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5 Duties of a Registered Behavioral Technician

Image of a therapy session for our FAQ about RBT jobsWhat Does a Registered Behavior Technician Do?

  • Assist in Developing Social Skills and Life Skills
  • Training for Employment
  • Providing Family Guidance
  • Behavior Reduction
  • Reporting and Documentation

A Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) is an individual that has undergone training and education in various behavior analyst courses and seminars. The RBT is someone who has a skill set useful in any number of areas, including people working closely with people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, hospital supervisors and staff, social case workers, as well as anyone dealing with people exhibiting problem behavior.

Forbes did a feature on professionals who believe they make the world a better place and listed 10 types of individuals in the article. One of the groups highlighted was the Registered Behavior Technician. More than 60 percent of Registered Behavior Technicians felt their work had a positive impact on the world.

Assist in Developing Social Skills and Life Skills

A Registered Behavior Technician assists a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in helping individuals on the Autism Spectrum develop social skills. In younger individuals, learning proper social skills can help facilitate integration into mainstream education environments.

Many people in today’s society find themselves needing assistance in basic life skills. The Registered Behavior Technician can help by acting as a kind of navigator for the uncharted waters some individuals get lost in. By providing encouragement and understanding, the RBT can take someone previously unsure about many basic areas and help them achieve a sense of self-esteem and confidence.

Training for Employment

An article in The New York Times highlighted the unique abilities of certain people on the Autism Spectrum. One area where these people can flourish deals with doing tedious and monotonous tasks, such as data entry. One of the duties of Registered Behavior Technicians is to work with individuals to highlight the skills that companies that can use.

Providing Family Guidance

When families find themselves dealing with the stresses and challenges of individuals who have behavioral problems, the Registered Behavioral Technician (in conjunction with a certified behavior analyst) can help provide a healthy protocol for daily use, including role-playing, empathic training, and generally keeping lines of communication open for everyone involved. The RBT works to help those with behavioral issues integrate into a nurturing and caring family environment.

Behavior Reduction

A Registered Behavior Technician often works with people who have behavioral issues. These issues sometimes cause them to act out inappropriately. The RBT, under the supervision of a certified behavior analyst, works to reduce those behavioral issues. This often proves to be challenging, as the RBT needs to identify the triggers causing the unwanted behavior. Once that takes place, both technician and individual work on finding ways to either reduce the behavioral issue or even eliminate it entirely.

Reporting and Documentation

Since the Registered Behavior Technician works with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, it’s important that those individuals under the technician’s care have behavior documentation and reporting. That record can help identify which areas of treatment seem to be effective and which areas might not be working as well as the behavior analyst and the technician might like.

For someone looking to find a career that can be both challenging and incredibly rewarding, becoming a Registered Behavior Technician might fit the bill. An RBT is in a position to change the lives of individuals, as well as society itself.

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