RBT Competency Assessment: Behavior Acquisition (2026)

Skills Assessed: Behavior Acquisition

1. Implementing Shaping

Shaping involves reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior. Your assessor will watch you teach a new skill by reinforcing behaviors that are closer and closer to the final goal, without waiting for the perfect final behavior to be displayed.

Example: Teaching a child to say "ball." You first reinforce any vocalization (approximation 1), then only vocalizations with a "b" sound (approximation 2), then "ba" (approximation 3), then "ball" (target behavior). The assessor checks that you reinforce EACH step toward the goal, not just the final behavior.

2. Implementing Chaining

Chaining teaches multi-step skills by breaking them into smaller steps and linking them together. Your assessor will ask you to demonstrate either forward chaining (teach first step → add next) or backward chaining (teach last step → add previous).

Example: Teaching handwashing. Forward chaining: teach "turn on water" first, master it, then add "get soap," then "scrub hands," etc. Backward chaining: teach "turn off water" first (last step), then "rinse," then "scrub," etc. The assessor checks that you follow the chosen chaining method correctly and provide prompts/fading as needed.

3. Implementing Prompting and Discrete Trial Training (DTT)

Prompting involves giving cues to help the client perform a correct response. DTT is a structured teaching format: Discriminative Stimulus (SD) → Prompt → Client Response → Consequence (reinforcement or correction). Your assessor watches you run at least 3 DTT trials correctly.

Example: SD = "Touch nose." You give a modeling prompt (touch your own nose). Client touches their nose. You say "Great job!" and give a token. The assessor checks that you used the correct prompt, delivered the reinforcer immediately after correct response, and ran at least 3 trials with consistent procedure.

Supervisor Competency Checklist (Behavior Acquisition)

#	Task	Completed?	Notes
1	Implements shaping by reinforcing successive approximations	[ ]
2	Defines clear successive approximations toward target behavior	[ ]
3	Implements forward chaining correctly (teach first step → add next)	[ ]
4	Implements backward chaining correctly (teach last step → add previous)	[ ]
5	Uses appropriate prompt level (verbal, gestural, modeling, physical)	[ ]
6	Fades prompts systematically (most-to-least or least-to-most)	[ ]
7	Runs Discrete Trial Training (SD → prompt → response → consequence)	[ ]
8	Delivers reinforcement immediately after correct response in DTT	[ ]
9	Completes at least 3 DTT trials with consistent procedure	[ ]
10	Records data accurately during all teaching trials	[ ]

Prompt Hierarchy Table

Level	Type	Example
Verbal	Spoken instruction or cue	"Touch your nose" or "Say ball"
Gestural	Pointing, nodding, or hand gesture	Pointing to the toothbrush to prompt "brush teeth"
Modeling	Demonstrating the skill for the client to imitate	Therapist touches own nose to model "touch nose"
Physical	Full or partial physical guidance of the client's body	Guide client's hand to pick up the spoon

Note: Most-to-least prompting starts with physical → modeling → gestural → verbal → independent. Least-to-most starts with verbal → gestural → modeling → physical → full physical.

Shaping: Reinforce Successive Approximations

Shaping is the process of reinforcing successive approximations to a target behavior. You do NOT wait for the perfect final behavior — you reinforce small steps that get closer and closer to the goal.

Example: Teaching a child to write their name. You first reinforce any mark on paper (approximation 1), then only scribbles that look like lines (approximation 2), then letter-like shapes (approximation 3), then the first letter of their name (approximation 4), then the full name (target behavior). Each step is reinforced, and the criterion moves closer to the final goal.

Chaining: Forward vs. Backward

Forward Chaining: Teach the FIRST step first, master it, then add the second step, then third, etc. The client completes all previously mastered steps independently each trial.

Backward Chaining: Teach the LAST step first, master it, then add the second-to-last step, then third-to-last, etc. The client always completes the chain by doing the last step (which they already mastered), building confidence.