RBT Work — How to Prepare for a Session

Behavioral technicians are the people who directly help support children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These people may be Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) or Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs).

In most cases, RBTs will work one-on-one with patients and report to BCBAs who help coordinate applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) treatment plans. The job of an RBT is extremely important, as they play a direct role in providing support, teaching new skills and helping children on the autism spectrum modify certain behaviors.

They follow the principles of ABA therapy, using many different strategies to target specific skills or behaviors. They have many tools at their disposal to do so, including positive reinforcement and various modeling techniques.

There’s a lot that goes into an RBT’s work, and much of that work is done before sessions with patients are even held. Here’s a quick rundown of the work that RBTs do, including how they prepare for a session.

Learn more about what an RBT does

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They Get to Know Their Clients

ABA therapy is very personalized, which is why it’s considered the gold standard treatment plan for children with ASD. So, even though all RBTs will follow the same principles in administering ABA therapy, they will pick and choose which strategies and tools they use based on each individual client’s strengths, challenges and preferences.

To be successful in administering ABA therapy, RBTs really get to know their clients on a personal basis. They need to know their diagnosis, of course, but also how they are specifically affected by it.

RBTs need to discover what the child’s needs and struggles are. They need to know what the child responds best to, in terms of establishing a trusting relationship, making them feel comfortable and motivating them to learn.

Before RBTs meet their patients, they can gather a lot of great intel through the diagnosis and medical reports, as well as conversations with the child’s parents, caregivers and/or family members. They can then advise with their supervising ABA to gain insights as to what approaches might prove most successful.

Of course, the specific strategies and tools the RBT uses in sessions on day one might evolve dramatically over time, not only as the child progresses toward goals but also as the RBT learns more about the child on a personal basis.

Plan for Fun

Children are often motivated to learn when they think an activity is fun. It’s why so much of early childhood education is play-based; science has proven that it works.

The same applies to children with autism, which is why a large portion of ABA therapy is play-based. When children with ASD have fun, they’re more motivated to learn new skills and behaviors.

RBTs play a central role in whether the child is motivated to learn. That’s why it’s important for RBTs to carefully integrate fun activities into each session’s plan.

There are a number of ways that this can be done. It’s also important for RBTs to be flexible in this regard, as the child may have fun with one activity on one day but then have different preferences the next.

Get to Know the Child’s ‘Team’

The RBT is obviously not the only person directly involved in the child’s ABA therapy. BCBAs provide support to RBTs, mainly in the background, but other people such as medical professionals, parents, caregivers and family members play an important role, too.

For a child with ASD to receive complete support, they need everyone on their “team” to be on the same page and work in unison. As the direct administrator of ABA therapy sessions, it’s incumbent on the RBT to bridge any gaps that exist among all of the different people on the team.

They need to establish a good rapport with parents or the people who are the child’s primary caregivers especially, as they are the people who will have the most direct contact with the child outside of sessions.

RBTs will be not just teaching their patients, but also the parents, caregivers and other family members so that they can reinforce the skills taught in ABA therapy sessions in real-world situations.

The RBTs also need to establish a good working relationship with the child’s medical team and schooling team, coordinating with them on care, progress in therapy and special needs in classroom settings.

Blue Gems ABA Has a Team of Experienced BCBAs and RBTs

RBTs play a crucial role in the direct administration of ABA therapy. They are the ones who interact with the patients the most on a one-to-one basis, and they also establish solid relationships with parents, caregivers and family members, as well as the child’s education and medical team.

At Blue Gems ABA, we have a team of dedicated RBTs and BCBAs who work together to craft personalized and effective ABA therapy plans for all of our patients. They use their years of experience working with patients to meticulously prepare for every session.

To learn more, please contact us today.