Who is a part of an ABA Therapy team?
The short and sweet answer is the child or adult receiving services is the main member of the therapy team as well as a Therapist! The long answer is that a few more people are involved who go through different training and qualifications to become certified to provide Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services.
Typically the people involved in ABA sessions are the child or adult (often referred to as a client or patient), a caregiver, and either a RBT, BCaBA, or a BCBA who all practice under the BACB. Talk about a tongue twister!
The most important member of the session is the one receiving the services. Here at Learning Perch and many other ABA organizations, we follow the lead of the child and use their motivation to promote communication skills. If the child loves bubbles, the therapist in the session will spend a lot of time focused on blowing bubbles to help increase communication skills. If the child loves singing five little monkeys, the therapist will make that one of their favorite songs too.
Reviewing the other people involved in a session, the next individual is a RBT. A RBT is a Registered Behavior Technician. These are the individuals implementing the therapy plan, teaching new skills each session, and they often get the best part of the job by seeing the person who they are working with reach new heights every week. They generally spend the most time with the individual by playing and teaching new skills. As a caregiver, you will be able to observe the sessions done by the RBT and oftentimes the RBT will include you as part of the sessions to work on goals you have for communication between yourself and your child.
The requirements to become a RBT are to be at least 18 years of age, obtain your high school diploma, complete a 40-Hour training program, complete a competency assessment, and lastly, pass the RBT exam. RBTs can practice ABA therapy under BCBAs as long as at least 5% of their hours are supervised by a BCBA. They are often the heart and soul of the ABA world by making real and meaningful changes in the client’s life.
The next person who is typically involved in a session is a BCaBA. This is a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysis. A BCaBA performs many similar tasks as the RBT as well as additional tasks on the programming side of things. A BCaBA conducts assessments which determine goals for an individual to work on, supervise RBTs, and analyze data. Similar to a RBT, a BCaBA can only practice ABA therapy under the supervision of a BCBA. The requirements to become a BCaBA are similar to the RBT with the difference between additional ABA coursework, a bachelor’s degree, and a completion of supervised fieldwork hours.
Lastly, in the ABA alphabet of people involved is a BCBA. A BCBA is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. A BCBA is a graduate-level practitioner who can provide behavior-analytic services and supervise the work of RBTs, BCaBAs, and other professionals who implement behavior-analytic interventions.
To become a BCBA, an individual must obtain a master’s degree and complete ABA coursework. The coursework covers Ethics, Principles of Behavior, and a few other subjects which teach people a deeper understanding of the field of ABA. Additionally with completing the coursework, BCBAs complete between 1500 to 2000 fieldwork hours before sitting for the board exam to become a BCBA. Once passing the exam, a BCBA can independently practice ABA therapy.
When there is an ABA session occurring, the BCBA may or may not be physically present. They will typically focus their time on creating programs for their clients, analyzing data, teaching caregiver ABA communication tools and strategies, and supervising RBTs. When any questions arise about programming or what to do for your child when something new comes up, the BCBA will help answer those questions. BCBAs have typically spent multiple years as a RBT or in a similar field developing their skills and have experience to draw from to assist with providing insight of the use of different communication tools and strategies to families.
A BCBA will be the main point of contact for families and clients and often share updates with the families on targeted goals that have been decided to work on. If you ever want to excite a BCBA, ask how the data looks. We use this data to determine what strategies are most effective for the individuals and how we can best provide success for your child.
All these professionals listed practice under the Board Analyst Certification Board (BACB). The BACB is a non profit that focuses on protecting those that receive behavior analytic services and set professional and ethical standards for practitioners to abide by. It is another place for families and practitioners to access resources as well as verify information in the field of ABA.
Overall, the focus of all these practitioners is the same. We focus on providing the highest quality of therapeutic service to your child or a client and strive to make sessions a fun, successful time for individuals to learn and grow. The beauty in this field is that all the practitioners get the opportunity to be surrounded by amazing people and witness their growth towards success.
We hope this article provided you with a deeper understanding of who the practitioners of ABA therapy are and as always, our Learning Perch team is here to help you. Our dream is to help families everywhere through compassionate and quality care, without compromise.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for professional advice from a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Always consult with your personal BCBA regarding specific behavioral interventions and treatment plans. The author(s) of this blog are not responsible for any actions taken based on the information presented here.
