RBT Ethics Questions and Answers

A is correct. Babysitting creates a second, personal relationship alongside the professional one. Multiple relationships compromise objectivity and are avoided, and the supervisor should know the request was made.

B is wrong because scheduling is not the problem; the dual role is. C is wrong because avoiding therapy talk does not undo the conflict of interest. D is wrong because a supervisor cannot authorise a relationship the ethics code directs RBTs to avoid, and framing it as approvable misunderstands the issue.

C is correct. Anyone who knows where the RBT works, or which family she sees, can connect the post to a specific child. Sharing clinical progress publicly is a disclosure regardless of whether a name appears.

A is wrong because absence of a name is not the confidentiality standard; identifiability is. B is wrong because adding data would make the breach substantially worse. D is wrong because timing has nothing to do with it.

C is correct. RBT services must be delivered under required supervision. When supervision lapses, the RBT escalates immediately and does not continue practising as an RBT until it is restored.

A is wrong because supervision cannot be back-filled to cover services already delivered without it. B is wrong because supervision must come from a qualified supervisor, not a peer at the same credential level. D is wrong because the requirement is not waived by the cause of the lapse.

C is correct. The RBT is a paraprofessional who delivers behavior-analytic services under the direction of a supervisor who designs the programming and monitors its effects.

A is wrong because designing and modifying plans requires the analytic training of a BCBA or BCaBA. B is wrong because diagnosis is outside the scope of behavior analysis practice at any level, and treatment design is not an RBT function. D is wrong because RBTs do not supervise other RBTs.

B is correct. Gifts of meaningful value create obligation and compromise the professional relationship. Declining warmly and telling the supervisor handles it transparently and protects everyone.

A is wrong because a gift being freely offered does not remove the conflict of interest it creates. C is wrong because distributing it does not change that a significant gift was accepted. D is wrong because concealing it from the employer compounds the problem with a lack of transparency.

C is correct. Cultural humility — new emphasis in the 3rd Edition — means recognising the limits of your own perspective, seeking support, and treating the family's values as information that shapes good service rather than an obstacle.

A is wrong because procedures may be technically similar but goals, reinforcers and family priorities are culturally situated. B is wrong because it puts the burden of adaptation on the family. D is wrong because requesting reassignment on this basis avoids a professional responsibility rather than meeting it.

A is correct. Practising as an RBT requires active certification. Neither close supervision nor a supervisor's say-so substitutes for the credential, and continuing to work risks both the client and the RBT's future certification.

B is wrong because a supervisor cannot authorise practice without an active credential. C is wrong because the violation is practising uncertified, not billing. D is wrong because documenting the lapse does not make the practice permissible.

D is correct. Responding appropriately to feedback means understanding it and actually changing performance. Asking clarifying questions is welcome; quiet non-compliance is not.

A is wrong because leading with a defence of an unauthorised deviation misses that the RBT implements the plan as designed. C is wrong because agreeing while continuing as before is a fidelity and integrity problem. B is wrong because canvassing peers to second-guess the supervisor does not resolve anything and undermines the supervisory relationship.

A is correct. Dignity means privacy for personal routines and age-respectful communication — including with clients who do not speak, since a limited vocal repertoire says nothing about comprehension.

B is wrong because it discusses private information where others can hear. C is wrong because talking about someone as though they are not there is demeaning. D is wrong because raising your voice unnecessarily is neither respectful nor effective.

A is correct. The ethics code obliges RBTs to report conduct that risks client harm. Escalating promptly to the supervisor is the correct route and protects a client who cannot protect himself.

B is wrong because ethical obligations extend to all clients, not only your own caseload. C is wrong because a public confrontation mid-session may escalate the situation and expose the client further. D is wrong because waiting for a second incident leaves the client at risk in the meantime.

A is correct. Scope of competence is defined by training and demonstrated skill, not by willingness. Feeding protocols carry genuine medical risk, so declining until properly trained is the safe and required action.

B is wrong because "careful" improvisation on a risky protocol can harm the client. C is wrong because watching a video is not competency-based training with performance feedback. D is wrong because the parent is not the authorising clinical source for a protocol's implementation.

B is correct. Service decisions belong to the family in conversation with the clinical leadership. The RBT can respond warmly and route it to the person who can actually address it.

A is wrong because offering an opinion on the agency's suitability exceeds her role and may reflect a conflict of interest. C is wrong because a flat refusal is dismissive when a warm redirection is available. D is wrong because recommending a competitor is both outside her role and a conflict of interest.

B is correct. Whether to disclose that a child receives services is the family's decision, not the RBT's. Following the parent's lead protects confidentiality in a public setting.

A is wrong because it discloses that the child is a client to someone with no authorisation. C is wrong because naming the clinic reveals the same information indirectly. D is wrong because stating an untruth about the relationship is dishonest; the RBT can simply defer to the parent without inventing a cover story.

D is correct. RBT supervision requires the supervisor to observe the RBT working directly with a client, because reading a report cannot reveal how a procedure is actually being implemented.

A is wrong because written feedback alone cannot satisfy the observation requirement. C is wrong because supervision is ongoing for as long as the RBT practises. B is wrong because supervision must come from a qualified supervisor at the appropriate credential level, not a peer RBT.

B is correct. Disclosure lets the supervisor evaluate whether the pre-existing relationship compromises objectivity or confidentiality, and reassign if needed. The RBT's job is to surface it, not to judge it alone.

A is wrong because self-assessed objectivity is exactly what conflict-of-interest rules do not rely on. C is wrong because asking a family to change their social life is inappropriate and does not undo the existing relationship. D is wrong because discretion does not resolve a structural conflict of interest.

D is correct. Deciding when a program ends is a clinical judgement made by the supervisor from the data. The RBT's observation is valuable input, delivered through the right channel.

A is wrong because unilaterally discontinuing a program is an unauthorised plan change. C is wrong because parents do not authorise clinical protocol changes. B is wrong because quietly tapering is still an unauthorised modification, and a harder one for the supervisor to detect in the data.

A is correct. Mandated reporting is triggered by reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect. The RBT reports through the required channel; she does not have to prove anything first.

B is wrong because frequent cancellations may be a clinical or engagement concern but are not in themselves abuse or neglect. C is wrong because lateness is a personnel matter for the employer. D is wrong because lack of progress is a clinical issue for the supervisor to address.

C is correct. Dignity means handling personal care privately, calmly and without commentary, exactly as one would want for oneself.

A is wrong because announcing it to a room exposes something deeply private. B is wrong because leaving the client in that state is a welfare and hygiene problem as well as a dignity one. D is wrong because explaining a client's personal care event to other clients is a confidentiality breach and humiliating.

C is correct. Maintaining the credential involves the annual renewal process, a renewal competency assessment conducted by a qualified supervisor, and continuing to meet supervision requirements while practising.

A is wrong because the 40-hour training is an initial requirement, not an annual one. B is wrong because retaking the examination is not part of routine renewal. D is wrong because CEUs are a requirement for BCBAs, not part of the RBT renewal structure.

B is correct. The RBT implements the plan as designed, and the teacher's concern is legitimate information the supervisor needs in order to adapt the plan to the classroom context.

A is wrong because being in someone else's setting does not transfer clinical authority to them. C is wrong because a flat refusal without explanation or escalation damages a working relationship and leaves the concern unaddressed. D is wrong because a partial modification is still an unauthorised change to the protocol.

B is correct. A social media connection creates a personal relationship layered onto a professional one, and exposes both parties' private lives. Declining kindly, with a brief explanation if appropriate, maintains the boundary without damaging rapport.

A is wrong because rapport is built in sessions, not through personal social media. C is wrong because privacy settings do not change the fact that a dual relationship has been established. D is wrong because silently ignoring can read as personal rejection when a brief professional explanation would prevent that.

B is correct. Goal selection is clinical programming. The RBT welcomes the input and routes it to the supervisor, who can assess whether the skill is appropriate and how to sequence it.

A is wrong because adding goals is not within the RBT's authority, however sensible the goal is. C is wrong because it is false — programs are revised regularly by the supervisor. D is wrong because teaching a skill "informally" is still unauthorised programming and produces no data.

A is correct. Responding well to feedback and advocating for a clinical observation are compatible: implement as directed, then have the conversation with the person who can act on it.

B is wrong because staying silent withholds information the supervisor may genuinely need. C is wrong because continuing unilaterally is a fidelity breach, and documenting it does not authorise it. D is wrong because escalating over the supervisor's head before speaking to her directly skips the appropriate first step.

D is correct. Respecting family values is a professional obligation, and any change to session structure or programming is arranged through the supervisor. Raising it promptly is the responsive action.

A is wrong because dismissing the request outright disregards the family's values and is not the RBT's decision to make. C is wrong because unilaterally restructuring sessions is outside her authority even when well-intentioned. B is wrong because requiring the family to justify a religious practice is intrusive; the request itself is sufficient.

A is correct. The supervisor may have made decisions based on data collected under a flawed procedure. Reporting lets her judge whether the data are usable and whether the program needs revisiting.

B is wrong because stopping the error does not undo its effect on the record. C is wrong because altering past data is falsification. D is wrong because the obligation to report does not depend on a colleague's opinion, and discussing it informally delays it.

A is correct. The RBT credential is defined by working under supervision. A position with no qualified supervisor cannot be performed as an RBT, regardless of the RBT's competence.

B is wrong because compensation is irrelevant to the certification problem. C is wrong because changing employers does not require re-examination. D is wrong because data collection is a practical task she could perform; the barrier is the absence of required supervision.

C is correct. Professional conduct means the client does not absorb the RBT's frustration. Implementing as written and seeking support afterward addresses the real problem — she needs help with the situation.

A is wrong because expressing disappointment to the client is disrespectful and may function as attention for the very behavior in question. B is wrong because leaving a client unattended is a serious supervision and safety failure. D is wrong because reducing demands on her own initiative is an unauthorised plan change made for the RBT's comfort.

C is correct. Reporting what was recorded is within scope when the RBT is authorised to communicate with that parent; interpreting trends and deciding what happens next belongs to the supervisor.

A is wrong because interpreting trends and speaking to prognosis exceeds the RBT role. B is wrong because parents are generally entitled to information about their child's services. D is wrong because offering false reassurance misrepresents the record and undermines trust.