Frequently Asked Questions
Have a look below at our most frequented questions when working with our team
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is a systematic method of effective teaching rooted in evidence based practices. It is a type of therapy based on the science of behaviour and learning to make socially significant changes in an individual’s behaviour repertoire with a priority to improve their quality of life. ABA comprises evidence-based teaching strategies that we can tailor to an individual’s learning needs for effective behaviour change in all domains of learning (e.g., communication, self-help, play, social, academic skills, etc). ABA views behaviour as a product of its environment and makes changes to behaviour by changing the way we teach and respond to the behaviour.
We specialize in working with individuals on the autism spectrum and we mostly work with toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children and teenagers (Kindergarten to Grade 12).
A home-based ABA team typically comprises a BCBA, sometimes a junior consultant, a Senior BI, and at least one junior BI.
For caregiver collaboration only service models, a BCBA, sometimes also a junior consultant, will consult and collaborate with the caregivers only, without BIs on the team.
The title “behaviour consultant” may be used by anyone, whereas an actual certified behaviour consultant is called a BCBA or BCaBA.
To use the title “behaviour analyst”, they must have either a master’s degree to be called BCBA, or a bachelor’s degree in ABA to be called BCaBA, as well as pass the Board Certified exam in Behaviour Analysis.
Additionally, they have been supervised for over 1500 hours for BCBA and 1300 hours for BCaBA. They follow the Ethics Code for Behaviour Analysts, and have to obtain continuing education credits every 2 years to maintain their certification.
A BCBA is a behaviour analyst with a masters degree and certification with the Behaviour Analyst Certification Board (BACB).
They provide consultation services to clients and are considered category A service providers on the list of Registered Approved Service Providers (RASP).
They complete assessments, develop programs, provide training and supervision to BIs, collaborate with other service providers and school professionals on the clients’ behalf.
They attend and lead monthly meetings and overlaps BIs and parents to provide ongoing supervision and training.
They monitor program progress, make adjustments, and troubleshoot behavioural and program concerns. When there’s a junior consultant on the team, the BCBA usually takes on the clinical supervisor role and oversees the work of the junior consultant.
A junior consultant may be a certified assistant behaviour analyst (BCaBA) or one who is pursuing a certification with the BACB.
A BCaBA is an assistant BCBA, with a bachelor’s degree and certification with the BACB. They do the same tasks as the BCBA, but all of their work has to be reviewed and supervised by a clinical supervisor with a BCBA certification.
If a team does not have a Senior BI, the junior consultant often takes on the administrative duties (e.g., data report in preparation for team meetings, preparing materials, organizing and updating the datasheets).
A Senior BI is the lead behaviour interventionist on the team. They conduct direct therapy with the client on a weekly basis and collect data for programs.
They help the behaviour analysts monitor progress and ensure all datasheets and programming materials are organized and kept up to date. Before team meetings, they collect and prepare status updates for all the current programs.
After team meetings, they help to archive and update datasheets and prepare materials as needed. They attend all meetings and help behaviour consultants conduct probing of new goals and strategies with the client.
Senior BIs with experience may assist with training and overlaps of other BIs on the team, as determined by the behaviour analysts.
A junior BI is any BI on the team who is not in the senior role. They conduct direct therapy with the client on a weekly basis, collect data for programs, attend team meetings, and implement changes to programming set out by the behaviour analysts.
We work collaboratively with other professionals such as SLPs, OTs, PTs, and school staff. By collaborating with other experts, we can unify our efforts to maximize effectiveness. SLPs and OTs may work directly with your child, but often families find this expensive.
So collaborating allows families to maximize their budget when SLPs and OTs are mainly in consultation roles, and BIs can help implement the programs on a daily and weekly basis during sessions.
We incorporate SLP and OT goals into BI sessions by designing ABA programs to break down the goals into smaller components and systematically teaching each component to build success towards the goals. BIs can implement and collect data so that we may also monitor the progress and troubleshoot any behaviour barriers.
When you hire a junior consultant, you can benefit from the following:
- Fresh perspectives and ideas that they bring, as they are often recent graduates or new to the field
- Have innovative solutions to problems.
- Increase productivity and efficiency for the team by taking on some of the workload
- Families that might have tighter budgets
- Diverse backgrounds, which can help to promote and encourage
- Diversity, collaboration and creativity
BCBAs who are registered supervisors may bring on a junior consultant to take on the bulk of the workload.
Junior consultants play a main role in the hands-on training and supervision of the team and take on administrative tasks such as meeting notes and program development and revisions.
Junior consultants typically offer a lower rate than that of a senior consultant and could thus help stretch the family’s funding and financial budget.
The junior consultant’s work must always be supervised by a BCBA, allowing families to benefit from the collaborative expertise of 2 consultants as well as the financial break.
For our supervision model of education, whenever both consultants are present at a meeting, the junior consultant typically charges at half their usual rate.
Depending on your child’s needs, between 10 to 30 hours a week of ABA therapy may be recommended. Typically, 10 hours per week of intensive, direct one-on-one ABA therapy may be recommended to be implemented by a Behaviour Interventionist.
Teachers and caregivers may implement the remaining hours. Research has shown that the more hours of intensive therapy (up to 40 hours a week), the faster and better learning outcomes.
However, it depends on the family’s budget and funding resources. Your BCBA will help you design a program dosage that will best suit your family and your child’s needs within this budget.
The primary responsibility of a behaviour interventionist (BI) is to support the child in acquiring the skills necessary for functioning in society and as an adult.
As an example, behaviour interventionists can provide support for your child in different environments, such as accompanying them on public transportation, going to the mall or assisting in developing important life skills. BIs carry out strategies outlined in the behaviour intervention plan provided by a supervising professional.
BIs are specifically trained to implement the behaviour plans and program goals designed and developed by the supervising BCBA. Hiring BIs to conduct therapy may be the most efficient way to deliver intensive ABA therapy as that would be their only job.
Parents may also be trained to implement specific strategies in daily life and we can collaborate with you to determine the most effective way to do so.
Depending on your child’s needs, more hours of intensive one-on-one therapy may be recommended and hiring BIs may be necessary to achieve those ABA concentrated therapy hours.