5 Treatment Settings for Applied Behavior Analysis

Environments for the Behavioral Analyst

Center-Based Treatment
Clinic or Hospital Treatment
Treatment in the Home
School Environment
Government Setting

The student who is working towards a career as an applied behavior analyst can find a position in a variety of settings. There’s some misconception that the analyst has to work as a therapist, but that is only one area where analysts are needed.

Center-Based Treatment

Many analysts work with adolescents in a residential center. The teenagers live there full-time outside the home. They’ve had behavior problems that have resulted in them being removed from the home environment. Treatment will involve an assessment period, supervision and constant monitoring while a plan is implemented. Over time, the teenager can leave with this treatment plan in place and be monitored on an out-patient basis.

Clinic or Hospital Treatment

Analysts deal with challenges like developmental issues, ADD or ADHD, behavioral issues and conditions that are similar. Those challenges are common for people who are in the hospital or those seen by professionals in a clinic setting. The analyst can be a positive force in the life of a patient dealing with brain injuries as well as mental health issues and developmental problems. Families with adolescents who have behavioral issues usually need the most help from applied behavior analysts.

Treatment in the Home

Very young children who need to be evaluated have services in the home. They are evaluated for developmental issues early, so that treatment can being early. The most common kind of treatment in the home comes from a diagnosis of autism. The children are given a treatment plan and the analyst follows up with the child as well as the family to ensure that the plan is followed.

School Environment

For younger children, center-based treatment can be positive for those with autism or development disorders. While toddlers might be evaluated and treated at home, those who are moving into school age can be sent to school with a treatment plan. The school might be focused on their learning or developmental disabilities or it might be a school that most children attend.

Government Setting

Analysts don’t always treat individuals in a clinical setting. They might work in a government setting as a type of profiler. The Federal Bureau of Investigations hires analysts to assess criminals who make terrorist threats as well as those who commit serial murders. They’ll develop a profile that aids investigators in identifying the perpetrator of horrible crimes. Along with a profile that might apprehend a criminal, the analyst might evaluate the criminal once he or she has been arrested.

One of the best things about becoming a behavioral analyst is the variety of settings in which a person can work. Whether it’s families and adolescents, young adults in a clinical setting or police agencies tracking criminals, the analyst can find variety and challenge in their career from the moment of graduation.

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