An RBT is a Registered Behavior Technician. They help children practice skills during applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy and work under the direction and close supervision of a qualified supervisor.
In a practice led by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), that clinician works with you and your child to identify priorities and leads the assessment, treatment plan, and progress reviews. The treatment plan describes the agreed goals, how the team will work toward them, and how it will check progress. An RBT helps put that plan into practice during sessions.
Knowing who does what makes it easier to share what you notice, understand a session, and reach the right person with a question.
What does an RBT do during a session?
An RBT follows the treatment plan, helps your child practice skills, and records what happens. The activities depend on your child's goals.
If asking for help is one of your child's goals, playing with a favorite toy can offer a natural reason to practice. The RBT could help your child ask for the support they need, using the communication method that works for them and the teaching steps in the BCBA's plan. The RBT records how much help your child needs and what they do independently, so the BCBA and your family can review progress together.
Other activities might involve practicing a play routine or a daily-life skill. Your child's RBT can explain which skill an activity is meant to build and how it connects to the plan.
For a closer look at care at home, read what in-home ABA sessions can look like.
How is an RBT different from a BCBA?
RBTs and BCBAs have different training and responsibilities. BCBAs have graduate-level certification and can practice independently within their training and experience, subject to state licensing requirements. RBTs provide services under supervision.
Care team member — Their role in BCBA-led care
BCBA — Leads the assessment, develops the treatment plan around your child's and family's priorities, reviews progress, makes clinical changes, and supervises the RBT.
RBT — Carries out the plan in sessions, records observations, and asks the supervisor for guidance when needed.
An RBT carries out the supervising clinician's treatment plan and brings proposed changes to that clinician for review. They can respond to what happens in a session within the plan and the supervisor's directions. The BCBA does not have to be present for every session, so understanding how supervision works is part of getting to know the practice.
Your child's interests and your family's priorities guide the goals you develop with the BCBA, and your observations help the team understand progress in daily life. The practice is responsible for clinical supervision.
What can you expect from the working relationship?
Your relationship with the RBT includes conversations about your child's sessions and the skills they are practicing. Respectful communication, care with private information, accurate records, and work within the RBT's training are professional expectations. Seeking help from a supervisor is also part of the role.
You can ask what an activity is for or say when something worries you. The RBT can explain the work they are carrying out and help bring clinical questions to the supervisor. For questions about why a goal was chosen, how progress is being judged, or whether treatment needs to change, speak with the BCBA.
If a concern involves urgent safety, raise it promptly through the practice's safety process.
Questions to ask before sessions begin
A conversation about the team can help you understand how care will work day to day. Ask the practice these questions.
Who will work directly with my child, and who will supervise them?
How does the BCBA supervise the RBT, and how do I contact the BCBA with a clinical question?
How will the RBT explain what happened during a session, and how will the team share progress with me?
What is the process for raising a concern about a session?
If you want to check an RBT's certification, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) provides a verification route through its consumer resources. Use that check alongside conversations about supervision, communication, and your child's goals when considering a practice.
Our questions to ask an ABA provider cover more of the decisions involved in choosing care.
What to share once care begins
Tell the team what you notice outside sessions. If your child uses a skill at home or finds an activity difficult, share that observation with the RBT and BCBA. Your view of daily life adds context to the session records.
Ask the RBT what your child practiced and what they observed. Bring questions about the goals or possible changes to the BCBA. Together, you and the BCBA can use the session information and your family's experience to review progress and discuss whether the plan needs to change.
Finding a care team
Headstart connects families with independent BCBA-led practices. The Family Experience team helps with finding care and intake.
If you're looking for care, Get Started with ABA to connect with the Family Experience team.
