According to the BACB website bacb.com:
The Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® (BCaBA®) is an undergraduate-level certification in behavior analysis. Professionals certified at the BCaBA level provide behavior analysis services under the supervision of Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®).
Professionals certified at the BCaBA level may not provide behavior analysis services without the supervision of a Board Certified Behavior Analysts® (BCBA®). BCaBAs may supervise the work of Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs®).
To maintain your BCaBA certification, you must complete ongoing continuing education, adhere to the BACB’s ethics requirements and self-reporting requirements, meet supervision standards for BCaBAs and submit a complete recertification application and associated fees every 2 years prior to your recertification date.
Initial BCaBA certification indicates that an individual has met entry-level standards for practice as a behavior analyst. The purpose of the BACB’s continuing education (CE) requirement is to ensure that BCaBA certificants engage in activities that will expand their behavior-analytic skills beyond the requirements for initial certification, and help them stay up-to-date on developments in the profession.
Check out the BACB website for more information on a BCaBA
You hear the word RBT mentioned a lot, but what is it?
Simple answer is it is an entry level position that requires direct supervision in the behavior analysis field.
According to the BACB website bacb.com:
The Registered Behavior TechnicianTM (RBT®) is a paraprofessional certification in behavior analysis. RBTs assist in delivering behavior analysis services and practice under the direction and close supervision of an RBT Supervisor and/or an RBT Requirements Coordinator, who are responsible for all work RBTs perform.
RBT must renew their certification annually by their RBT expiration date
Check out the BACB website for more details, they talk about how to become an RBT, training supervision requirements, ethics standards, and so much more that any one seeking behavior analysis services should be aware of.
Today we are going to introduce the most well know organization that provides professional credentialing for the needs identified by behavior analysts, governments, and consumers of behavior analysis services.
According to their website bacb.com:
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc.® (BACB®) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation established in 1998 to meet professional credentialing needs identified by behavior analysts, governments, and consumers of behavior analysis services. The BACB’s certification requirements, examination content, and procedures undergo regular review according to established standards for organizations that grant professional credentials. All BACB requirements and examination content are developed by experts in the discipline. Learn more about the BACB and its activities.
Mission & Vision
Global Mission: To protect consumers of behavior analysis services worldwide by systematically establishing, promoting, and disseminating professional standards.
Global Vision: To help solve a wide variety of socially significant problems by increasing the availability of qualified behavior analysts around the world.
Accreditation
The BCBA®, BCaBA®, and RBT® certification programs are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the accreditation body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. The NCCA’s Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs were the first standards developed for professional certification programs to help ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public. NCCA Standards highlight the essential elements of a high-quality program.
Nondiscrimination Policy
As provided in the BACB’s bylaws, in conducting its activities, the BACB shall comply with all applicable laws that prohibit discrimination in employment or service provision because of a person’s race, religion, gender, age, disability, national origin, ethnicity, or because of any other protected characteristic.
Source: https://www.bacb.com/about/
Time is something you can lose and never get back. You probably even wish that there were more hours available in a day. The solution to this common situation is easier than one might realize. With a few minor adjustments in how you utilize your time, you can better manage your time. There is no such thing as time management; everyone only has 24 hours in a day, so you must manage your priorities. Priority management is something that can change your life on a fundamental basis for the better.
So what is priority management, and time management, and how are they different? Priority management is about maximizing the time we have, and time management the process of organizing, and planning how to divide your time between specific activities. Priority management focuses on prioritizing your work and getting the right things done. Time management focuses on determining your ability to use your time effectively and productively.
Tips to be successful at priority management?
- It’s all about showing up, actively listening, and investing time into the job, or the assignment you have been given.
- It’s all about treating the job, or assignment the way you would want to be treated, and defining your priorities.
How to be successful with priority management?
- Don’t create impossible situations
- Make time your friend not the enemy
- Collect a list of your tasks
- Identify urgent vs. non-urgent
- Assess value
- Be flexible and adaptable
- Start your day looking at your calendar and to-do list
- Turn off distractions and don’t live life by default
- Plan for disruptions
- Only check your emails a few times a day
- Prioritize your work based on the value
What are some ways to make positive changes to be successful in priority management?
- Deal with the cause and talk out the issues
- Plan for change – reduce the shock of change
- Know how to spend your time
- Set priorities
- Get organized
- Schedule your time appropriately
- Delegate – get help with things
- Stop procrastinating
- Avoid multitasking (look into the research, you may think you can, but your brain can only process up to 3 things at a time)
- Stay healthy
What are some tools to use to be successful with priority management?
- Use a planning tool
- Assign a different color for each calendar item personal vs. work
- Use the repeat function on the calendar to mark birthdays, anniversaries, meetings, and reoccurring events
- Use a filing system to keep track of important things
- Set appointments, keep calls brief, meetings scheduled, have an agenda
- Establish a master calendar for the family
What are the levels of priority management?
- P1- Immediate/ critical
- P2- High
- P3- medium
- P4- low
Time management levels
- Critical – S1
- Major- S2
- Minor/ moderate – S3
- Low- S4
Examples of Priority Management
- Prioritizing
- Organization
- Strategic planning
- Problem-solving
Positive outcomes of using Priority Management
- More productive
- More energy for things you need to accomplish
- Feel less stressful
- Able to complete tasks
Let us wrap up by talking about why I chose to write about priority management and how it relates to me. Most of you know that I have autism. Due to my autism, I have struggled with priority management and time management for years. I have had to learn different techniques to not only function with my career but also at home. Somethings that help me with priority management are calendars, phone alarms, organization, planning ahead, and working as a team with my fiancé Rob. Some techniques that Rob has found that work well with me is using a whiteboard, use pictures, and word ques so that I know our schedule for the day, and what is expected of me. Rob also sets up a calendar via our emails so I can see via a visual queue of our schedule, and sets our events in multiple colors to quickly tell what they are. Now that we went over why I chose my topic, how it relates to me, and the special needs kiddos that I’m focusing on, let’s talk about autism and schedules.
Using visual schedules can be very important to help everyone visualize daily plans and tasks. Visible schedules can use pictures to show which activities will occur, and in which sequence. Photographs, images, written words, or physical objects are all different schedule types used for those of us with autism. Some ideas you can use to make the schedules are notebooks, the wall, a schedule board, or on a computer. All of the schedules that I mentioned are schedules that can help decrease the levels of depression, anxiety, and uncertainty in kiddos who have autism. Don’t forget to offer a physical or verbal prompt when working with kiddos on schedules. If the kiddo responds positively to the schedule, provide a praise or reward.
As you can see, time is something you can quickly lose and never get back. However, with a few minor adjustments in how you utilize your time can change how you manage your time. Now that you know the solution is that easy, go out and show the world who you are!
Have you ever felt overwhelmed to the point you lost all hopes of positivity? I know that I have been through the feeling several times. COVID-19 has been a massive reason for me feeling like there was no positivity left or no way to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel; you just have to hold on.
Positive thinking focuses on the good, and the end results that should positively benefit us. Did you know that positive thinking can make or break us? A way to make sure that we are using positive thinking correctly is to focus on our thoughts. Our thoughts affect our actions every day. If your thoughts are centered on happiness, health, and success, then the end results should be a success for yourselves and others around you.
You can practice positive thinking by first identifying areas to change. Identifying areas to adjust means to think about you’re speaking. Have you caught yourself using negative self-talk, and the result is negative. If you answered yes to that question, then try to change your ways of negative self talk to positive self talk to see positive outcomes. Next up is to check yourself a few times during the day if you find yourself using negative talk. If so, stop, and put a positive sign on those negative words. Thirdly, try to surround yourself with positive people because those people are the ones who will help you be positive and see positive outcomes. Finally, practicing self-talk every day will keep you thinking positively every day, and positive thinking will lead to a positive outcome every day.
Tips For Positive Thinking
Take control of your state (how you present yourself, eye contact, how you sit)
Adjust your physiology (how you feel, react to situations)
Choose your words carefully
Look to those you admire
Skills For Positive Thinking
Meditation- calm music, grounding techniques, yoga, soothing music
Writing- journaling, writing a friend a letter
Some of the positive benefits of positive thinking are an increased life span, lower rates of depression, lower levels of distress, lower risk of heart issues, lower risk of early death, and better coping skills during times of distress. I chose to focus my life on positive thinking because I wanted to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Together we can make the world a better place by helping promote the positive thinking benefits to those in need. The end result that we will see as one unit will be a happier, more positive, healthier successful world. As you can see, positive thinking leads to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
Quote- “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind, be led by the dreams in your heart” Roy T Bennett
