RBT Exam Study Guide Unit C: Skill Acquisition

This section of our complimentary RBT Exam Study Guide focuses on skill acquisition. It is based on Section C of the RBT Task List, which includes the following responsibilities related to skill achievement:

• Recognize the fundamental elements of a written skill acquisition plan.
• Prepare for the session as specified by the skill acquisition plan.
• Utilize support possibilities. Carry out discrete-trial teaching methods.
• Execute naturalistic teaching techniques (e.g., incidental teaching).
• Implement task-analyzed chaining techniques.
• Conduct discrimination training.
• Apply motivation control transfer methods.
• Use prompting and prompt-disappearing strategies.
• Facilitate generalization and maintenance practices.
• Adopt shaping techniques.
• Establish token economy systems.

Significance of Skill Acquisition in ABA

The first thing that usually comes to mind when someone thinks of ABA is behavior reduction. However, ABA is so much more than just minimizing disturbing behaviors. One of the main responsibilities of an RBT is to teach customers new skills. There are countless skills you can work on with your clients, including social skills, communication, independent living, pre-academic and learner-ready skills, vocational skills, safety skills, etc. The task list’s Section C discusses the many approaches to teaching and practicing new skills.

RBT Task C-1: Identify the essential components of a written skill acquisition plan.

Skill accession plans are written for each skill that a remediation platoon is directing for a learner. These plans outline the skills that are to be taught and how they’ll be instructed. This is important for ensuring consistency among everyone involved in tutoring the skill. You may have multiple guests who are working on the same skill, but the procedures are different, so it’s important to know each customer’s personalized plans.

Skill accession plans should include the following information:

• Explain the skill that will be focused on.
• Outline the specific instruction methods detailing the lesson steps and desired student actions.
• Materials and tangible rewards needed for the lesson.
• Develop a hierarchy of prompts that will be used.
• Methods for recording and evaluating the data.
• Definitions and explanations for mastery.
• Plans for generalization and maintenance, and the specific limits/goals for the plans.

RBT Task C-2: Prepare for the session as required by the skill acquisition plan.

Beginning every class, you will have to arrange your teaching surroundings according to the data provided in the client’s skill acquisition strategy. Your BCBA might also have a written-up session procedure that summarizes the data required to successfully set up your sessions.

Planning for your session might include:

• Checking through skill development plans
• Looking over present objectives and gathering any teaching aids required for them
• As appropriate, preparing reinforcements, token boards, first-then boards, etc.
• Make sure your data sheet(s) and/or device(s) are easily accessible (see A1). Preparing your collection tools.

RBT Task C-3: Use contingencies of reinforcement 

When reinforcers are offered every time someone exhibits a specific behavior, constant reinforcement results. For instance, every time your client uses their picture icons (PECS) to request a toy or snack, this behavior is promptly rewarded by offering access to the specified goods.

When rewards are given only some of the time, a certain action is shown; intermittent reinforcement results. Consider, for instance, a youngster mastering tying their shoes. On an irregular reinforcement schedule, praise serves as reinforcement for this ability. 

Fixed interval (FI) schedule of reinforcement:

Offering incentives every X minutes. In a fixed interval schedule, the interval is consistent every time. Working for a paycheck is the most usual instance of an FI reinforcing a plan. Usually, your compensation, which comes on a regular and reliable schedule, serves as your reinforcement. Every two weeks, you get your pay for labor from the preceding two weeks, for instance.

Fixed ratio (FR) schedule of reinforcement:

After every X occurrences of a desired behavior, offer reinforcement. With a fixed ratio schedule, the number of responses needed to be rewarded stays constant every time. A paraprofessional, for instance, awards her pupil tokens every five pages they read independently. The pages the student must read to earn one token remain constant.

Variable interval (VI) schedule of reinforcement:

Though it averages out, the time needed to pass before reinforcement varies in a variable interval schedule. A VI5 schedule would call for reinforcement about every five minutes. You would strengthen every 46 minutes. A VI schedule is when a youngster asks for a snack and her mother replies, “Wait.” Sometimes she has to wait just one minute. Other times, she might need to wait 4 or 5 minutes.

Variable ratio (VR) schedule of reinforcement:

Reinforcing a varying number of times when the target behavior occurs. The number of answers needed to get reinforcement changes on a variable ratio schedule. An RBT, for instance, asks her customer to finish two to four courses before she may pause the playroom.

Tip: To remember these schedules of reinforcement, keep in mind:

• Variable = variations
• Fixed = The same
• Interval = time-based
• Ratio = Based on several events

Unconditioned and Conditioned Reinforcement:

Reinforces can be either conditioned or unconditioned. Those inherently rewarding to all people from birth are unconditioned (primary) reinforcers. Consider survival’s essentials : food, water, and controlled temperature. Conditioned (secondary) reinforcers are those that develop to be rewarding through association with other reinforcements—for instance, books, toys, cash, and tokens in a token economy.

RBT Task C-4: Implement discrete-trial teaching procedures

One often-employed approach in ABA is discrete trial teaching (DTT). ).It is seen as a systematic approach to instruction for new abilities. Though DTT is usually done at a table, it can be used apart from one. One often-misconceived thing is this.

DTT consists of three main components:

• The SD/instruction 
• The reaction of the student
• The result—that is, reinforcement for a correct response or a correction if incorrect

A brief pause to register information follows every answer, after which another experiment follows.

DTT Example:

RBT shows the client a photo of a dog and asks, “What is it?” The client answers “dog.” RBT responds, “Great work, it’s a dog!”

RBT Task C-5: Implement naturalistic teaching procedures 

Usually less organized than DTT, naturalistic instruction: Learners naturally develop this kind of education in their surroundings. The learner’s home, local stores, restaurants, playgrounds, or the school or daycare of the learner might be included in a natural environment. You seek goals by using your client’s motivation while doing naturalistic or casual instruction. This is sometimes more client-led than DTT, which is more therapist-led.

For yet another example, think of a student whose aims include abiding by safety directions such as “come here” and “stop.” Using their motivation, one could teach these in your student’s own environment. Maybe your student is driven by bubbles. Standing at the far end, you might say, “Come here,” holding the bubbles.

RBT Task C-6: Implement task-analyzed chaining procedures

One method for dividing a difficult assignment into little, separate parts is task analysis. Consider getting dressed or brushing your teeth. How many separate steps are required in those kinds of abilities? Consider just brushing your teeth. Learning this ability requires you to master every stage involved—get your toothpaste and brush, open the tube of toothpaste, apply toothpaste to the brush, wet the toothbrush, thoroughly brush the left top, center top, right, etc. A job analysis clarifies every stage necessary in the process.

After the task analysis, chaining methods let you impart difficult techniques.

1: Total task chaining procedure:

Many times, this is used for abilities the student has some aptitude for but has not mastered every step in the chain. The therapist helps with prompts only on steps the learner has not yet mastered in this chaining process, so allowing the learner to complete the actions independently. That is to say, prompts are employed as necessary. In the brushing teeth scenario, the client may open the toothpaste and grab their toothbrush and toothpaste on their own. Then the counselor instructs them to soak the brush. Then, they independently begin brushing, with prompts along the route on the final steps as needed.

2: Forward chaining procedure:

This is done by letting the student first show the first step alone, and then the therapist prompts (or shows) the other chain links. The learner would first acquire the toothbrush on his own, and then the therapist would urge the other steps. Once the learner had mastered getting the toothbrush, they would include another step in (i.e., obtaining the toothpaste) the learner would do alone. This would go on until the learner masters all steps of the chain without any prompt.

3: Backward chaining procedure:

By guiding the student through every step of the chain, one may accomplish this until they arrive at the last step. The student shows the final step on their own at this moment. The therapist encourages the learner to independently show the last two stages after they master the final step , until the second-to-last one. Once again, this goes on until the whole chain is mastered.

RBT Task C-7: Implement discrimination training

Discrimination instruction entails training a student to distinguish among stimuli. For instance, if you lay out an arrangement of picture cards and say, “Find the bed,” if your student can examine all the images and choose the bed, they are showing discrimination. Through organized reinforcement, discrimination is taught. You can help your students to differentiate by denying reinforcement for behaviors when specific stimuli are present and providing reinforcement in the presence of other stimuli.

Based on the same scenario, you wouldn’t support this behavior if your student chose a picture of a car when the command “find the bed” was given. You would only strengthen when they chose the right image of a bed instead. Discrimination training helps one  develop stimulus control.

RBT Task C-8: Implement stimulus control transfer procedures

Methods for fading stimuli to transfer the control of a reaction from one SD to another are known as stimulus control transfer procedures. The response is under the control of that particular cue when a therapist prompts a right answer. Ideally, we want to move stimulus control to the naturally occurring stimulus so the learner can be autonomous and not prompt-dependent.

Imagine, for instance, a client is learning to follow one-step commands, like “get your cup.” First, targeting this objective, you would give the directions and then encourage them to go for the cup. The kind of exact prompt would rely on the particular student.

As an example, point prompting can be considered.

RBT Task C-9: Implement prompt and prompt fading procedures

Prompts are techniques used to enable the learner to show or exhibit the right response. Before, during, or immediately after the SD/instruction, you may give a prompt. But a prompt cannot come after the student answers. For instance, suppose you are coaching your customer to identify things in their surroundings. You first supply the SD “What is this?” and then prompt straight by vocalizing the proper answer. The client would next repeat the right answer. It would appear thus:

(SD) “What is it?” showing the client a cup + (Prompt) “cup”—> (Response) The learner says “cup”—> (Consequence) reinforcement

Encouragements are always tailored to the aptitude of the learner as well as their level. For some students, intrusive prompts—faded to less intrusive ones—are most effective. Less intrusive reminders from the outset might help other students who develop skills faster or are inclined toward prompt dependence.

An integral element of teaching skills is prompts. Still, there needs to be a plan in place to fade them. Our students will become reliant on prompts if we constantly prod the right response; therefore, they won’t be self-reliant with the skill. This is referred to as prompt dependency.

1: Gestural prompts:

Pointing, staring, or some other form of gesturing serves to lead the student to the right response.

Example: Telling your student to pick up a toy while pointing to the one lying on the ground is an example.

2: Physical prompts:

 Assisting physically to bring about the right answer. Partial-physical-to-full-handover-hand (HOH) prompting is among the broad range of physical stimuli. Many abilities can benefit from physical cues, but they are the most intrusive. For the learner, they could also be more aversive than other stimuli.

Example: Saying “Wave,” then literally leading your pupil’s hand to wave.

3: Model prompts:

Correct response demonstration. Live modeling or video modeling can be used for model prompts.

Example: Showing your student the instructions step-by-step while tying your own shoes.

RBT Task C-10: Implement generalization and maintenance procedures

One major objective of ABA therapy is for our students to be able to show acquired knowledge in the settings and with the people where such knowledge is most important. We essentially want our students to show basic skills with their parents and guardians at home, in the neighborhood, at school, etc. Our clients have not generalized the skill if they can only show fresh skills in a staged therapeutic environment or only demonstrate the ability using particular stimuli.

When a person displays a learned habit in various circumstances and original manners, generalizations result. They show the behavior with new people, in many environments, or under various stimuli, for instance. This is known as stimulus generalization. A client has generalized this capacity if they acquire the ability to name a sink in a picture and then proceed to be able to name other instances of a sink.

Another kind of generalization is called response generalization, whereby a person learns a behavior and then may participate in other comparable actions. You instruct your client to greet you with “hi” upon your arrival, for instance. Once they have this down, they will begin to welcome you in several other ways, including by saying “hi (name),” “hey,” “hello,” “what’s up,” etc.

Instruct your client to utilize “please” and “thank you,” for instance, while mending and receiving favored goods. Once they have perfected this talent, you are not actively teaching, prompting, or rewarding. Still, they keep asking, using “please,” and then say “thank you.” Therefore, this talent persisted even after the intervention was stopped.

1. Use several different stimulus examples. For instance, you would teach a child to recognize clothing names (e.g., shirts, socks, pants, shorts) using numerous images of shirts and/or actual shirts in different sizes, patterns, colors, etc.
2. Teach in different environments. You may encourage generalization by concentrating on the skills in varied settings as a youngster acquires abilities in a constructed therapy setting. For instance, if you are instructing a youngster to follow the command “come here,” you would teach them to follow this in a therapy room, in other rooms in their home or clinic setting, and then maybe outdoors at the park or in a store.
3. Vary your instruction. Children should be taught to react to the same instruction provided in several forms. Should a youngster be developing patience, some generic directions would be “wait,” “hang on,” “wait for a second,” or “give me a minute.”
4. Encourage and reinforce different responses. You want to stay clear of promoting rote response as it inhibits your student from generalising knowledge. .As such, encourage and reinforce when your learner responds in various forms as long as each response is accurate. Recall that there are sometimes many ways to do anything and several potential correct responses.

RBT Task C-11: Implement shaping procedures

Shaping is a training technique whereby you consistently reward approaches toward an objective. Suppose, for instance, your aim for your pupil is to be able to answer to their name when they are across the room from their teacher, parent, or therapist. They have to exclaim, “what?” when their name is called. Beginning with a lower estimate of the ultimate objective instead of initially aiming at it will enable them much more success.

In other words, you would begin by training them to react when you are directly beside them rather than trying to teach them to react to their name when you are apart from them. You give encouragement as they follow this directive. You next move the distance further away after they have mastered this aim. They must now react to their name being called a few feet away in order to get reinforcement. The distance could rise slightly with each future target until the ultimate goal, responding to their name from across the room, is reached.

RBT Task C-12: Apply methods of the token economy

A reinforcement approach used to improve adaptive or desirable actions is known as a token economy. You give your student generalized conditioned reinforcers, tokens, which is how you do this. Tokens get rewarded by matching with other reinforcers.

A token economy consists of the following stages:

1. The BCBA will define the tokens, activities, and reinforcement schedule. Every student’s token economy might be quite different. To name a few, tokens can be stickers, coins, poker chips, tallies,etc.  The BCBA could include more behaviors as they become better at those ones. The BCBA working on the case will produce a full description of the token economy system so you have clear knowledge of how to apply it with your patient.
2. When your student displays the target actions, you will award them tokens. Usually, you will begin with a continuous reinforcement plan (see Task C3) and advance toward an intermittent schedule once your student meets the demands. Emphasizing what they are earning the token for, use specific behavioral praise while awarding tokens.
3. The student trades tokens for backup reinforcements. These are strengthening exercises or commodities. Each backup reinforce will have a specific quantity of tokens that the pupil has to cash in for it. One might need 10 tokens to redeem, while another needs 20, for instance.

RBT Skill Acquisition Quiz