RBT study plan
RBT · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Measurement
Define and distinguish continuous versus discontinuous measurement procedures (frequency, rate, duration, latency, inter-response time, partial- and whole-interval recording, momentary time sampling).
Calculate frequency, rate, duration, latency, and percentage of occurrence from raw session data without a calculator error.
Construct and label a line graph from a set of session data, including axis labels, phase change lines, and a data path.
Compute interobserver agreement using total count, interval-by-interval, and trial-by-trial methods given two observers' records.
Your checkpoint
Completed 25-item measurement calculation and graphing worksheet, scored at 85% or higher, with a written correction note for every missed item.
Measurement & Assessment
Evaluate the accuracy and reliability of a measurement system by identifying threats such as observer drift, poorly defined behavior, and reactivity.
Write three operational definitions of target behaviors that pass a dead-man test and include examples and non-examples.
Describe the purpose and basic steps of preference assessments (free operant, paired stimulus, multiple stimulus without replacement) and select an appropriate one for a given client description.
Record ABC data for a provided narrative scenario and label antecedents, behaviors, and consequences.
Your checkpoint
A mock data collection packet containing three operational definitions, one ABC recording form, and one completed ABC narrative scored against a rubric.
Assessment & Skill Acquisition
Compare descriptive assessment, functional analysis conditions (alone, attention, demand, tangible, play), and indirect assessment, and match each to an appropriate referral question.
Identify skill strengths and deficits using a provided assessment summary and state two programming implications.
Differentiate discrete trial teaching from natural environment teaching and describe when each is indicated.
Write task analyses for three everyday skills using forward, backward, and total-task chaining formats.
Sequence a prompting hierarchy and describe prompt fading and errorless learning procedures.
Your checkpoint
Three complete written task analyses plus a one-page prompting hierarchy and fading plan, reviewed against a 10-point accuracy checklist.
Skill Acquisition
Describe stimulus control, discrimination training, and the process of transferring stimulus control from a prompt to a natural cue.
Explain shaping, differential reinforcement of successive approximations, and reinforcer selection during skill acquisition.
Plan generalization and maintenance strategies, including multiple exemplars, naturally occurring reinforcers, and intermittent schedules.
Design a token economy that specifies target behaviors, token delivery, exchange rate, and backup reinforcers.
Your checkpoint
A written skill-acquisition program for one target skill that includes teaching procedure, prompting and fading plan, reinforcement schedule, generalization plan, and a mastery criterion.
Behavior Reduction
State the four common functions of behavior and match a behavioral description to the most likely function.
Differentiate positive and negative reinforcement and identify which is operating in a given scenario.
Compare differential reinforcement procedures (DRA, DRO, DRI, DRL) and select the appropriate one for a stated case.
Describe extinction, extinction bursts, and spontaneous recovery, and identify procedural variations of extinction by function.
List antecedent-based interventions and explain how they reduce the likelihood of problem behavior.
Your checkpoint
A written functional hypothesis and behavior intervention outline for one scenario, including function statement, antecedent strategies, replacement behavior, and reinforcement-based consequence strategy.
Behavior Reduction & Documentation and Reporting
Explain the intended effects, risks, and ethical constraints of punishment procedures, including the requirement for less restrictive alternatives first.
Describe crisis and safety procedures, including when restraint may be used and what must be documented afterward.
Write objective session notes that separate observable description from opinion or interpretation.
Convert raw session data into a graph and a brief summary statement suitable for a progress report.
Identify documentation requirements including timeliness, accuracy, confidentiality, and storage of protected health information.
Your checkpoint
A complete session documentation packet: one objective session note, one updated graph, and one short progress summary, checked against a documentation accuracy rubric.
Documentation and Reporting & Professional Conduct and Ethics
Identify reporting obligations, including mandated reporting, incident reporting, and the boundaries of client confidentiality.
Apply core ethical principles such as client dignity, informed consent, and least restrictive procedures to written vignettes.
Distinguish scope of competence from scope of practice and identify when to seek supervision or refer out.
Describe appropriate boundaries with clients and families, including dual relationships and social media contact.
Explain the role of supervision, feedback seeking, and self-monitoring in maintaining professional competence.
Your checkpoint
Written responses to 10 ethics and documentation vignettes, each citing the relevant principle and a justified course of action, scored at 80% or higher.
Measurement & Assessment & Skill Acquisition & Behavior Reduction & Documentation and Reporting & Professional Conduct and Ethics
Complete two full-length timed practice exams under test-day conditions.
Analyze every missed item and tag the error by domain, content gap, or misread question.
Re-study the two lowest-scoring domains using the error log rather than re-reading all material.
Rehearse the calculation and graphing items from Week 1 to confirm retention.
Your checkpoint
Two completed practice exams at 80% or higher, accompanied by a categorized error log and a one-page remediation summary listing remaining weak areas.
Milestones
Week 2: Score 85% or higher on the measurement worksheet and produce three operational definitions that a second reader can apply without asking clarifying questions.
Week 4: Score 80% or higher on a 30-item self-made quiz covering domains A, B, and C, and submit the written skill-acquisition program for review.
Week 6: Produce a behavior intervention outline and a session documentation packet that both pass a rubric review with no more than one correction needed.
Week 8: Achieve 80% or higher on two full-length practice exams and show that every missed item on the second exam maps to a logged category and a completed remediation action.