path:
Initial role: Registered Behavior Technician (RBT).
Performance reviews occur every 6 months. After 6 months, a technician can become a Lead BT.
After holding the Lead BT position for 1 year, the individual can become a Senior BT.
Financial and Rewards Programs:
RBT Completion: A $1.00 benefit is noted upon completing the certification process.
Super Stars Rewards Program: Available for use by employees.
Referral Bonuses: $100 for referring a non-RBT certified person; $250 for referring an RBT certified person.
Administrative Tasks:
Keep track of notes, time worked, and contact with the supervisor.
Provide copies of HS or college transcripts.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Foundations
Definition of ABA: Applied Behavior Analysis is a scientific and evidence-based approach that applies the principles of learning and behavior to understand and improve human behavior. It is described as "Science + Heart."
Core Components:
Applied: Focusing on socially significant behaviors.
Behavior: Anything that can be measured or observed, ranging from a small action to a complex skill.
Analysis: Systematically approaching work, analyzing data, and making adjustments to best help the client.
The Seven Dimensions of ABA (BATCAGE):
Behavioral: Target behaviors are observable and measurable.
Analytic: Data analysis tracks improvement and effectiveness.
Technological: Protocols are described clearly so they can be replicated exactly.
Conceptually Systematic: Every strategy connects to established principles of human behavior (e.g., reinforcers).
Applied: Focuses on behaviors that are socially significant and impactful for the client.
Generality: The learned behavior lasts over time and occurs in different environments.
Effective: Improvements are seen and are impactful for the client.
Three-Term Contingency (ABC Sequence):
Antecedent (A): An environmental event or stimulus that occurs immediately before the behavior.
Behavior (B): The specific response or action taken by the client.
Consequence (C): A stimulus or event occurring immediately after the behavior.
Example: A worker sees a customer (Stimulus/Antecedent) $\rightarrow$ Greets them (Response/Behavior) $\rightarrow$ They share a positive interaction (Consequence).
Clinical Documentation and Data Collection
Session Note Protocol:
Notes must include exact start and end times.
Write and verify notes during the last 15 minutes of scheduled therapy sessions.
For in-home services, obtain caregiver signatures on the note right before the session ends.
It is prohibited to write and verify notes for sessions that did not occur or for inaccurate times.
Graphing and Visual Analysis:
Line graphs are the standard for ABA. They use points connected by lines to show trends over time.
X-axis: Represents time (sessions, days, or weeks).
Y-axis: Represents the measure of behavior (rate, percentage, duration, or count). Labels must match the data source (e.g., "Percent Correct").
Condition Line: A solid vertical line marking a change in overall treatment condition (e.g., switching from baseline to intervention).
Phase Change Line: A dashed vertical line marking a smaller change within a condition (e.g., fading prompts).
Visual Inspection Criteria:
Level: The general height/position of the data on the y-axis.
Trend: The overall direction (Increasing/Ascending, Decreasing/Descending, or Flat/Stable).
Variability: The degree of fluctuation between data points (High variability vs. Low variability/Stability).
Immediacy of Change: How quickly the behavior shifts after a condition change. Immediate shifts show stronger evidence of treatment effect.
Overlap: How much data from one phase falls into the range of another. Low overlap indicates a stronger treatment effect.
Charting Logic:
Baseline: Provides the comparison point for intervention.
Steady State Strategy: Collecting data until behavior is stable before changing conditions.
Withdrawal/Reversal Designs: Alternating between baseline and intervention phases.
Assessment Procedures
Types of Assessments:
Preference Assessment: Identifies items/activities the client likes/dislikes (e.g., choosing between different toys). It determines what stimuli function as reinforcers.
Skill Assessment: Structured evaluation of a client's abilities in communication, daily living, motor skills, and academics. Commonly used tools include VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, and AFLS.
Functional Assessment: Identifying the purpose or "function" of a behavior (Social Attention, Escape, Tangibles, or Sensory/Automatic).
Preference Assessment Methodologies:
Free Operant: Unrestricted access; observer records time spent with each item.
Single Stimulus: Presenting one item at a time and recording engagement.
Paired Stimulus: Presenting two items and having the learner select one; shows a clear rank order.
Multiple Stimulus (MSW): With replacement; chosen item goes back in the array.
Multiple Stimulus (MSWO): Without replacement; chosen item is removed after being selected.
Functional Assessment Methodologies:
Indirect: Interviews, checklists (FAST, QABF, MAS).
Descriptive (ABC Recording): Direction observation of Antecedents, Behaviors, and Consequences in the natural environment.
Functional Analysis (FA): Highly controlled experimental test manipulating conditions (Attention, Escape, Tangible, Alone) to identify behavior causes.
Probes: A brief, structured skill check without prompts or reinforcement to see what a client can do.
Reinforcement Principles
Reinforcement Definition: Presenting a consequence immediately after a behavior that results in an increase in that behavior in the future.
Positive vs. Negative:
Positive (+): Adding a stimulus results in increased behavior.
Negative (-): Removing an aversive stimulus results in increased behavior.
Factors Affecting Reinforcer Effectiveness:
Immediacy: Delivery within 1-2 seconds.
Quality: Higher value/preference items work better.
Magnitude: Size or intensity of the reinforcer.
Satiation: Reduction in effectiveness if a reinforcer is delivered too often.
Establishing Operations (EO): Factors that make something more reinforcing at a particular moment (e.g., hunger makes food more reinforcing).
Response Effort: As effort increases, behavior likelihood decreases.
Schedules of Reinforcement:
Continuous (CRF): Reinforcement follows every correct response (used for new skills).
Intermittent: Some but not all responses are reinforced (used for maintenance).
Fixed Ratio (): Set number of responses (e.g., reinforces every second response).
Variable Ratio (): Average number of responses (e.g., reinforces around an average of every 4th response).
Fixed Interval (): First response after a set amount of time (e.g., minutes).
Variable Interval (): First response after an average amount of time (e.g., minutes).
Note: schedules often produce a post-reinforcement pause.
Skill Acquisition Methodologies
Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT): A structured format with five parts: 1. Discriminative Stimulus (), 2. Prompt (if needed), 3. Response, 4. Consequence, 5. Inter-Trial Interval ().
Natural Environment Teaching (NET): Skills are embedded into everyday life and child-led activities. It uses natural reinforcers.
Incidental Teaching: Using a learner's initiation to prompt a response and expand learning.
Shaping: Reinforcing successive approximations toward a final target behavior.
Chaining: Teaching a sequence of linked behaviors.
Forward Chaining: Teaching the first step first.
Backward Chaining: Teaching the last step first (provides immediate terminal reinforcement).
Total Task Chaining: Teaching every step during each trial.
Prompting: Assistance given to increase the likelihood of a correct response.
Response Prompts: Physical (hand-over-hand), Model, Verbal.
Stimulus Prompts: Positional, Movement, Redundancy (color, size, shape).
Prompt Fading: Gradually reducing prompts to foster independence (e.g., Time Delay, Proximity Fading).
Hierarchy: Most-to-Least or Least-to-Most intrusive.
Generalization: Behavior occurring across different people, stimuli, and settings.
Maintenance: The persistence of a skill after intervention has been removed. Checked via Maintenance Probes.
Behavior Reduction and Crisis Management
Functions of Behavior (SEAT):
Sensory (Automatic Reinforcement).
Escape (Social Negative Reinforcement).
Attention (Social Positive Reinforcement).
Tangibles (Social Positive Reinforcement).
Extinction: Discontinuing reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior.
Extinction Burst: A temporary increase in rate, intensity, or duration of the behavior.
Spontaneous Recovery: Reoccurrence of behavior after it was extinguished.
Differential Reinforcement:
DRO: Reinforcing Other behavior (absence of the target).
DRA: Reinforcing Alternative behavior (serves the same function).
DRI: Reinforcing Incompatible behavior (cannot occur simultaneously with target).
DRL/DRH: Reinforcing Low/High rates of behavior.
Punishment: Consequence that decreases the future probability of a behavior.
Positive Punishment: Reprimands, Overcorrection (Restitutional or Positive Practice), Response Blocking.
Negative Punishment: Time-out (Exclusionary vs. Non-exclusionary), Response Cost.
Crisis Management:
Escalation Cycle: Baseline/Calm $\rightarrow$ Trigger $\rightarrow$ Agitation $\rightarrow$ Acceleration $\rightarrow$ Peak $\rightarrow$ De-escalation $\rightarrow$ Recovery.
Protocol: Stay calm, maintain safety, follow written crisis plan, call for assistance, document/debrief.
Environmental Blocking: Arranging the environment to prevent danger without touching the client.
Prohibitions: No takedowns, holds, or seclusion without authorized training. Do not improvise physical procedures.
Ethics and Professional Standards
Confidentiality and Privacy:
Follow HIPAA and FERPA regulations.
Protect Protected Health Information (PHI): names, photos, voice recordings, locations.
Use initials only in documentation. Never take pictures of children or post them on social media.
Professional Boundaries:
No social relationships with families outside of the job.
Gift limit: Can accept gifts worth up to $10.00; higher amounts are considered bribery.
Do not answer clinical questions; refer caregivers to the supervisor.
Mandated Reporting: RBTs are legally required to report suspected abuse or neglect (of children, elderly, or animals) based on reasonable suspicion.
Supervision Requirements:
At least $5\%$ of monthly hours providing behavior-analytic services must be supervised.
Example: $40$ hours of service = $2$ hours of supervision; $80$ hours = $4$ hours.
Supervisor must be an active BCBA/BCaBA and cannot be a relative or employee.
At least 2 face-to-face contacts per month, with at least one individual session. Contacts must be at least 30 minutes.
Interobserver Agreement (IOA): Consistency between two observers collecting data.
Procedural Fidelity Formula: . Aim for at least $80\%$.
RBT Certification Maintenance: Recertify annually (12 PDUs required). Inactive status incurs a $25$ fee; exam costs $65$.
Questions & Discussion
Parent Concerns regarding Attention Span: If a parent reports a poor attention span, the RBT should ask for specific, detailed examples of the struggle to track observable behaviors and measure them.
Treatment Plan Conflicts: If a supervisor has a plan, the RBT cannot alter it. If inconsistencies are noticed, it must be reported to the supervisor for retraining or adjustment.
Ethics of Data: Do not alter scales or omit data to favor results; this is unethical. All data must be included in graphs.
Multiple Relationships: If a supervisor invites an RBT to personal outings (e.g., drinks/dinner), it constitutes a multiple relationship risk and should be reported to HR or a higher-up if it persists.