In July 2023, Florida enacted HB 795, authorizing Registered Behavior Technicians to serve as private instructional personnel in public schools. The legislation expanded the roles RBTs can formally occupy within the educational system — a significant development given Florida's large population of students with disabilities and the documented shortage of qualified personnel to serve them.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Florida Association of Behavior Analysis
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →With HB 795 passed in July of 2023, the Florida Legislature permits Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) to provide services as "private instructional personnel" in public schools. While welcomed by behavior analysts, the supporting legislation is short on the specifics for how the collaboration and coordination of services will be accomplished. RBTs are meant to "promote educational progress" for students with many disabilities, helping them learn new skills, implementing behavioral interventions to reduce problem behaviors, promoting socialization and work readiness, and more. Parents are highly supportive of this legislation, and in schools that may be regarded as poorly resourced, parents see the RBT as a lifeline for the child. However, problems are evident. BCBAs are to develop interventions and are charged with collaboration and coordination of services, yet no firm consensus on how this is to be done has yet to emerge. In some classrooms, a BCBA may rarely visit, and the RBT may operate in relative isolation. The BCBA is not cited in the legislation as the one to coordinate and collaborate, but they do have this role under the Code of Ethics for Behavior Analysts. Clarification of the role of the RBT as private instructional personnel is called for. This panel brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to address the benefits and challenges of RBTs in Florida classrooms. Dr. Steve Woolf, the President of Butterfly Effects, will address the issue from the standpoint of a behavioral services organization. Stacey Hoaglund, the President of the Autism Society of Florida, will share the view of parents of children with autism. Carli Legambi, an RBT with Early Start Autism, will comment on her role as an RBT in public school classrooms. Ivelyne Daniel, an ESE Pre-K teacher, will address hosting multiple RBTs in her special education classroom. Lisa Finn, senior behavior analyst for the School District of Palm Beach County, will comment on coordination efforts being made with behavioral service organizations. Finally, Dr. Elisa Cruz, the VCS Program Coordinator and ABA course instructor at Florida Atlantic University will comment on training components for new BCBAs to provide supervision and direction for school RBTs.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Supervision |
| COA | 1 | — |
| FL MH/PSY | 0 | — |
Jack Scott is the executive director of the Florida Atlantic University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. He is an associate professor in the Department of Special Education and teaches courses on autism, inclusion, and behavior analysis. Dr. Scott received his doctoral degree from the University of Florida. His most recent book, Safeguarding your child with autism, is published by Woodbine and provides a toolkit for parents to reduce risks their child with autism will face. Dr. Scott has research interests in individualized instruction, suicide prevention for autistic people, police training and elopement prevention. He also has several grants examining the rates of participation by African American children in school autism programs and for educating parents of newly identified children with autism. As a behavior analyst, he is active in linking behavioral analysts with emerging issues in safety and autism. He serves on the boards of several charter schools and as chair of the Panel of Professional Advisors and as a board member for the Autism Society of America.
Side-by-side comparison with a clinical decision framework
Research-backed educational guide for behavior analysts
Research-backed answers to common clinical questions
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.