Earn your RBT credential and launch your ABA career with confidence
The complete, standards-aligned training program to prepare aspiring Behavior Technicians for the BACB's RBT credential — so they can confidently deliver Applied Behavior Analysis services under BCBA supervision across the United States.
"The families and clients you'll serve deserve a technician who truly understands what they're doing and why — and that's exactly the standard this program holds you to."— Pauline Smith EdD
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Complete the full 40-hour RBT training requirement aligned to the BACB's RBT Task List (2nd Edition)
- Accurately implement discrete trial training, naturalistic teaching, and behavior intervention plans under BCBA supervision
- Collect, record, and graph behavioral data using professional-grade measurement systems
- Identify and apply ethical guidelines from the BACB Professional and Ethical Compliance Code in real workplace scenarios
- Confidently pass the RBT competency assessment and the 85-question BACB certification examination
- Communicate professionally with supervising BCBAs, families, and interdisciplinary teams in clinical and school settings
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
7 modules · 22 lessons
Foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis & the RBT Role
Establishes the scientific and professional bedrock every RBT must stand on before touching a single data sheet or working with a client. Covers the philosophy of behaviorism, the seven dimensions of ABA, the BACB credentialing ecosystem, and the non-negotiable boundaries of the RBT scope of practice. This module fulfills the prerequisite conceptual knowledge required for all later procedural modules and directly maps to the BACB RBT Task List 2nd Edition Section F (Skill Acquisition) preamble and Section G (Behavior Reduction) preamble.
- 1.1The Science of Behavior: ABA's Core PrinciplesIncluded
- 1.2The BACB, the RBT Credential, and Your Supervision RequirementsIncluded
- 1.3Professional Conduct, Boundaries, and the RBT's Scope of PracticeIncluded
Measurement, Data Collection & Graphing
Transforms students from passive observers into precise behavioral scientists. Every RBT spends a significant portion of every session collecting data; errors here corrupt treatment decisions made by the BCBA. This module covers the full taxonomy of behavioral measurement (frequency, rate, duration, latency, IRT, magnitude, ATD), the logic for choosing among continuous and discontinuous recording methods, accurate trial-by-trial recording, and the creation and interpretation of standard line graphs and other display formats. Sequenced before skill acquisition and behavior reduction modules so students can immediately apply measurement skills in procedural practice.
- 2.1Behavioral Measurement Systems: What to Measure and HowIncluded
- 2.2Data Recording Procedures: Continuous, Discontinuous & Trial-by-TrialIncluded
- 2.3Graphing Behavioral Data & Communicating Results to Your BCBAIncluded
Skill Acquisition Programs & Teaching Procedures
The largest instructional module, covering every teaching technology RBTs are required to implement under BCBA-written programs. Students progress logically from structured trial-based teaching (DTT) to naturalistic embedded teaching (NET, PRT, incidental teaching), then to the motivational and procedural tools that make both effective: prompting hierarchies, prompt fading, shaping, and chaining. The module culminates in the skill of reading any written skill acquisition program and faithfully implementing it — the core RBT competency in this domain. Sequenced after measurement so that students practice data collection simultaneously with every teaching procedure.
- 3.1Discrete Trial Training (DTT): Structure, Delivery & DataIncluded
- 3.2Naturalistic Teaching Strategies: NET, PRT & Incidental TeachingIncluded
- 3.3Prompting, Prompt Fading & ShapingIncluded
- 3.4Chaining & Running Skill Acquisition Programs from a Written PlanIncluded
Behavior Reduction & Intervention Plan Implementation
Equips students to safely and ethically implement BCBA-designed behavior intervention plans for socially significant challenging behaviors, including self-injury, aggression, elopement, and stereotypy. The module begins with the conceptual foundation of function (without which no RBT can implement a BIP with understanding), moves through reading and implementing BIPs with fidelity, applies the specific antecedent and consequence strategies BCBAs prescribe, and closes with crisis safety procedures and mandatory incident documentation. Sequenced after skill acquisition because reinforcement-based skill building is always the first-line approach — behavior reduction strategies are understood as supplements to skill acquisition, never replacements.
- 4.1Understanding the Function of Behavior & Functional AssessmentIncluded
- 4.2Reading & Implementing Behavior Intervention PlansIncluded
- 4.3Antecedent Modifications, Differential Reinforcement & ExtinctionIncluded
- 4.4Crisis Procedures, Safety Skills & Incident DocumentationIncluded
Ethics, Professional Responsibilities & BCBA Supervision
Moves from rules to genuine professional identity. Students don't just memorize the BACB Ethics Code — they apply it to the messy, ambiguous real-world situations RBTs actually face: parent requests that conflict with the BIP, social media pitfalls, boundary drift with families, conflicts with co-workers, and the emotional weight of working with challenging populations. The module also develops the specific communication and professional skills required for a high-functioning RBT-BCBA supervisory relationship, including how to participate meaningfully in supervision, report session data, and advocate for clients within their scope. Placed at Module 5 (after all procedural content) so that students can apply the ethics code to specific clinical situations they now understand deeply.
- 5.1The BACB Ethics Code: RBT Responsibilities in the Real WorldIncluded
- 5.2Confidentiality, HIPAA Basics & Social Media in ABA PracticeIncluded
- 5.3Working Effectively Under BCBA SupervisionIncluded
Communication & Collaboration in Clinical and School Settings
A dedicated module — absent from the original draft but essential for the stated outcome of communicating professionally with supervising BCBAs, families, and interdisciplinary teams in clinical and school settings. ABA does not occur in a vacuum: RBTs work alongside special education teachers, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, school administrators, and family members who may have limited ABA knowledge. This module builds the specific communication and collaboration competencies required for RBTs to be effective team members across all service delivery settings, to share behavioral data with non-ABA professionals, to support families as active partners in generalization, and to navigate the unique ethical and logistical landscape of school-based ABA services.
- 6.1Family Communication, Caregiver Training Support & Parent PartnershipsIncluded
- 6.2Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Working with Schools, SLPs, OTs & Other ProfessionalsIncluded
RBT Competency Assessment & Certification Exam Preparation
The capstone module, sequenced last so students can draw on the full body of knowledge and skills built across all preceding modules. Systematically reviews the entire RBT Task List 2nd Edition competency area by competency area, with timed practice questions, performance-based skill demonstrations, a full-length simulated competency assessment, and a full-length 85-question BACB-format practice exam with detailed answer rationale review. Students also complete all paperwork and logistics preparation required to sit for the actual BACB RBT exam. This module does not introduce new content — it consolidates, corrects gaps, and builds the fluency and confidence required for exam-day success.
- 7.1RBT Task List Review: Competency Area by Competency AreaIncluded
- 7.2Competency Assessment Preparation: Skills-Based Performance ReadinessIncluded
- 7.3BACB Certification Exam Strategy & Full-Length PracticeIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
Psychology Graduates
You've studied behavior in the classroom — now translate that theory into a real, credentialed ABA career with the precise clinical skills the BACB requires.
Education Paraprofessionals
You already support students with behavioral needs in school settings; this program formalizes your skills, aligns them to the RBT Task List, and opens the door to a credentialed role.
Caregivers & Family Members
If you're supporting a loved one with ABA services at home, earning your RBT credential lets you deliver those services with professional-grade skill and supervised confidence.
Career Changers
Whether you're coming from childcare, social services, or another healthcare role, this program gives you the ABA foundation and credential pathway to pivot into behavioral health.
Education Graduates
A degree in special education or child development pairs naturally with ABA practice — this curriculum bridges the gap between your training and a credentialed RBT role.
Entry-Level Behavioral Health Workers
Already working in a behavioral health setting without formal ABA credentials? This program gives you the structured 40-hour training and exam prep to make it official.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Pauline Smith EdD
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you already care deeply about the people this work serves — children and adults with developmental disabilities, behavioral health needs, and families who are counting on skilled, compassionate support. You may be standing at the start of your ABA career, wondering exactly what the credential process involves, whether you can genuinely master the clinical skills it requires, and whether you'll be ready when it counts. That uncertainty is completely normal. And it's exactly what this program is built to resolve.
The path to the RBT credential is clearly defined by the BACB — 40 hours of training, a competency assessment, and an 85-question certification exam. What isn't always clear is how to get from "I want to do this work" to "I'm fully prepared to do this work." There's a real gap between reading about Discrete Trial Training and knowing how to run a trial correctly, record the data accurately, and communicate your results to a supervising BCBA. This program is designed to close that gap, systematically and completely.
Every module in this curriculum maps directly to the RBT Task List (2nd Edition). We don't skip the hard parts — functional assessment, Behavior Intervention Plan implementation, extinction procedures, crisis documentation, and the ethical boundaries that protect both your clients and your career. We teach them in plain, accessible language, with clinical precision, because the families and clients you'll serve deserve a technician who truly understands what they're doing and why.
I also want to address the concern I hear most often: "I'm not sure I'm ready for the exam." The final section of this program exists specifically for that worry. We go through the Task List competency area by competency area, prepare you for the skills-based performance your BCBA will assess, and give you full-length exam practice with strategy — not just content review. Readiness isn't a feeling; it's a result of structured preparation.
This field needs more people who are well-trained, ethically grounded, and genuinely prepared to serve. If that describes who you want to be, this program is your clearest next step. I'm glad you're here, and I'm ready to help you earn it.
— Pauline Smith EdD
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- 7 modules, 22 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed