This comparison draws in part from “Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach Social Skills” by Rebecca Dogan, Ph.D., BCBA-D (BehaviorLive), and extends it with peer-reviewed research from our library of 27,900+ ABA research articles. The decision framework, BACB ethics code references, and cross-links below are synthesized by Behaviorist Book Club.
View the original presentation →Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach Social Skills becomes more useful when a BCBA compares explicit teaching and practice for socially significant adult-life skills with assuming social competence will emerge from exposure alone around the social routine, independence target, and support condition that will matter in adult and community settings. That is the real decision point the course keeps returning to, because Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach lives inside clinical documentation, payer communication, supervision records, and leadership review, where time pressure, stakeholder demands, and ordinary implementation limits shape what actually happens. In Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, the stronger path usually makes roles, data, and next actions clearer before the situation becomes urgent. In Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, the weaker path often sounds faster in the moment, but it leaves the team reconstructing decisions later and wondering why follow-through drifted. Looking at Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach this way helps behavior analysts choose a response that fits the setting, protects client and stakeholder interests, and makes the reasoning easier to review after the pressure of the moment has passed.
| Factor | Evidence-Based Approach | Traditional Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation Quality | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, explicit teaching and practice for socially significant adult-life skills keeps documentation quality tied to the social routine, independence target, and support condition that will matter in adult and community settings and makes the decision easier to review in clinical documentation, payer communication, supervision records, and leadership review. | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, assuming social competence will emerge from exposure alone leaves documentation quality to informal judgment, which makes follow-through harder to defend when conditions change. |
| Stakeholder Communication | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, explicit teaching and practice for socially significant adult-life skills keeps stakeholder communication tied to the social routine, independence target, and support condition that will matter in adult and community settings and makes the decision easier to review in clinical documentation, payer communication, supervision records, and leadership review. | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, assuming social competence will emerge from exposure alone leaves stakeholder communication to informal judgment, which makes follow-through harder to defend when conditions change. |
| Financial Or Regulatory Risk | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, explicit teaching and practice for socially significant adult-life skills keeps financial or regulatory risk tied to the social routine, independence target, and support condition that will matter in adult and community settings and makes the decision easier to review in clinical documentation, payer communication, supervision records, and leadership review. | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, assuming social competence will emerge from exposure alone leaves financial or regulatory risk to informal judgment, which makes follow-through harder to defend when conditions change. |
| Use Of Data | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, explicit teaching and practice for socially significant adult-life skills keeps use of data tied to the social routine, independence target, and support condition that will matter in adult and community settings and makes the decision easier to review in clinical documentation, payer communication, supervision records, and leadership review. | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, assuming social competence will emerge from exposure alone leaves use of data to informal judgment, which makes follow-through harder to defend when conditions change. |
| Implementation Consistency | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, explicit teaching and practice for socially significant adult-life skills keeps implementation consistency tied to the social routine, independence target, and support condition that will matter in adult and community settings and makes the decision easier to review in clinical documentation, payer communication, supervision records, and leadership review. | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, assuming social competence will emerge from exposure alone leaves implementation consistency to informal judgment, which makes follow-through harder to defend when conditions change. |
| Long-Term Sustainability | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, explicit teaching and practice for socially significant adult-life skills keeps long-term sustainability tied to the social routine, independence target, and support condition that will matter in adult and community settings and makes the decision easier to review in clinical documentation, payer communication, supervision records, and leadership review. | For Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach, assuming social competence will emerge from exposure alone leaves long-term sustainability to informal judgment, which makes follow-through harder to defend when conditions change. |
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ on-demand CEUs including ethics, supervision, and clinical topics like this one. Plus a new live CEU every Wednesday.
Use this framework when approaching using behavioral skills training (bst) to teach social skills in your practice:
Does the data support a need for intervention? Is there a meaningful impact on the individual's quality of life, safety, or access to reinforcement?
YES → Proceed to assessment NO → Document reasoning, monitor
A functional assessment should guide intervention selection. Avoid defaulting to standard protocols without individual analysis. Consider environmental variables, setting events, and private events.
YES → Select evidence-based approach matched to function NO → Complete assessment first
Goals should be co-developed. Assent and informed consent are ethical requirements. The individual's preferences and values matter in selecting both goals and methods.
YES → Proceed with collaborative plan NO → Engage in shared decision-making
This course covers the clinical and ethical dimensions in detail with structured learning objectives and CEU credit.
Using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to Teach Social Skills — Rebecca Dogan · 1 BACB General CEUs · $15
Take This Course →We extended this decision guide with research from our library — dig into the peer-reviewed studies behind each approach, in plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
256 research articles with practitioner takeaways
1 BACB General CEUs · $15 · BehaviorLive
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.