RBT Exam Study Guide Unit B: Behavior Assessment
This page of our free RBT Exam Study Guide covers Behavior Assessment, based on Section B of the RBT Test Content Outline (3rd Edition). This section includes three tasks related to preference assessments, skill assessments, and functional assessments. There are 8 questions on this topic, representing 11% of the scored exam.
Significance of assessments in ABA: Assessments provide important information that helps behavior analysts develop individualized treatment programs and behavior intervention plans (BIPs). Every learner has unique strengths, needs, and preferences, so assessments are essential for providing effective ABA services.
RBTs play an important role in supporting behavior analysts by conducting certain assessments, assisting with assessment procedures, and collecting data. These responsibilities are performed under the direction and supervision of a qualified behavior analyst.
RBT Task B.1: Conduct Preference Assessments
Preference assessments are used to identify items and activities that a learner enjoys. RBTs are often responsible for conducting these assessments or assisting their BCBA with the process.
An important distinction is that preferred items are not necessarily reinforcers. A preference assessment identifies things a learner likes, while a reinforcer is something that increases the future likelihood of a behavior when delivered as a consequence of that behavior. Preferred items are often good candidates for reinforcement, but their effectiveness must be demonstrated.
Preference assessments also help RBTs identify enjoyable activities that can be incorporated into therapy sessions. Because preferences can change over time, these assessments may be conducted regularly.
There are several common types of preference assessments:
- Indirect preference assessment: Gather information about a learner’s interests through interviews, questionnaires, or discussions with the learner, caregivers, or other familiar individuals.
Example: You ask a client’s parents to list their child’s favorite toys, games, and activities. You also ask the client which activities they enjoy.
- Free operant preference assessment: Give the learner access to a variety of items and activities while observing which ones they independently choose to engage with.
Example: Your client has free access to toys in a playroom. During a 20-minute observation, they spend 5 minutes completing a puzzle, 8 minutes playing at a water table, and the remaining time walking around the room. You record how long they engage with each activity.
The water table may be a highly preferred activity because the client spent the most time engaging with it.
The remaining assessments are commonly referred to as trial-based preference assessments.
- Single stimulus preference assessment: Present one item at a time and record the learner’s response. You may measure whether they approach or accept the item and how long they engage with it.
This procedure can be useful for learners who have difficulty choosing between multiple items.
Example: You present your client with a squishy ball, but they push it away. Next, you present a toy car, which they immediately begin playing with for several minutes. You record their responses to each item.
- Paired stimulus (paired choice) preference assessment: Present two items simultaneously and allow the learner to choose one. Record the selection, then present additional pairs until each item has been paired with every other item.
This procedure helps establish a preference hierarchy based on how often each item is selected.
Example: You present a client with a toy car and a puzzle. They choose the car. You then present the car and a stuffed animal, followed by other combinations. If the toy car is consistently selected, it may rank highly in the learner’s preference hierarchy.
- Multiple stimulus with replacement (MSW): Present an array of items and allow the learner to select one. After the learner briefly engages with the selected item, return it to the array, rearrange the items, and conduct another trial according to the assessment protocol.
Because selected items remain available in subsequent trials, the same item may be chosen repeatedly.
Example: You present a client with five toys. They select a toy truck. You return the truck to the array before the next trial. If the client repeatedly chooses the truck, this suggests a strong preference for it.
- Multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO): Present an array of items and allow the learner to select one. After the selection, remove that item from the array, rearrange the remaining items, and conduct another trial. Continue until all items have been selected or the assessment’s stopping criteria are met.
The order of selection helps establish a preference hierarchy.
Example: You present a client with four toys. They select a ball first, a puzzle second, a toy car third, and a stuffed animal last. The ball ranks highest in that assessment because it was selected first.
Tip: Remember the difference between MSW and MSWO. In MSW, the selected item is returned to the array. In MSWO, the selected item is removed before the next trial.
When conducting preference assessments, follow your supervisor’s instructions for presenting items, recording selections, and responding when a learner does not choose an item or selects multiple items.
RBT Task B.2: Participate in Assessments of Relevant Skill Strengths and Deficits
Skill assessments help behavior analysts identify a learner’s existing abilities and areas where additional instruction may be needed. They provide information about strengths and skill deficits across areas such as communication, social interaction, academic readiness, and daily living.
These assessments are not used by RBTs to diagnose disorders. Instead, they help the supervising behavior analyst determine appropriate treatment goals and establish a baseline for measuring future improvement.
Several types of skill assessments may be used in ABA:
- Curriculum-based assessments: Evaluate skills within an organized sequence of learning objectives, helping identify which skills have been mastered and which should be taught next.
- Developmental assessments: Examine skills associated with development, such as communication, play, motor abilities, and social interaction.
- Social skills assessments: Evaluate abilities such as initiating conversations, taking turns, responding to others, and participating in social activities.
Some commonly used assessment tools include:
- Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP): Evaluates language and learning skills, including requesting (manding), labeling (tacting), conversational responses (intraverbals), and barriers to learning.
- Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised (ABLLS-R): Evaluates a broad range of language, learning, social, and functional skills. It can also help guide instructional programming.
- Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS): Evaluates practical skills needed for everyday life, such as personal care, household tasks, community participation, and vocational activities.
An RBT may assist with these assessments by presenting tasks, observing responses, and recording data according to the assessment instructions.
Example: Your BCBA asks you to assess whether a client can identify common objects. You place a spoon, a cup, and a ball on a table and say, "Point to the spoon." You record whether the client independently identifies the correct object.
When probing skills, RBTs should generally avoid providing prompts or correcting errors unless the assessment protocol specifically calls for these procedures. Providing assistance when it is not permitted could make a learner’s skill level appear higher than it actually is.
Important: RBTs should receive training on any assessment procedures they are asked to perform. If you are unfamiliar with an assessment, ask your supervisor for guidance before conducting it.
RBT Task B.3: Participate in Components of Functional Assessment Procedures
A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a process used to identify the environmental events and other variables that may influence a target behavior. FBAs are particularly useful when a learner engages in challenging behaviors that interfere with learning, daily activities, or safety.
The purpose of an FBA is to help determine the function, or purpose, that a behavior serves for the individual. Common behavioral functions include obtaining attention, gaining access to items or activities, escaping or avoiding demands, and automatic reinforcement.
Understanding the function of a behavior allows the BCBA to develop more effective, individualized interventions.
There are three major types of assessment procedures that may be included in an FBA:
- Indirect assessments: Gather information about behavior without directly observing it. These procedures include interviews, questionnaires, and behavior rating scales completed by parents, teachers, caregivers, or other individuals familiar with the learner.
Example: A BCBA interviews a client’s teacher about when disruptive behavior typically occurs and what happens immediately afterward.
- Descriptive assessments: Involve directly observing behavior in the natural environment and recording relevant events. These assessments help identify patterns associated with the behavior.
One of the most common descriptive assessment methods is ABC data collection, which involves recording three components:
- Antecedent: What happened immediately before the behavior.
- Behavior: The observable action performed by the learner.
- Consequence: What happened immediately after the behavior.
Example: A teacher instructs a student to begin a worksheet (antecedent). The student tears the worksheet (behavior). The teacher removes the worksheet from the student’s desk (consequence).
Repeated ABC observations might suggest that the student engages in the behavior to escape difficult work. However, ABC data alone cannot establish that escaping work is the function.
Remember that the word consequence does not necessarily mean punishment. In ABA, a consequence is simply an event that follows a behavior.
- Functional Analysis (FA): A functional analysis is an experimental assessment in which a behavior analyst systematically manipulates environmental conditions to determine which variables influence a target behavior.
Unlike indirect and descriptive assessments, which provide information about possible relationships, a functional analysis can demonstrate a functional relationship between environmental variables and behavior.
Example: A BCBA may arrange carefully controlled conditions to determine whether a client’s behavior is maintained by access to attention or by escaping demands.
Because functional analyses involve experimentally changing conditions that may evoke challenging behavior, they require careful planning and supervision. An RBT may assist by collecting data or implementing specifically assigned procedures after receiving appropriate training.
Tip: Understand the distinction between descriptive assessments and functional analyses. Descriptive assessments identify patterns that occur naturally, while functional analyses systematically manipulate conditions to test potential behavioral functions.
RBTs should collect objective, accurate assessment data and communicate their observations to their supervisors. The supervising behavior analyst is responsible for interpreting assessment results and making treatment decisions.