ABA HOME THERAPIST CERTIFICATION EXAM
ACTUAL PREP QUESTIONS AND WELL
REVISED ANSWERS - LATEST AND COMPLETE
UPDATE WITH VERIFIED SOLUTIONS –
ASSURES PASS – FULL ASSESSMENT
1. A 5-year-old client engages in hand-flapping whenever they are excited.
Which of the following best describes this behavior?
A. Escape-maintained behavior
B. Attention-seeking behavior
C. Automatically reinforced behavior
D. Socially mediated behavior
Rationale: Automatically reinforced behaviors are maintained by sensory
consequences intrinsic to the behavior itself, not by social consequences.
2. A client refuses to comply with instructions during therapy sessions. Which
initial strategy aligns with ABA principles?
A. Physically guide the client until compliance occurs
B. Conduct a functional behavior assessment to identify the function of
noncompliance
C. Ignore the client’s refusal entirely
D. Give the client a preferred toy immediately
Rationale: ABA emphasizes understanding the function of behavior before
implementing interventions, as function-based interventions are most
effective.
3. Which of the following is a primary principle of applied behavior analysis?
A. Cognitive restructuring
B. Behavior is influenced by environmental events
, C. Behavior is solely determined by genetics
D. Behavior cannot be measured objectively
Rationale: ABA is based on the principle that behavior is a function of
environmental variables and can be measured and modified.
4. During a session, a child screams and throws toys when asked to complete a
task. The therapist determines this is escape-maintained behavior. The most
appropriate intervention would be:
A. Give the child a preferred item immediately
B. Use task modification and differential reinforcement of alternative
behavior (DRA)
C. Punish the behavior to decrease its occurrence
D. Ignore and hope it stops
Rationale: For escape-maintained behavior, modifying tasks and reinforcing
appropriate alternative behavior addresses the function of the behavior
safely.
5. Which schedule of reinforcement delivers a reward after an unpredictable
number of responses, producing high and steady response rates?
A. Fixed ratio
B. Fixed interval
C. Variable interval
D. Variable ratio
Rationale: Variable ratio schedules deliver reinforcement unpredictably
based on number of responses, producing high, steady response rates.
6. A home therapist observes that a client’s tantrum occurs only when asked to
clean up toys. Which functional assessment method would give the most
direct evidence of the behavior’s function?
A. Indirect interviews
, B. ABC data collection
C. Functional analysis
D. Standardized rating scales
Rationale: Functional analysis directly manipulates antecedents and
consequences to identify behavior function.
7. In ABA, a discriminative stimulus (SD) is defined as:
A. A stimulus that signals the availability of reinforcement
B. A stimulus that punishes behavior
C. A cue or signal that evokes a specific behavior due to past
reinforcement
D. A neutral environmental stimulus
Rationale: An SD signals that a specific behavior is likely to be reinforced
based on previous learning history.
8. A child is learning to request items using picture cards. The therapist
presents a card, and the child says “juice” and receives juice. This teaching
strategy is best described as:
A. Shaping
B. Chaining
C. Discrete trial teaching (DTT)
D. Task analysis
Rationale: DTT uses structured trials with antecedent, response, and
consequence to teach discrete skills.
9. Which of the following best illustrates shaping in behavior analysis?
A. Reinforcing a final skill immediately
B. Teaching all steps of a chain at once
C. Reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior
D. Ignoring inappropriate behavior
, Rationale: Shaping involves reinforcing small steps progressively closer to
the target behavior.
10.When collecting data on frequency of aggressive behavior, a therapist counts
each occurrence during a 30-minute session. This is an example of:
A. Duration recording
B. Event recording
C. Interval recording
D. Latency recording
Rationale: Event recording involves counting each discrete occurrence of
behavior.
11.A client frequently yells to gain attention. The therapist implements a
behavior plan that ignores yelling and reinforces appropriate requests for
attention. This procedure is an example of:
A. Positive punishment
B. Negative punishment
C. Extinction with differential reinforcement
D. Response blocking
Rationale: Extinction removes reinforcement for undesired behavior, while
differential reinforcement reinforces appropriate alternatives.
12.A home therapist notices that a child repeats phrases from a TV show
verbatim. What skill domain does this behavior fall under?
A. Self-help
B. Vocal/verbal imitation
C. Social skills
D. Academic readiness
Rationale: Repeating verbal models is considered verbal imitation, an
important foundational language skill.
ACTUAL PREP QUESTIONS AND WELL
REVISED ANSWERS - LATEST AND COMPLETE
UPDATE WITH VERIFIED SOLUTIONS –
ASSURES PASS – FULL ASSESSMENT
1. A 5-year-old client engages in hand-flapping whenever they are excited.
Which of the following best describes this behavior?
A. Escape-maintained behavior
B. Attention-seeking behavior
C. Automatically reinforced behavior
D. Socially mediated behavior
Rationale: Automatically reinforced behaviors are maintained by sensory
consequences intrinsic to the behavior itself, not by social consequences.
2. A client refuses to comply with instructions during therapy sessions. Which
initial strategy aligns with ABA principles?
A. Physically guide the client until compliance occurs
B. Conduct a functional behavior assessment to identify the function of
noncompliance
C. Ignore the client’s refusal entirely
D. Give the client a preferred toy immediately
Rationale: ABA emphasizes understanding the function of behavior before
implementing interventions, as function-based interventions are most
effective.
3. Which of the following is a primary principle of applied behavior analysis?
A. Cognitive restructuring
B. Behavior is influenced by environmental events
, C. Behavior is solely determined by genetics
D. Behavior cannot be measured objectively
Rationale: ABA is based on the principle that behavior is a function of
environmental variables and can be measured and modified.
4. During a session, a child screams and throws toys when asked to complete a
task. The therapist determines this is escape-maintained behavior. The most
appropriate intervention would be:
A. Give the child a preferred item immediately
B. Use task modification and differential reinforcement of alternative
behavior (DRA)
C. Punish the behavior to decrease its occurrence
D. Ignore and hope it stops
Rationale: For escape-maintained behavior, modifying tasks and reinforcing
appropriate alternative behavior addresses the function of the behavior
safely.
5. Which schedule of reinforcement delivers a reward after an unpredictable
number of responses, producing high and steady response rates?
A. Fixed ratio
B. Fixed interval
C. Variable interval
D. Variable ratio
Rationale: Variable ratio schedules deliver reinforcement unpredictably
based on number of responses, producing high, steady response rates.
6. A home therapist observes that a client’s tantrum occurs only when asked to
clean up toys. Which functional assessment method would give the most
direct evidence of the behavior’s function?
A. Indirect interviews
, B. ABC data collection
C. Functional analysis
D. Standardized rating scales
Rationale: Functional analysis directly manipulates antecedents and
consequences to identify behavior function.
7. In ABA, a discriminative stimulus (SD) is defined as:
A. A stimulus that signals the availability of reinforcement
B. A stimulus that punishes behavior
C. A cue or signal that evokes a specific behavior due to past
reinforcement
D. A neutral environmental stimulus
Rationale: An SD signals that a specific behavior is likely to be reinforced
based on previous learning history.
8. A child is learning to request items using picture cards. The therapist
presents a card, and the child says “juice” and receives juice. This teaching
strategy is best described as:
A. Shaping
B. Chaining
C. Discrete trial teaching (DTT)
D. Task analysis
Rationale: DTT uses structured trials with antecedent, response, and
consequence to teach discrete skills.
9. Which of the following best illustrates shaping in behavior analysis?
A. Reinforcing a final skill immediately
B. Teaching all steps of a chain at once
C. Reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior
D. Ignoring inappropriate behavior
, Rationale: Shaping involves reinforcing small steps progressively closer to
the target behavior.
10.When collecting data on frequency of aggressive behavior, a therapist counts
each occurrence during a 30-minute session. This is an example of:
A. Duration recording
B. Event recording
C. Interval recording
D. Latency recording
Rationale: Event recording involves counting each discrete occurrence of
behavior.
11.A client frequently yells to gain attention. The therapist implements a
behavior plan that ignores yelling and reinforces appropriate requests for
attention. This procedure is an example of:
A. Positive punishment
B. Negative punishment
C. Extinction with differential reinforcement
D. Response blocking
Rationale: Extinction removes reinforcement for undesired behavior, while
differential reinforcement reinforces appropriate alternatives.
12.A home therapist notices that a child repeats phrases from a TV show
verbatim. What skill domain does this behavior fall under?
A. Self-help
B. Vocal/verbal imitation
C. Social skills
D. Academic readiness
Rationale: Repeating verbal models is considered verbal imitation, an
important foundational language skill.
