The ABA Playbook Blog
- Why You Keep Missing Scenario Questions Even When You Know the Definitions — You can define extinction, DRA, and negative reinforcement perfectly. Then you see a four-sentence scenario, two answers look right, and you pick the wrong one. That doesn't mean you don't know the material. It means you
- Promoted, Not Prepared: Your First 90 Days as a New BCBA Supervisor — Most new supervisors are promoted because they were good at the job they had. Then they're expected to do a different job, leading people, with little or no training. If that's you, the problem isn't that you're not cut
- How to Use AI to Study for the BCBA Exam Without Fooling Yourself — AI can make you a better test taker or a worse one. It depends on whether you use it to think *for* you or to make you think harder. Used well, AI quizzes you, catches gaps in your reasoning, and explains a concept five
- How to Track BCBA Fieldwork Hours Without a Spreadsheet Meltdown (Including the 2027 Changes) — Fieldwork hours only count if you can prove them. Losing hours rarely comes from not doing the work. It comes from a missed signature, a month that fell below the supervision percentage, or a spreadsheet that doesn't mat
- What Changed for RBTs in 2026: The New Exam, 12 PDUs, and Two-Year Renewal — On January 1, 2026, the BACB changed how people become RBTs and how they stay certified. If you're working toward the credential, your training and exam are different. If you're already certified, your renewal works diff
- ABA Measurement Made Simple: Frequency, Rate, Duration, Latency, and IRT — Choosing the right measure comes down to one question: what about this behavior needs to change? If the problem is how often it happens, count it. If the problem is how long it lasts, time it. If the problem is how long…
- Caregiver Training That Sticks: Using Behavioral Skills Training With Families — Giving a parent a handout isn't training. Neither is explaining a procedure while they watch their child across the room. If you want caregivers to use a skill at home on a hard Tuesday night, they need to practice it…
- How to Run a Great Supervision Meeting: A Guide for New BCBAs — You were promoted because you were a great clinician. Supervising is a different skill. A good supervision meeting does three things: it improves client care, it builds the supervisee's skills, and it makes them want to…
- ABC Data Collection: A Practical Guide for Technicians and Caregivers — ABC data help a team answer one question: what's happening around this behavior? You record what happened right before (antecedent), the behavior itself, and what happened right after (consequence). Done well, ABC data…
- How to Write a Clear, Objective RBT Session Note — A good session note lets someone who wasn't in the room understand what happened. Your supervisor, a payer reviewer, or the RBT covering your client next week should be able to read it and know what you worked on, how…
- Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement and Punishment: A Plain-Language Guide — In behavior analysis, "positive" doesn't mean good and "negative" doesn't mean bad. Positive means something was **added**. Negative means something was **removed**. Once you separate those words from their everyday…
- Top 10 ABA CEU Topics to Prioritize in 2026 (and the Rule Changes You Need to Know) — Every BCBA needs 32 CEUs per cycle. The real question is whether those 32 hours change what you do on Monday morning. This post covers the requirements first, including two changes many people have missed, and then the…
- The BCBA Pass Rate Just Hit 51%. Here's Where to Focus Your Study Time — Only about half of first-time BCBA candidates passed in 2025. That's not a reason to panic, but it is a reason to stop studying the way most people do. Here's what the numbers show, what they don't, and how to build a…
- How to Pass the RBT Exam in 30 Days: A Realistic Study Plan for the 2026 Exam — The RBT exam isn't designed to trick you. It's designed to check whether you can do the job safely under supervision. Thirty days is enough time to prepare if you study the right content, in the right proportions, using…