RBT Exam Study Material
While working in home as an RBT for a client, Lisa finds herself spending lots of time with her client's
single father, typically in the context of parent training. Lisa finds herself increasingly attracted to her
client's father; however, she conceals these feelings. While her romantic interests are strong, she knows
she must keep them to herself as she cannot risk endangering the welfare of her client, whom she still
provides services to as an RBT. -
Lisa did the right thing. While it is tough, she is obligated to her client first and foremost, and dual
relationships, non-professional relationships, and potentially exploitative relationships are banned by
the ethics code for good reason
To make ends meet, Bethany works two jobs - one as an occupational therapist (OT), and the other part-
time as an RBT at another clinic. While working as an OT, she begins to implement behavior change
procedures based off the principles of applied behavior analysis without the supervision of a BCBA and
advertises her status as a registered behavior therapist to her clients, which is outside of her job role at
that specific job. -
Bethany must not advertise herself as an RBT when performing primarily non-behavioral
interventions..
Jameela previously studied as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) before beginning her role as an RBT
at a behavior analysis clinic. Her job duties do not include speech-language pathology in the description,
but, what could it hurt to use her knowledge of human language to help teach her client new skills? In
her lesson plans, she frequently draws from her background as an SLP. -
Jameela is supposed to be providing behavior analytic services as a RBT, not an SLP. As such, her
work should be based off the science of behavior analysis more or less alone, and it is misrepresentative
of her to use speech-language pathology when she is purporting to provide behavior analysis services to
her clients.
A client with dental issues and chronic health issues related to being overweight consults with a BCBA.
She identifies that candy, ice cream, donuts, and other sugar snacks are valuable stimuli during an
informal preference assessment.
What ethical issues, if any, are there to using these types of reinforcers with this type of client? -
It would be unethical to use stimuli that would exacerbate ( make worse ) the client's current health
issues. The BCBA should make every possible effort to pursue other stimuli.
, An RBT working with a client is asked by the parent to perform a functional analysis that the BCBA on
the case had planned to do, but, due to an unexpected emergency, has to delay by a week.
Since the BCBA on the case is unavailable at the time, and the RBT is in school working toward their
BCBA certification, the parent wants to proceed with the RBT implementing the functional analysis. The
caregiver has taken some time to look up and research functional analysis procedures on the internet in
order to provide support. Together, they feel confident that they can perform the functional analysis
without the help of the BCBA.
The parent urges the RBT to help her because her child's behavior is getting worse every passing day.
What should the RBT do? -
The RBT must contact their supervisor first. An RBT is required to be supervised by a BCBA when
conducting a functional analysis, and only BCBAs or BCBA-Ds are competent to design an FA.
A client makes a "gift" for her favorite RBT, Luisa, giving her a handmade card with macaroni noodles on
it. Luisa politely and calmly refuses the gift, as the RBT Ethics code specifically bans RBTs accepting gifts
from clients.
What ethical consideration, if any, is applicable here? -
Luisa should accept the gift as it has no "street value," and refusing the gift could offend the
family/client and damage rapport.
Elizabeth is working for a child who has been making tremendous progress. The client's birthday is
coming up, and Elizabeth has some money saved up! She decides to buy her client a used iPad for his
birthday -- this will be mostly useful not just as really fancy toy, but also as a teaching tool when she is
there for therapy sessions.
What ethical consideration(s) is/are relevant here? -
RBTs are forbidden from purchasing gifts or accepting gifts from clients, as it could create a dual
relationship and conflict of interest.
Elizabeth is a licensed social worker with a master's in applied sociology. She also currently works two
jobs to make ends meet: one job at a behavior analysis clinic, and another job working for the state of
Florida's government as a social worker.
While working in home as an RBT for a client, Lisa finds herself spending lots of time with her client's
single father, typically in the context of parent training. Lisa finds herself increasingly attracted to her
client's father; however, she conceals these feelings. While her romantic interests are strong, she knows
she must keep them to herself as she cannot risk endangering the welfare of her client, whom she still
provides services to as an RBT. -
Lisa did the right thing. While it is tough, she is obligated to her client first and foremost, and dual
relationships, non-professional relationships, and potentially exploitative relationships are banned by
the ethics code for good reason
To make ends meet, Bethany works two jobs - one as an occupational therapist (OT), and the other part-
time as an RBT at another clinic. While working as an OT, she begins to implement behavior change
procedures based off the principles of applied behavior analysis without the supervision of a BCBA and
advertises her status as a registered behavior therapist to her clients, which is outside of her job role at
that specific job. -
Bethany must not advertise herself as an RBT when performing primarily non-behavioral
interventions..
Jameela previously studied as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) before beginning her role as an RBT
at a behavior analysis clinic. Her job duties do not include speech-language pathology in the description,
but, what could it hurt to use her knowledge of human language to help teach her client new skills? In
her lesson plans, she frequently draws from her background as an SLP. -
Jameela is supposed to be providing behavior analytic services as a RBT, not an SLP. As such, her
work should be based off the science of behavior analysis more or less alone, and it is misrepresentative
of her to use speech-language pathology when she is purporting to provide behavior analysis services to
her clients.
A client with dental issues and chronic health issues related to being overweight consults with a BCBA.
She identifies that candy, ice cream, donuts, and other sugar snacks are valuable stimuli during an
informal preference assessment.
What ethical issues, if any, are there to using these types of reinforcers with this type of client? -
It would be unethical to use stimuli that would exacerbate ( make worse ) the client's current health
issues. The BCBA should make every possible effort to pursue other stimuli.
, An RBT working with a client is asked by the parent to perform a functional analysis that the BCBA on
the case had planned to do, but, due to an unexpected emergency, has to delay by a week.
Since the BCBA on the case is unavailable at the time, and the RBT is in school working toward their
BCBA certification, the parent wants to proceed with the RBT implementing the functional analysis. The
caregiver has taken some time to look up and research functional analysis procedures on the internet in
order to provide support. Together, they feel confident that they can perform the functional analysis
without the help of the BCBA.
The parent urges the RBT to help her because her child's behavior is getting worse every passing day.
What should the RBT do? -
The RBT must contact their supervisor first. An RBT is required to be supervised by a BCBA when
conducting a functional analysis, and only BCBAs or BCBA-Ds are competent to design an FA.
A client makes a "gift" for her favorite RBT, Luisa, giving her a handmade card with macaroni noodles on
it. Luisa politely and calmly refuses the gift, as the RBT Ethics code specifically bans RBTs accepting gifts
from clients.
What ethical consideration, if any, is applicable here? -
Luisa should accept the gift as it has no "street value," and refusing the gift could offend the
family/client and damage rapport.
Elizabeth is working for a child who has been making tremendous progress. The client's birthday is
coming up, and Elizabeth has some money saved up! She decides to buy her client a used iPad for his
birthday -- this will be mostly useful not just as really fancy toy, but also as a teaching tool when she is
there for therapy sessions.
What ethical consideration(s) is/are relevant here? -
RBTs are forbidden from purchasing gifts or accepting gifts from clients, as it could create a dual
relationship and conflict of interest.
Elizabeth is a licensed social worker with a master's in applied sociology. She also currently works two
jobs to make ends meet: one job at a behavior analysis clinic, and another job working for the state of
Florida's government as a social worker.
