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What or who is ABAT?
ABAT stands for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Technician. It refers to someone who is qualified to work as a direct 1-to-1 therapy instructor to individuals with Autism. An ABAT implements the treatment plan to effectively support individuals with Autism by teaching new skills and reducing maladaptive behaviors.
What are the benefits of becoming an ABAT?
Benefits of becoming or engaging an ABAT
There are many benefits to obtaining ABAT certification:
• It is globally recognized as it is offered by the QABA Credentialing Board®, which is an internationally-accredited organization by ANSI
• It demonstrates that certificants have met certain requirements that are essential in delivering behavior-analytics services
• It enhances consumer protection as certificants must meet certain eligibility (e.g., pass a criminal background check, pass examination) maintenance requirements (e.g., receive ongoing supervision, adhere to an ethics code) to obtain and maintain certification
• It ensures the delivery of quality and consistent behavior-analytics services to consumers
• It ensures accountability of certificants as they must abide the ethics code by QABA
How do I become an ABAT?
To become an ABAT, you will need to earn the credential or certification through coursework and supervised fieldwork. The ABAT credential certifies that you have demonstrated entry‐level knowledge of Autism and related disorders as well as principles of ABA through examination and demonstration of basic intervention skills through initial field experience.
To read the full information, please visit the official ABAT webpage from QABA.
Individuals who hold the ABAT credential must practice under the ongoing supervision, training and direction of a licensed or certified professional within the scope of ABA to maintain and improve their behavior technician’s skills while implementing ABA-based treatment.
Tell me more about the ABAT Training Course at SEED Autism Services.
The 40-hour ABAT course is one of the eligibility requirements for the ABAT credential. It is intended to provide professional/paraprofessional a foundation of knowledge to not only pass the ABAT exam, but also to utilize this information during treatment development and implementation. The content of ABAT course covers all the tasks listed in ABAT Competency Standards and is developed or delivered by a professional who has been QABA certified, or certified by an accredited certifying entity, for a minimum of 2 years. The ABAT course can only be offered by an organization that has been endorsed as an Approved Coursework Provider by QABA.
However, the course could also be used solely for personal or professional development (e.g., for those not interested in obtaining ABAT credential). The ABAT course empowers individuals with knowledge and skillsets across different topics such as fundamental core knowledge of autism, principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), commonly used intervention strategies as well as ethics in the field of behavior analysis.
As such, even if you are not in the field of providing behavior-analytical (or therapy) services, you may still attend the course to attain the skills and knowledge required to work 1to1 with individuals with Autism. This makes the course suitable for parents, teachers, tutors, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, doctors, school administrators, lecturers and caregivers.
The ABAT training course at SEED Autism Services is a mix mode of synchronous and asynchronous training across 10 weeks. The coursework at SEED includes various learning activities to enhance learning and strengthen concepts. These activities include pre-recorded lectures, study guides, discussion questions, assignments, role play and live tutorials weekly with the ABAT instructors. The pre-recorded lectures will be released weekly and allows participants to watch the videos at their own pace within the course timeline. Study guides and assignments offers more practice to ensure understanding and application. The live tutorial sessions also allow in depth discussion about the weekly topic and the facilitated sharing of participants’ experience enables participants to learn from each another. Upon completion, the participant will receive an e-certificate of completion from SEED Autism Services. This e-certificate may be used to apply for the credential for those who are keen to pursue the next steps.
For more information, visit our ABAT page or drop us a message.
Written by:
Beh Soo Leng (BCBA, MSc in ABA)
Program Supervisor
Edited by:
Raja Nishah