RBT Exam Revision Course: Assessment

RBT Exam Revision Course: Assessment

B-01 Conduct preference assessments
B-02 Assist with individualized assessment procedures (e.g., curriculum-based, developmental, social skills).
B-03 Assist with functional assessment procedures

One key to understanding all of the assessments covered in this section is that they are behavioral assessments. Behavior is anything a person does. In ABA, we tend to focus on observable behaviours. This is because observable behaviours are measurable. The Dead Man?s Test is often used to distinguish behavior from non-examples of a behavior. If a deceased person can do something (e.g. not hitting) then it is not regarded as a behavior.

When recording data, operational behavioural definitions give you all of the information you need to distinguish the target behaviour you are recording from similar behaviours. Behavioral definitions avoid ambiguous language and refer only to objective aspects of behaviour. They avoid referring to internal states as these involve the technician interpreting the behavior (e.g. you might be asked to record instances of laughing and smiling but not instances of a person being happy).  

B-01 Conduct preference assessments

Preference Assessments are used to determine which objects or activities that an individual has a higher preference for. These assessments are important to conduct regularly as preferences can shift over time and vary by setting. It is important to note that preference assessments provide an idea of what could potentially work as a reinforcer, but stimuli not considered a reinforcer until it has been shown to increase behavior.

While there are many different ways of conducting preference assessments, three commonly used procedures include

1. Free Operant Observation ? In free operant observation various leisure items/activities are presented in front of a learner and their support worker will measure the duration of engagement with each item/activity for a predefined observation period. They can then rank the items/activities based on the duration of interaction/engagement with them.

2. Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment –  In a paired stimulus preference assessment, several items are identified as potential reinforcers.  All items are then presented side by side (two at a time) in front of the learner, and the assessor observes which items he/she chooses to interact with. They record which item was picked and then rank the items based on the number of times they were picked.

3. MSWO Preference Assessment ? in a MSWO  (Multi Stimulus WithOut Replacement) preference assessment, all potential reinforcers that are being assessed are presented in  a row on front of the learner. The person supporting the learner observes which item the learn picks and interacts with. When the learner is finished with the item,  it is removed from the row and the remaining items are rotated. Then the learner is given an opportunity to pick another item.   This continues until all items are gone or the learner stops picking the items. The observer then RANKS the items based on the order in which they are picked.

B-02 Assist with individualized assessment procedures (e.g., curriculum-based, developmental, social skills).

For this section, we are going to refer to curriculum-based, developmental and social skills assessments as ABA assessments. The overall goal of an ABA Skills Assessment is to provide a representative sample of a client?s existing verbal and non-verbal skills. It should tell you what a client can and cannot do and the circumstances under which behaviors of interest occur and do not occur. Commonly assessed skill areas include mands (requests), tacts (labels), echoics, non-verbal imitation, intraverbals, listener responding, play, social and leisure skills, visual perceptual and matching-to-sample, linguistic structure, self-help, group and classroom skills, and academics.

While the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is ultimately responsible for the implementation of an ABA skills assessment, RBT?s may be asked to assist with some parts of an assessment. Often, this is because RBT?s work regularly with a client and often have more instructional control and rapport than a BCBA who spends less time with a client.  This increased familiarity may make the assessment results more representative of the client?s true skill level.

When asked to assist in an ABA assessment, an RBT may be asked to a behavioral observation or conduct a probe (baseline probe). 

A behavioral observation does not involve any manipulation of the client?s environment. An observation simply requires that you observe the client in their typical environment (e.g. home or school) and record a behavior using an assigned data collection system. For example, you might be asked to observe someone for 30 minutes and record the number of mands they made during that period.

A baseline probe is something you usually carry out before instruction begins for a target skill.  You present the target instruction without a prompt and record the learner?s response as correct or incorrect. In some circumstances, you may record the level of prompting required for the client to carry out the target behaviour.  While instructions will differ depending on the client, the skill and the context, responses are, generally, not reinforced during a baseline probe. 


B-03 Assist with functional assessment procedures

Functional assessments are also an important aspect of the measurement section of the RBT exam. As with ABA Skills Assessment, RBT?s do not conduct Functional Assessments, but may be required to assist with the assessment.

 Functional assessments are used to determine the purpose or function of a behavior that challenges. Understanding the function of a behavior is crucial in developing appropriate intervention strategies. There are various methods for conducting functional assessments, such as functional analysis, functional assessment interview, and indirect functional assessment.

A functional analysis includes in some way manipulating either the antecedents or consequences of a behaviour, to see if this effects how frequently the behaviour is used. This is an experimental method which allows us to more confidently establish what is causing a behaviour.

When using Direct Functional assessment methods, the person conducting the functional behaviour assessment observes the person in their natural (everyday) environment and records objective behavioural data in order to see what is happening before during and after the target behaviour (ABC Data). Direct functional assessment will include collecting data using continuous and/or discontinuous measurement.

When using Indirect Functional Assessment Methods, you do not need to directly observe the behaviour of interest but instead use interviews, questionnaires, surveys, checklists or rating scales.

Assessment Key Terms


Preference Assessment

A preference assessment is a structured method to identify highly preferred items or actions that can be used as (probable) reinforcers to keep a learner?s motivation levels high. Preference Assessments can also be useful in helping to identify items or activities a client wants to engage with more often.

Free Operant Preference Assessment

In free operant observation, various leisure items/activities are presented in front of a learner and their RBT will measure the duration of engagement with each item/activity for a predefined observation period. They can then rank the items/activities based on the duration of interaction/engagement with them

Single Stimulus

A Single Stimulus Preference Assessments is also known as ?successive choice? assessments. During this preference assessment, a single item is provided to a client and the RBT records their behavioral response to each item noting the duration of his engagement with each item. The items that the client approaches and engages with for the longest are regarded as the highest preferred items, and the items that the client does not approach are considered the client?s non-preferred items.

Paired Stimulus

Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment –  In a paired stimulus preference assessment, several items are identified as potential reinforcers.  All items are then presented side by side (two at a time) in front of the learner, and the assessor observes which items he/she chooses to interact with. They record which item was picked and then rank the items based on the number of times they were picked.

MSWO Preference Assessment

In a MSWO  (Multi Stimulus WithOut Replacement) preferenceassessment, all potential reinforcers that are being assessed are presented in  a row on front of the learner. The person supporting the learner observes which item the learn picks and interacts with. When the learner is finished with the item,  it is removed from the row and the remaining items are rotated. Then the learner is given an opportunity to pick another item.   This continues until all items are gone or the learner stops picking the items. The observer then RANKS the items based on the order in which they are picked.

MSW Preference Assessment

In an MSW Preference Assessment, an RBT places an array of items in front of the client, and allows them to pick one. After the client has engaged with the item, the RBT replaces that same item in the array, and then replaces the unselected items with new ones. The RBT repeats this process until after every item has been presented at least twice. Items are then ranked based on the number of times they were selected.

Functional Assessment

A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a type of assessment that is designed to identify the reasons why a behaviour that challenges occurs. As part of a functional assessment, we seek to identify potential setting events, antecedents and consequences that may help to explain why a behaviour occurs. That is, the purpose of a Functional Assessment is to identify the function of a behaviour.

Indirect Functional Assessment Methods

When using indirect Functional Assessment Methods, you do not need to directly observe the behaviour of interest but instead use interviews, questionnaires, surveys, checklists or rating scales. These assessments will be used to identify potential setting events, motivating/abolishing operations, discriminative stimuli and consequences that may be affecting the occurrence of a behaviour that challenges.

Direct Functional Assessment Methods

When using direct assessment methods, the person conducting the functional behaviour assessment observes the person in their natural (everyday) environment and records objective behavioural data in order to see what is happening before during and after the target behaviour. This may involve using ABC recording, scatterplots or measurement systems such as frequency, duration, whole-interval recording or partial interval recording.

Functional Analysis

A functional analysis is a specific type of functional assessment procedure that involves the BCBA and RBT directly manipulating  antecedents and/or consequences. They test a hypothesis about the function of a behaviour in an experimental manner. Data is collected on the occurrence of a behaviour during different experimental conditions and this data can be used to confirm or refute a hypothesis.

ABC Data Collection

ABC recording is a method of data collection that identifies the antecedent, behaviour, and consequence of a specific target behaviour.

Individualized Assessment Procedures

Individaulized Assessment Procedures typically refers to skills assessments in ABA. These assessments may related to life skills, academic skills, communication skills, leisure skills or social skills. They are typically used to help identify a client?s current skills within a domain and to identify potential targets for skills teaching.

Baseline Probing

Within the context of skill acquisition, a baseline probe is something you carry out before instruction begins for a target skill.  You present the target instruction without a prompt and record the learner?s response as correct or incorrect. In some circumstances, you may record the level of prompting required for the client to carry out the target behaviour.  While instructions will differ depending on the client, the skill and the context, responses are, generally, not reinforced during a baseline probe. 

Behavioral Observation

While some behavioural assessment procedures will require you to give specific instruction or make certain environmental observations, others may require that you simply observe the client in their typical circumstances. For example, you might be asked to observe someone for 30 minutes and record the number of mands (requests) they made during that period.

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