Behavior Technician InternAt — Creative Behavior Interventions

At Creative Behavior Interventions, students will have the opportunity to utilize Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles while on the field. Under the direct supervision of a Clinical Behavioral Therapist, students will learn to implement teaching strategies to increase skills and socially significant behaviors and behavior strategies to decrease maladaptive behaviors.

Students will complete 40 hours of Applied Behavior Analysis Technician (ABAT) training. Students will be required to track progress and behaviors using specified data collection methods. In addition, students will learn and be required to complete the following throughout their externship: take session notes, graph data, maintain a logbook, and utilize stimuli materials for programming.

Other duties may include:

• Creating stimuli for individual clients at the office as needed (1-2x/week in person at CBI office)
• Completing ABA related projects for the organization if assigned
• Completing administrative related tasks for the organization if assigned
• Attending observations/meetings when scheduled

Tasks:

- Complete online lectures and supplmental activities and obtain a score of 80% or above on quizzes after each lecture
- Actively participate during Zoom meetings to review ABAT curriculum
- Complete ABAT final review handout and competency pre-test/post-test
- Role play running ABA sessions with clinical supervisor
- Run short ABA session (at most 15 min.) with client under the guidance of a behavior technician or clinical supervisor
- Perform data collection procedures and professional documention of ABA sessions notes
- Create stimuli for individual clients at the office as needed (e.g., 1-2x/week in person at CBI office)
- Complete ABA related projects for the organization if assigned (e.g., research/summarize articles on ABA-related topics, create short presentations on ABA strategies)
- Complete administrative related tasks for the organization if assigned (1x/week at the CBI office)
- Update skill acquisition logbook using the mock logbook by creating datasheets, mastering targets, and introducing new targets

Training:

- 40 hours of Applied Behavior Analysis Technician (ABAT) training (e.g., online lectures, supplemental activities)
- Live review of ABAT training materials via Zoom (7-8 meetings)
- Completion of ABAT final review handout, competency pre-test/post-test
- Weekly in-person clinical practice (e.g., 1:1 practice of ABA strategies with clients under supervision, ABA strategies role plays) at the office with the clinical supervisor
- Practice professional documentation of ABA session notes, data collection methods, maintaining program logbook
- Behavior skills training (teaching strategies and behavior strategies explained, modeled, rehearsed, feedback provided; steps are repeated until mastery) utlized throught internship
- Mid-semester check-in with clinical supervisor to discuss experience with internship, goals, areas to improve, strengths, etc...
- End-of-semester meeting to review student evaluation completed by clinical supervisor
- Weekly assignements to create stimuli/targets/learning materials for clients
- Telehealth and in-person observation of ABA therapy session conducted by current behavior technicians (at least 1x/week)
*Note: students will have the opportunity to practice running programs and interact with the clients during play under the guidance of a behavior technician. Students will also practice data collection methods during the observations

Learning Outcome:

1) Utilize Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles
2) Identify core deficits of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and common disorders comormid with ASD
3) Use the following teaching strategies to increase skills amongst children and adolescents with ASD: Verbal Behavior Method, Discrete Trial Teaching, Natural Environment Teaching, Prompting Procedures, .
5) Use of behavior strategies to decrease maladaptive behaviors
6) Complete data collection procedures to track progress and behaviors and professional documentation of an ABA therapy session