From Aristotle to RBT: How Understanding The Ultimate Purpose of the RBT Position Helps Us Improve ABA
We’ve all heard about it. Some of us are directly familiar with it.
The “warm body” approach.
The “warm body” approach is where companies emphasize rapid onboarding of clients which in turn leads to the rapid onboarding of staff. In ABA, some RBTs are brought on and certified with little to no training. That means they barely have a concept of what ABA is and may have very little experience working with kids.
What’s worse, all of this can culminate into a general misunderstanding of what they are supposed to be doing everyday.
Over the years, one of the common problems I’ve seen when it comes to improving the quality of RBT output sometimes has to do with the RBT’s general understanding of the job at its core. Do they know what it is exactly that makes being an RBT different? Do they understand the core purpose? How do you know?
Painting in broad strokes, if you observe a new and misinformed RBT on the job, it may be easy to identify this particular misconception. Watch them while they work. Listen to them when they talk to you. Their behavior will sometimes indicate the following:
-I’m here to ensure the learner is prompted and stays “in line”.
-I’m here to ensure that they are fed and their diaper is changed.
-I’m just here just play with them.
-I’m here to talk about their feelings with them or get them to talk about their feelings.
Now, it’s important to note, that some of the above areas may be a centerpiece regarding programs for a particular learner. And that’s okay—each learner is different.
However, in general, it’s not what all of ABA is about all of the time. Yet, believe it or not, some RBTs (working in ABA!) think that it is.
So what do you do?
I’m going to start by going all Aristotle on you. I’m a big telos guy. I think it’s important to understand the telos in almost everything you do. Being an RBT and a BCBA is no different. RBTs and BCBAs need to understand the general telos of what being an RBT and BCBA is all about.
What does telos mean?
Telos is the Greek word that means “ultimate object or aim”. It’s where we get the word “teleological”. The idea is that if you don’t know what the ultimate object or aim of an activity is—it’s telos—then you’ll likely be unsuccessful at that activity. You can’t travel successfully without identifying a destination. You can’t shoot an arrow without a target. So what is the general telos for an RBT? What is their object and aim in coming to work every day?
A valuable first step in ensuring quality ABA therapy is to ensure that RBTs know what their job is all about at its core.
Simplified, this telos comes down to progress and the person. We’re here to enrich and uplift the lives of our learners through the progress we make with them. More importantly, we do so with through experience that is dignified, respectful, and nourishing as they (the person) hold an intrinsic value independent of this progress.
Upfront, we need to be clear about this with ourselves and our RBTs.
A valuable second step is to attend to that telos as frequently as we can when consulting with an RBT. We need to orient toward this telos. We need to keep it at the forefront. In every consultation, we need to be revisiting the RBT’s (and our) relationship with “progress” and the “person”. We need to attend to the learner’s progress and attend to our relationship with them. The more we orient toward these two things, the more we remain true to what we’re all about.
(As an aside, you’ll notice that when we hear about unethical behavior, it’s usually due to some kind of violation on the learner’s progress and/or person.)
So how do we keep this telos at the forefront for our RBTs so they have a quality understanding of their job?
Read on.
Have an ongoing conversation about progress with your RBT in all of your consultations.
As BCBAs, our job is to assess and analyze. This goes for RBT behavior, as well. We need to assess and analyze whether or not our RBTs are oriented toward learner progress. One of the ways we do this is through asking questions and having conversations with them. Don’t let a consultation slip by without talking about this. In fact, it doesn’t hurt to start your conversations by asking questions like this.
Where do you think this learner could be in one year? Two years?
Are we on track to get there? Are we behind? Why do you think that is?
What significant barriers are there to the learner reaching these goals?
What course of action do you think needs to be taken when reaching a goal like this?
If you could write one goal or choose one area for the learner, what would it be?
What major improvements did you see this week?
These questions direct the BCBA and RBTs attention toward progress. They offer a subtle reminder that progress is why we’re here. We’re not simply here to keep kiddos “in line”. We’re not respite workers either. We’re here to help them grow. Additionally, they encourage the RBT to do a little problem solving themselves. In doing so, it prompts an investment from the RBT in the learner’s growth and future. They pull the RBT into the clinical decision making conversation and encourage clinical ownership from the RBT.
Have an ongoing conversation about the learner with your RBT in all of your consultations.
Orienting the RBT toward the learner is the other side of the same coin. Starting and keeping a conversation going about who the learner is and how we relate is essential. It directs us toward this imperative fact: What really gives a BCBA, and RBT, and the field of ABA its value, is that we work with these little people of incredible value. It’s their value that gives ABA value. Here are a couple conversation starters for you and your RBT.
What makes this learner unique?
What cool and cute things did they do this week?
How is your relationship with them? How are you gaining trust with them?
If they could say it, would they say that you (the RBT) are awesome and that you’re a preferred person?
These questions push us to attend to the utter awesomeness of the kiddo we’re working with. It prevents the objectification of the learner. The learner isn’t simply a job to do. They aren’t simply an object to keep “in line” with the other objects. They aren’t a machine to simply keep clean and fueled. These are little people—and that’s the best part. Celebrate this by talking about it!
Thanks for tuning in! Next week we’ll talk about conversations you can have to enrich your relationship with your RBT!
In the mean time: What are some ways that you help your newest RBTs understand the nature of their new job?