Autism Spectrum Disorder Basics
12%of exam
core characteristicsdiagnostic terminologyjoint attentionco-occurring conditions
Education, Training, and Self-Development
5%of exam
scope of competencesupervisor feedbackskills practicecontinuing education
Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis
6%of exam
ABC contingencyreinforcementpunishmentstimulus control
Instructional Interventions
6%of exam
task analysisprompt fadingchaininggeneralization
Working with Autism Effectively
6%of exam
sensory supportsvisual supportstransitionsindividual preferences
Treating Challenging Behaviors
8%of exam
behavior plansbehavior functionsdifferential reinforcementextinction
Data Collection and Analysis
6%of exam
continuous measurementinterval recordingoperational definitionsbasic graphs
Positive Behavior Support
7%of exam
proactive supportsfunction-based supportreplacement skillsquality of life
Pivotal Response Treatment
5%of exam
learner choicenatural reinforcementmotivationresponse attempts
Discrete Trial Training
4%of exam
discriminative stimuluslearner responseprogrammed consequenceinter-trial interval
Person-Centered Planning
10%of exam
client preferencesmeaningful goalsself-determinationteam collaboration
Functional Analysis
11%of exam
functional relationstest conditionscontrol conditionsupervised implementation
Philosophy, Values, and Advocacy
9%of exam
dignityinclusionadvocacysocial validity
Legal and Ethical Considerations
5%of exam
confidentialitymandated reportingHIPAAscope of practice
Quick Facts
- Credential
- ABAT
- Exam owner
- QABA Credentialing Board
- Role
- Entry-level supervised technician
- Total items
- 125
- Scored items
- 100
- Pretest items
- 25 unscored
- Time
- 120 minutes
- Pass score
- 72%
- Delivery
- Online live-proctored
- Application fee
- $125
- Coursework
- 40 approved hours
- Fieldwork
- 15 supervised hours
- Ongoing supervision
- 5% of monthly services
- Renewal
- Every two years
Autism Core Map
- Autism spectrum
- Varied strengths and support needs
- Social communication
- Core feature area
- Restricted repetitive behavior
- Core feature area
- Joint attention
- Shared focus with another
- Receptive language
- Language understood
- Expressive language
- Language produced
- Pragmatic language
- Social use of language
- Stereotypy
- Repetitive movement or speech
- Sensory-motor
- Sensory and movement processes
- Co-occurring condition
- Additional concurrent diagnosis
Behavior Skills Training
Instruction Models Rehearsal Feedback
InstructionModelingRehearsalFeedback
Training and Professional Growth
- Scope of competence
- Training and experience boundaries
- Unfamiliar procedure
- Pause and seek supervision
- Performance feedback
- Apply promptly and accurately
- BST instruction
- Explain the target skill
- BST modeling
- Demonstrate the target skill
- BST rehearsal
- Practice the target skill
- BST feedback
- Reinforce and correct performance
- Professional development
- Maintain current competence
Three-Term Contingency: ABC
Before, Behavior, After
AntecedentBehaviorConsequence
Reinforcement vs Punishment
Reinforcement
- Behavior increases
- Defined by future effect
Punishment
- Behavior decreases
- Defined by future effect
Effect defines the procedure
ABA Foundations
- Behavior
- Observable measurable action
- Antecedent
- Occurs before behavior
- Consequence
- Occurs after behavior
- Positive reinforcement
- Add stimulus; behavior increases
- Negative reinforcement
- Remove stimulus; behavior increases
- Positive punishment
- Add stimulus; behavior decreases
- Negative punishment
- Remove stimulus; behavior decreases
- Extinction
- Withhold maintaining reinforcement
- SD
- Signals reinforcement availability
- Motivating operation
- Changes reinforcer value
- Deprivation
- Often raises reinforcer value
- Satiation
- Often lowers reinforcer value
- Unconditioned reinforcer
- Works without learning history
- Conditioned reinforcer
- Gains value through learning
Positive vs Negative Reinforcement
Positive
- Stimulus added
- Behavior increases
Negative
- Stimulus removed
- Behavior increases
Negative means removal
DTT vs NET
DTT
- Structured repeated trials
- Clear trial boundaries
NET
- Natural routines
- Naturally occurring motivation
Match structure to teaching goal
Teaching Procedure Picker
- Skill has ordered steps→Task analysis
- Teach sequence from beginning→Forward chaining
- Teach final step first→Backward chaining
- Natural motivation drives teaching→NET or PRT
- Repeated structured trials help→DTT
- Successive approximations improve→Shaping
- Communication replaces problem behavior→FCT
- Prompt dependence appears→Follow fading plan
- Skill needs broader use→Program generalization
Skill Acquisition Toolkit
- Task analysis
- Break skill into steps
- Forward chaining
- Teach earliest step first
- Backward chaining
- Teach final step first
- Prompt
- Extra response assistance
- Prompt fading
- Systematically remove assistance
- Shaping
- Reinforce closer approximations
- Discrimination training
- Teach responding across stimuli
- Stimulus control
- Cue reliably evokes response
- Generalization
- Skill occurs across conditions
- Maintenance
- Skill persists over time
- Error correction
- Follow programmed correction sequence
- Errorless learning
- Prevent errors with immediate prompts
- Mand
- Request controlled by motivation
- Tact
- Label controlled by nonverbal stimulus
- Echoic
- Vocal imitation with matching form
- Intraverbal
- Verbal response without matching form
Effective Autism Supports
- Visual schedule
- Shows activity sequence
- Transition warning
- Signals upcoming change
- Sensory support
- Matches assessed sensory needs
- Learner preference
- Guides motivating choices
- Pairing
- Builds positive instructional rapport
- Choice
- Increases participation and autonomy
- Predictability
- Clarifies routines and expectations
- Communication support
- Matches individual communication system
- Individualization
- Avoid one-size-fits-all assumptions
Behavior Functions: EATA
Every Action Takes Analysis
EscapeAttentionTangibleAutomatic
DRA vs DRO
DRA
- Reinforces named alternative
- Builds replacement behavior
DRO
- Reinforces target absence
- No alternative required
Ask what earns reinforcement
Behavior Reduction Essentials
- Behavior plan
- Implement exactly as written
- Attention function
- Behavior produces social attention
- Escape function
- Behavior delays or removes demand
- Tangible function
- Behavior accesses item or activity
- Automatic function
- Behavior directly produces reinforcement
- DRA
- Reinforce alternative behavior
- DRI
- Reinforce incompatible behavior
- DRO
- Reinforce behavior absence
- DRL
- Reinforce lower response rate
- DRH
- Reinforce higher response rate
- Extinction burst
- Temporary behavior increase
- Spontaneous recovery
- Behavior briefly returns
Partial vs Whole Interval
Partial interval
- Any occurrence scores
- Often overestimates occurrence
Whole interval
- Continuous occurrence scores
- Often underestimates occurrence
Check the scoring threshold
Measurement Picker
- Need response count→Frequency
- Sessions have unequal lengths→Rate
- Need behavior length→Duration
- Need cue-response delay→Latency
- Need between-response time→IRT
- Any interval occurrence matters→Partial interval
- Entire interval occurrence matters→Whole interval
- Need instant snapshots→Momentary sampling
Measurement and Data Grid
- Frequency
- Count each response
- Rate
- Count per time unit
- Duration
- Time from onset to offset
- Latency
- Cue to response onset
- IRT
- Time between successive responses
- Partial interval
- Score any interval occurrence
- Whole interval
- Score continuous interval occurrence
- Momentary sampling
- Check one instant
- Operational definition
- Observable, measurable, objective
- ABC data
- Antecedent, behavior, consequence
- IOA
- Observers independently agree
- Baseline
- Performance before intervention
- Line graph
- Shows change across time
- Scatterplot
- Shows time-based patterns
Positive Behavior Support Map
- PBS goal
- Improve meaningful life outcomes
- Proactive support
- Prevent problems before behavior
- Reactive support
- Respond safely after behavior
- Function-based support
- Match strategy to function
- Replacement skill
- Meets need more appropriately
- Environmental redesign
- Adjust antecedent conditions
- Reinforcement plan
- Strengthen desired behavior
- Least restrictive
- Use minimally intrusive support
- Treatment integrity
- Implement plan consistently
Pivotal Response Treatment
- PRT setting
- Natural routines and play
- Pivotal skill
- Produces broad collateral gains
- Learner choice
- Use preferred materials
- Task interspersal
- Mix mastered and new tasks
- Natural reinforcer
- Directly related to target response
- Response attempt
- Reinforce reasonable effort
- Multiple cues
- Teach attention across features
- Self-management
- Learner monitors own behavior
DTT Cycle
Cue, respond, consequence, pause
SDResponseConsequenceITI
Discrete Trial Sequence
- SD
- Present clear instruction
- Prompt
- Add planned assistance
- Response
- Observe learner behavior
- Consequence
- Reinforce or correct
- ITI
- Brief pause between trials
- Trial data
- Record each response
- Mastery criterion
- Follow written plan threshold
- Prompt level
- Record assistance used
- Transfer trial
- Shift control toward SD
Person-Centered Planning Map
- Person-centered
- Client directs meaningful outcomes
- Strengths
- Build from existing abilities
- Preferences
- Honor informed individual choices
- Self-determination
- Control personal decisions
- Meaningful goal
- Improves daily life
- Support network
- Includes chosen stakeholders
- Collaboration
- Coordinate across team members
- Progress review
- Use data and client feedback
- Quality of life
- Central planning outcome
FBA vs Functional Analysis
FBA
- Broad assessment process
- May include multiple methods
Functional analysis
- Experimental component
- Manipulates relevant variables
Analysis tests functional relations
Functional Assessment and Analysis
- FBA
- Broad function-identification process
- Functional analysis
- Experimentally tests functional relations
- Indirect assessment
- Interviews, checklists, rating scales
- Descriptive assessment
- Observe without manipulating variables
- Attention condition
- Tests social-attention function
- Escape condition
- Tests demand-removal function
- Tangible condition
- Tests item-access function
- Alone or ignore
- Tests automatic reinforcement
- Play condition
- Provides comparison control
- ABAT role
- Implement and collect under supervision
- Function match
- Supervisor matches intervention to function
Values and Advocacy
- Dignity
- Respect inherent human worth
- Inclusion
- Support community participation
- Advocacy
- Promote rights and access
- Autonomy
- Support meaningful choice
- Social validity
- Goals and outcomes matter
- Cultural responsiveness
- Respect context and identity
- Collaboration
- Include clients and stakeholders
- Evidence-based care
- Use supported effective practices
- Non-aversive priority
- Prefer positive support approaches
ABAT vs Supervisor
ABAT
- Implements approved plans
- Collects and reports data
Supervisor
- Designs or modifies plans
- Interprets treatment data
Implementation is not plan design
ABAT Response Flow
- Immediate danger appears→Follow safety plan
- Procedure is unfamiliar→Pause; ask supervisor
- Plan is ambiguous→Clarify before acting
- Extinction burst appears→Follow plan; report
- Data show change→Report; never redesign
- Abuse is suspected→Follow reporting law
- Disclosure may be required→Check confidentiality limits
- Social media involves client→Protect confidentiality
Legal and Ethical Map
- Scope of practice
- Implement; never design treatment
- Supervision
- Required for service delivery
- Confidentiality
- Protect identifiable client information
- Confidentiality limits
- Law may require disclosure
- Mandated reporting
- Follow applicable reporting law
- HIPAA
- Protects regulated health information
- Informed consent
- Authorized voluntary agreement
- Dual relationship
- Avoid conflicting multiple roles
- Data integrity
- Record honestly and accurately
- Billing integrity
- Report only delivered services
- Client welfare
- Prioritize safety and rights
- Ethics concern
- Consult supervisor and code
Common Traps
Negative Reinforcement Is Not Punishment
Negative removes a stimulus ≠ Reinforcement increases behavior
FBA Is Not FA
FBA uses broad assessment ≠ FA experimentally tests function
Pretest Items Look Scored
Twenty-five items remain unmarked ≠ Answer all 125 items
Implementing Is Not Designing
ABAT follows written plans ≠ Supervisor changes treatment
Recording Is Not Redesign
ABAT records objective observations ≠ Supervisor evaluates treatment changes
Prompt Is Not SD
SD signals reinforcement ≠ Prompt adds response assistance
Confidentiality Is Not Absolute
Protect client information ≠ Follow legal disclosure duties
Last Minute
- 1.Memorize 125/100/25 item split
- 2.Budget 120 minutes
- 3.Target 72% passing score
- 4.Answer every pretest item
- 5.Review all fourteen domain weights
- 6.Choose measurements by question wording
- 7.Separate reinforcement from punishment
- 8.Know four behavior functions
- 9.Sequence SD, response, consequence, ITI
- 10.Separate FBA from functional analysis
- 11.Implement plans; never redesign them
- 12.Protect dignity and confidentiality
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