Icon
Select
Icon
Customize
Icon
Download

Want a stronger resume? Use our extensive library of professional resume examples as practical starting guides. You’ll also find ready-made content with our helpful Resume Builder – simple click, customize, and download.

Looking for cover letter ideas? See our sample ABA Therapist Cover Letter.

Find out what is the best resume for you in our Ultimate Resume Format Guide.

Also, read on to How to Become an ABA Therapist.

Icon

ABA Therapist Duties and Responsibilities

As ABA therapists work to alter a person's behavior, they perform a variety of tasks. Our analysis of job postings revealed the following as some of the core responsibilities:

Assessment Because ABA therapy is not one-size-fits-all, ABA therapists must evaluate each client. They have to figure out what the person knows, how he or she behaves, and which goals are most important to work on. Talking to parents and teachers, observing a child in a controlled environment, or shadowing a student at school may be part of the information-gathering process.

Implementation Once ABA therapists establish objectives, they come up with ways to promote desirable behavior. For instance, if the goal is for a child to stop smashing toys when he or she wants attention, they may reward him or her for gently tugging on someone's sleeve instead. ABA therapists keep detailed records of actions in order to figure out what is working and what needs tweaking. They may turn their data into graphs in order to get a better picture of progress.

Training Parents, teachers, and other caregivers have a vested interest in what an ABA therapist discovers. ABA therapists show these people how to apply behavioral therapy to achieve results. This information may make a student more teachable or home life more pleasant. ABA therapists are expected to regularly take part in meetings to discuss concerns and answer questions.

Icon

ABA Therapist Skills

At the heart of being an ABA therapist is the desire to make a difference in someone's life. Working with people who have mental or developmental difficulties, however, requires a great deal of patience and empathy. Other good characteristics for ABA therapists to possess include:
  • Communicating clearly with others so that they know what to do to perform their role in behavioral therapy plans
  • Attending to detail to notice which plans are effective and which need reevaluation
  • Exhibiting excellent interpersonal skills
  • Motivating clients to do their best
  • Using creativity to solve problems or inspire action
  • Recognizing the signs of overburdened caregivers and assisting them in finding relief
Icon

ABA Therapist Education and Training

ABA therapists hold a bachelor's degree or higher in a field such as psychology or special education. Some post-secondary schools offer programs specifically in applied behavioral science. Becoming a certified ABA therapist requires an exam, education, and hands-on field experience.
Icon

ABA Therapist Resources

If you are interested in a challenging, yet rewarding, career as an ABA therapist, these resources we've compiled offer further information:

Autism Speaks - A go-to source for everything related to autism, this respected organization has been operating since 2005 to promote solutions throughout the lifespan for individuals with autism and their families.

Behavior Analyst Certification Board - Contact this nonprofit corporation to learn more about the certification process for ABA therapists.

The Parent's Guide to In-Home ABA Programs: Frequently Asked Questions about Applied Behavior Analysis for Your Child - While written for parents of autistic children, this well-reviewed book also may answer many of the questions aspiring ABA therapists have about what the program is all about. One reader praises this comprehensive overview as a "must-read for anyone new to the ABA world."

Teaching Children with Autism: An ABA Primer - Parents, educators, and anyone else interested in learning about the potential of ABA therapy can benefit from this guide.

ABA Therapists Rock! - Still have questions about becoming an ABA therapist? Chances are someone among the 5,000+ members of this LinkedIn group has answers!

Create your own professional resume in just minutes.

Try our resume builder today

Build Your Resume
create-your-own-professional