How to Be a Great ABAT Once I Pass the Exam?
You’ve put in the time, passed the test, and now you’re headed out into the field to work with a client. Here’s 3 tips to help you be a great ABAT once you’ve passed the exam.
What is an ABAT?
An ABAT has to be dependable. This doesn’t mean that you can’t take sick days. Of course, if you’re sick, you should stay home. However, clients (and their families) need you to be dependable. So much of what an ABAT does, in this case implementing Applied Behavior Analysis programs for their clients, depends on your reliability. When you show up, are attentive, and do your best to help generalize instruction across multiple environments, this will help EVERYBODY… and be appreciated.
A big idea to remember is that the sessions we do with our clients are not about us. We are there for the client. This is why when we show up for a session we need to be as positive as possible.
A client having a challenging behavior may seem personal, but it almost certainly never is. By entering a session with a positive outlook and demeanor, this will set the tone and hopefully be one
that clients and their families follow.
Being a great ABAT means being able to roll with the punches. You’re going to have challenging days, days when your sessions get canceled, days when you will have to cover clients you don’t know, and just about every situation you can imagine.
The trick is understanding that, like anything else, you’re going to have good and bad days. If you can be flexible, and know that “this too shall pass,” you will be that much more ahead of the game when it does.