What Does an RBT Really Do? The Skill Behind Great ABA Care

RBTs really are the superstars of ABA.

They're the ones spending so much time directly with our kids and families, and we sometimes don't give enough credit to just how difficult their job can be. Being a great RBT isn't simply about following a program. You're building relationships, figuring out what motivates someone, adapting when something isn't working, thinking about safety, collecting data, and trying to make learning actually enjoyable — often while working inside someone else's home.

That's a lot to ask of one person.

In this episode of Acorns to Oaks, we talk about what the RBT role actually looks like and some of the challenges facing the people doing this work every day. We get into training, compensation, changing expectations in the field, and something we feel pretty strongly about: if we're going to ask RBTs to provide great services, we need to give them the support and resources to actually do it.

That includes the little things, too. If we're asking someone to figure out what a child loves and use those interests to make learning fun, they need access to more than the same bag of toys week after week. Motivation changes. Kids change. Good ABA has to be able to change with them.

We also talk about burnout and why supporting RBTs isn't just good for RBTs — it's important for the kids and families they work with.

There's a lot wrapped up in this conversation, which is why we're tackling it in two parts.

For Part One, we're starting with the RBTs themselves: what we're asking them to do, what makes someone great at this work, and whether we're really setting them up to succeed.

Because we can write the best treatment plans in the world, but ultimately we need great people to bring them to life.

Watch or listen to Part One of our conversation above.