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Becoming a Behaviour InterventionistHow to
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Career Options in ABA

The field of Applied Behaviour Analysis can provide a wide range of educational and professional opportunities from front line Behaviour Interventionists, to paraprofessionals, to Masters or Doctorate level Behaviour Analysts.

New Behaviour Interventionists should read this document to get the best professional development.HOW TO BE A SAVVY BI

Becoming a Behaviour Interventionist

Programs are developed by a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and the BI delivers the programs to the child. These supervisors are sometimes called "Consultants" for short. Unfortunately, it is becoming common for some providers to call themselves Consultants without meeting the educational requirements. Your role is to deliver the quality, individualized and evidence-based programs as designed by this specialist.  It is very important to be supervised by a quality consultant! There is usually a team working with one child. All team members must deliver the programs in the same way for consistency. For this reason, there are usually regularly scheduled (bi-weekly or monthly) meetings to share delivery practices.

How to Get a Job as a BI

Join our moderated job board on Facebook. Families and consultants post jobs and you can apply directly to the person who is hiring. OR, you can post information about yourself and where you live and a family might reach out to you.

The advantage to finding a job on the ABA Therapists in BC group, is you are guaranteed to connect with teams with BCBA supervision. Working on a team with a quality consultant will kick start your career and open all the growth opportunities in this career.

ABA BI Jobs
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What are the Career Options for a BI?

Once you have been trained with one child, you will be very much in demand by other families seeking Behaviour Interventionists (BIs). There is no shortage of hours of work.  While working as a BI, the experience you gain will open up many doors to higher paying careers.  Even if you do not stay in the field of ABA, what you learn is applicable to many other professions, in particular teaching and psychology.

BIs can become lead BI on a team, where they take more responsibility for overseeing the team and work closely with the parent and consultant. These lead BI's are primed to advance their careers further because of this in depth experience.

Working in the Schools

Many BI's who move into the Educational Assistant (EA) roles in schools find that they are better equipped to handle any behavioral challenges than if they had just done the SETA (Special Education Teaching Assistant) classes alone. There is currently no Provincial EA Standards of Practice, making this background all the more vital.

Qualifications vary from district to district. The Districts do have an obligation to work in the best interests of the child. Sometimes that means hiring someone who can demonstrate Instructional Control, even if they do not yet meet the job posting requirements as posted by that District. Please read the Supreme Court Hewko precedent for further information on this topic.

Often, parents looking for someone to work with their child in the school system will advertise on ABA Therapists in BC, at local University job boards, or even Craigslist.

Government Supported ABA Homes For Older Children

Another source of BI work is in Government supported ABA homes for older children or adults with ASD. The pay for working in these homes is similar to the pay for working in the school system.  When applying for a job in a residential home, make sure there is adequate support from a BCBA behaviour Consultant.

BIs with a Bachelor degree in Psychology or a related field may want to take their BCaBA course work and work as a behaviour consultant under the supervision of a BCBA.  

Masters Degree in Psychology or Education

The highest level of work in the ABA field is a Board Certified Behaviour Consultant. This requires a Masters degree in Psychology or Special Education where course work is completed for BACB status. Equally as important, a BCBA has been supervised by another well trained consultant for at least a year.

The better your supervision, the more in demand you will be. See ABA Consumer Guidelines for more information on how to make sure you are with a quality consultant.

Learn About BACB

What Are Parents Looking For?

Would You Make a Good BI?

Experience with children is an asset. This can include babysitting, helping children in school, working for day camps or being an instructor of some kind (swimming, skating, piano etc). The ability to multi-task is essential.

It is not necessary to have experience with disabled children, as being a BI is very different than most experiences you would have in disability activities anyway.

The work of a Behaviour Interventionist is not a job, but a passion.

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