ABA Therapist Job Description & Responsibilities
Learn about the key responsibilities, duties, requirements, and skills that should be included in an ABA specialist job description.
UPDATED:
October 5, 2023
BY THE TEAM
If you're looking for an ABA therapy job description, you've come to the right place. In this guide, we'll share the most important aspects of an ABA therapist's job.
ABA Therapy Job Description
ABA therapists, more commonly known as behavior analysts, use their knowledge of how environmental factors impact children's behavior to help their patients overcome issues related to behavior.
Applied behavior analysts spend most of their time working one-on-one with children who have developmental or intellectual disabilities, most commonly autism, to help them improve social skills and fix behavioral issues.
They can work with children and adults, but their primary focus is promoting the implementation of skills related to communication, social cues, and hygiene.
Job Responsibilities Of An ABA Therapist
The main job responsibilities of an ABA therapist are:
- You'll provide behavior support to help individuals living with developmental or intellectual disabilities such as autism.
- On a day-to-day basis, your responsibilities might include writing behavior support plans, collecting data, conducting functional assessments.
- You'll work one-on-one and in groups with your patients; some of your duties will be providing instruction and conducting discrete trials.
- You'll document and review progress through staff communication and charting.
- You'll find ways to incorporate behavior treatment into your client's life while being careful as to how it is incorporated.
- You'll communicate with teachers, family members, caregivers to make sure they are aware of how you're helping the patient.
- You might train other staff members to implement ABA programs at home, in the classroom, or even virtually.
Where You'll Work
ABA therapists can be employed at school systems, educational foundations, and other programs which serve patients with behavioral training needs. Individual families can also work directly with an ABA therapist to help their child or other family member.