ABAT EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | ABAT CERTIFICATION EXAM STUDY
GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
ASD and common characteristics and deficits - ANS ✔✔impaired communication, impaired reciprocal
social interaction and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviors or interests.
Autism as a spectrum disorder with a triad of primary impairments - ANS ✔✔Social and Emotional
Interaction: Standing too close to people, unaware of different ways of interacting with others, has
desire to have friends and relationships but struggles to initiate them
Imagination and Flexibility of Thought: does not understand understand others points of view or
feelings, takes everything literally, and agitated by change in routine
Social Communication and Language: asks repetitive questions, cannot 'read between the lives' of what
people mean, communicates for one needs rather than for 'social' engagement, and makes factual
comments inappropriate to the context
'Red flags' used in early diagnosis - ANS ✔✔Any loss of speech, babbling, gestures or social skills should
be taken very seriously, as regression is a major red flag for autism.
Overview of diagnosis; how and when - ANS ✔✔Doctors look at the child's developmental history and
behavior to make a diagnosis. ASD can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger. By age 2, a
diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable. However, many children do not
receive a final diagnosis until much older.
Identify risk factors to ASD - ANS ✔✔Your child's sex. Boys are about four times more likely to develop
autism spectrum disorder than girls are.
Family history. Families who have one child with autism spectrum disorder have an increased risk of
having another child with the disorder. ...
Other disorders. ...
Extremely preterm babies. ...
Parents' ages
Pragmatic Language - ANS ✔✔the use of appropriate communication in social situations (knowing what
to say, how to say it, and when to say it)
Receptive Language - ANS ✔✔the understanding of information provided in a variety of ways such as
sounds and words; movement and gestures; and signs and symbols.
Expressive Language - ANS ✔✔our ability to communicate our thoughts and feelings through words,
gestures, signs, and/or symbols
Sensory-Motor - ANS ✔✔the process whereby a child gains use and coordination of his/her muscles of
the trunk, arms, legs and hands (motor development), and begins to experience (through sensory input)
the environment through sight, sounds, smell, taste and hearing
, Social Skills - ANS ✔✔the skills we use everyday to interact and communicate with others. They include
verbal and non-verbal communication, such as speech, gesture, facial expression and body language.
Joint Attention - ANS ✔✔When the child points to something, not because they want it, but to show it to
someone for a social purpose.
Stereotypy - ANS ✔✔suppressible, repetitive, rhythmical, coordinated, purposeless, fixed, and
nonfunctional pattern of movements.
Disorders commonly associated in differential diagnosis, such as learning disabilities, processing
disorders, etc. - ANS ✔✔Learning Disabilities: Learning disabilities are disorders that affect the ability to
understand or use spoken or written language, do mathematical calculations, coordinate movements, or
direct attention.
Processing Disorders: are conditions in which the brain has difficulty receiving and responding to
information that comes through the senses.
Identify comorbid disorders associated with ASD - ANS ✔✔Anxiety, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Clinical
Depression, Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, Intellectual Disability and
Developmental Delays, Motor Difficulties, OCD, Seizures and Epilepsy, Tourette Syndrome, and Tuberous
Sclerosis
Scope and role of practice for the ABAT - ANS ✔✔ABA!
The application of experimental analysis of behavior to problems of social importance
Stay in your realm of knowledge
Remain competent and up to date by completing ongoing training, courses, workshops, CEUs
Ensure that your coursework, fieldwork is supervised
You design, conduct, and report based on scientific and ethical research
QABA code of ethics, policies, and procedures - ANS
✔✔https://qababoard.com/wp-content/uploads/Code-of-Ethics-03-25-21.pdf
Limitations of confidentiality - ANS ✔✔Child abuse or neglect; imminent severe harm to another, or
imminent severe harm to the person
Have written consent
Use specific forms for reporting
HIPAA - ANS ✔✔A federal law that restricts an entity's ability to disclose and/or protect health
information.
GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
ASD and common characteristics and deficits - ANS ✔✔impaired communication, impaired reciprocal
social interaction and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviors or interests.
Autism as a spectrum disorder with a triad of primary impairments - ANS ✔✔Social and Emotional
Interaction: Standing too close to people, unaware of different ways of interacting with others, has
desire to have friends and relationships but struggles to initiate them
Imagination and Flexibility of Thought: does not understand understand others points of view or
feelings, takes everything literally, and agitated by change in routine
Social Communication and Language: asks repetitive questions, cannot 'read between the lives' of what
people mean, communicates for one needs rather than for 'social' engagement, and makes factual
comments inappropriate to the context
'Red flags' used in early diagnosis - ANS ✔✔Any loss of speech, babbling, gestures or social skills should
be taken very seriously, as regression is a major red flag for autism.
Overview of diagnosis; how and when - ANS ✔✔Doctors look at the child's developmental history and
behavior to make a diagnosis. ASD can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger. By age 2, a
diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable. However, many children do not
receive a final diagnosis until much older.
Identify risk factors to ASD - ANS ✔✔Your child's sex. Boys are about four times more likely to develop
autism spectrum disorder than girls are.
Family history. Families who have one child with autism spectrum disorder have an increased risk of
having another child with the disorder. ...
Other disorders. ...
Extremely preterm babies. ...
Parents' ages
Pragmatic Language - ANS ✔✔the use of appropriate communication in social situations (knowing what
to say, how to say it, and when to say it)
Receptive Language - ANS ✔✔the understanding of information provided in a variety of ways such as
sounds and words; movement and gestures; and signs and symbols.
Expressive Language - ANS ✔✔our ability to communicate our thoughts and feelings through words,
gestures, signs, and/or symbols
Sensory-Motor - ANS ✔✔the process whereby a child gains use and coordination of his/her muscles of
the trunk, arms, legs and hands (motor development), and begins to experience (through sensory input)
the environment through sight, sounds, smell, taste and hearing
, Social Skills - ANS ✔✔the skills we use everyday to interact and communicate with others. They include
verbal and non-verbal communication, such as speech, gesture, facial expression and body language.
Joint Attention - ANS ✔✔When the child points to something, not because they want it, but to show it to
someone for a social purpose.
Stereotypy - ANS ✔✔suppressible, repetitive, rhythmical, coordinated, purposeless, fixed, and
nonfunctional pattern of movements.
Disorders commonly associated in differential diagnosis, such as learning disabilities, processing
disorders, etc. - ANS ✔✔Learning Disabilities: Learning disabilities are disorders that affect the ability to
understand or use spoken or written language, do mathematical calculations, coordinate movements, or
direct attention.
Processing Disorders: are conditions in which the brain has difficulty receiving and responding to
information that comes through the senses.
Identify comorbid disorders associated with ASD - ANS ✔✔Anxiety, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Clinical
Depression, Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, Intellectual Disability and
Developmental Delays, Motor Difficulties, OCD, Seizures and Epilepsy, Tourette Syndrome, and Tuberous
Sclerosis
Scope and role of practice for the ABAT - ANS ✔✔ABA!
The application of experimental analysis of behavior to problems of social importance
Stay in your realm of knowledge
Remain competent and up to date by completing ongoing training, courses, workshops, CEUs
Ensure that your coursework, fieldwork is supervised
You design, conduct, and report based on scientific and ethical research
QABA code of ethics, policies, and procedures - ANS
✔✔https://qababoard.com/wp-content/uploads/Code-of-Ethics-03-25-21.pdf
Limitations of confidentiality - ANS ✔✔Child abuse or neglect; imminent severe harm to another, or
imminent severe harm to the person
Have written consent
Use specific forms for reporting
HIPAA - ANS ✔✔A federal law that restricts an entity's ability to disclose and/or protect health
information.
