Who's who on your child's team.
Clinically reviewed by Ruth Gluck, MSEd, BCBA
ABA comes with an alphabet: BCBA, RBT, BT. Behind the letters is a simple structure — one person designs and steers the plan, another runs most of the sessions, and they stay tightly in sync. Here's who does what, and what you can expect from each.
The BCBA: the architect
BCBA stands for Board Certified Behavior Analyst. This is a clinician with a graduate degree, supervised field experience, and a national board exam behind them. Your BCBA assesses your child, writes the treatment plan, chooses the goals with you, and adjusts the plan as the data comes in.
They also supervise every session your child receives and run your parent coaching. Think of them as the architect and the general contractor in one: they design the plan and make sure it's built right.
The behavior technician: the daily teammate
Most session hours are delivered by a behavior technician — you'll also see RBT, which means Registered Behavior Technician, a national credential with required training, an exam, and ongoing supervision. This is the person on the floor with your child: running the plan's teaching programs, taking data, and turning goals into games.
Your child will probably adore them. That's by design — the relationship is the engine of the whole thing.
How they stay in sync
The technician doesn't improvise the plan; they run what the BCBA wrote, and the BCBA supervises regularly — reviewing session data, watching sessions, and coaching the technician just like the technician coaches your child. When the data says a goal is mastered or stuck, the BCBA updates the plan.
For you, this means two things: consistency (everyone teaches the same way) and a clear door to knock on — plan questions go to your BCBA, day-to-day notes flow through your technician, and nothing gets lost between them.
Your seat at the table
You're not staff, but you are on the team — the member with the most hours and the most history. Expect to help choose goals, hear progress in plain English, and get coached on the strategies. If anything about the plan doesn't sit right, say it out loud; the plan works for your family, not the other way around.