What is the RBT Certificate?

A registered behaviour technician (RBT) is a behaviour therapist who has completed the RBT coursework and successfully passed the certification progress. An RBT works using applied behaviour analysis teaching principles with their students.

Becoming an RBT is a great first step if you are thinking about getting into the field of (ABA) Applied Behaviour Analysis or if you are already working in the field of ABA or the teaching field.

The RBT certification covers a comprehensive range of skills. These skills can be used if you are working with children with communication difficulties, behaviour problems, children who have difficulty completing self help skills or who have difficulty keeping up with the academic demands of the classroom.

Strategies to Teaching Children with Autism for Enhancing Joint Attention Skills

Joint attention involves two individuals attending an event or object with the purpose of sharing an interaction.
An onset predictor of autism in children is the difficulty with establishing and maintaining joint attention abilities. Joint attention involves using gestures, eye contact, or other forms of communication to share the experience of an object or event along with another person. It plays a crucial role in the development of play, social and language interaction. Thus, interventions to boost joint attention in children with autism can help to develop these other key skills.

Having good social skills is a big factor in someone’s success at school and at work. Social skills help us to build rapport, make jokes and share experiences. They help us to identify when to take a step back if we have said something inappropriate or to offer sympathy to someone who is upset.  Individuals with autism and language difficulties often need additional support with developing social skills. To build on a child’s social skills here are some things you can do:

When your child is following a therapy plan it’s important that you understand the goals being worked on.  Is your child attending Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) / Occupational Therapy (OT) or Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)? Depending on this: language goals/ fine motor goals/ gross motor goals/ speech goals / behaviour goals may be included in your child’s plan following an assessment. Are you clear about all the targets on your child’s plan? It’s important to clarify any questions you have with your therapist. How many goals are on your child’s therapy plan? Does your child’s therapist know what your priorities are? Have these priorities been included? How often will your child attend therapy? Is the therapy time scheduled at a time that suits their daily routine? For example scheduling a therapy session during your child’s regular nap time might not lead to the best results in their therapy session! Will the sessions take place in a therapy clinic/ in your home or at your child’s nursery/ school?

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is an evidence based treatment approach that involves reducing/ eliminating challenging behaviour as well as improving language, social, self-help and academic skills. Applied behaviour analysis involves using learning principals to bring about lasting positive changes in your child’s life. For example using the principal of ‘reinforcement’ to increase the likelihood that desirable behaviour will happen in a similar situation in the future. ABA therapy is most commonly known for it’s use with children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Listening is key to learning new things. Research tells us that to use our language (speak) effectively we must first be able to listen and discriminate what words/ instructions are being given before we can use words and sentences to ask for things and express our needs.

How can you build/ develop your child’s listening skills? Firstly I want you to think about this in relation to two different groups of children:

(a) Children who have difficulty listening and understanding language and (b) children who are not following through on what they are asked to do even though they have the understanding of language to do so.