Section B of the RBT Task List 3.0 focuses on Behavior Assessment. This section evaluates your understanding of how behavior is assessed, why it occurs, and how RBTs assist BCBAs in collecting meaningful assessment data.
Approximately 8 questions on the RBT exam are related to behavior assessment. As an RBT, your role is not to design assessments, but to assist your supervising BCBA by following procedures accurately and collecting objective data.
A preference assessment is used to identify items or activities that a client enjoys and may find reinforcing. Preference does not guarantee reinforcement, but it helps determine what items are likely to be motivating.
As an RBT, you may conduct or assist with preference assessments under the direction of your supervising BCBA.
Indirect assessments gather information by asking caregivers, teachers, or the client about preferred items instead of directly observing behavior.
Example:
You ask a parent what their child likes to play with. They report bubbles and
a stuffed unicorn. You include those items in future assessments.
The client is given free access to multiple items with no demands placed on them. You observe which items they interact with and for how long.
Example:
During a 10-minute session, the client spends 6 minutes on an iPad and 3 minutes
with blocks. The iPad is identified as the highest-preference item.
Two items are presented at a time, and the client chooses one. Each item is paired with every other item to create a ranked preference list.
Multiple items are presented. After selection, the chosen item is returned to the array for the next trial.
Similar to MSW, but once an item is selected, it is removed from the array. This method efficiently produces a clear preference hierarchy.
Skill assessments help identify what a client can already do and which skills require intervention. These assessments are essential for developing individualized treatment plans.
RBTs assist with assessment implementation and data collection, while BCBAs design and interpret the results.
Example:
If a client correctly labels a picture independently, you record an
independent response. If prompting is required, you record a prompted response.
These compare the client’s skills to typical developmental milestones across domains such as communication, motor skills, and social behavior.
Social assessments evaluate how the client interacts with peers, initiates communication, and responds to social cues.
A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is used to identify the function of behavior — or what the client gains from engaging in the behavior.
Includes interviews, rating scales, and questionnaires completed by caregivers or staff to generate hypotheses about behavior function.
A functional analysis is a structured assessment conducted by the BCBA to confirm behavior function by manipulating environmental variables in a controlled setting.