ABA glossary
Scope of practice
Definition
The range of activities a role, credential, or license allows a person to perform, set by certification requirements, laws, regulations, and employer policy. For an RBT, it means implementing assessment and intervention procedures as a qualified supervisor directs, not designing or changing them.
In plain words
Scope of practice is about what your role is permitted to do. An RBT carries out plans, collects data, and reports, under ongoing supervision. A BCBA designs assessments and interventions, interprets data, and supervises. When a request falls outside your role, such as a parent asking an RBT to change a goal or to give advice about medication, the right move is to refer it to the supervisor rather than handle it yourself. Staying within scope protects clients and the profession.
Example from a session
After a session, Ms. Lopez asks the RBT whether her son should stop his new medication because he seems sleepy. The RBT says, "That's an important question for his doctor. I'll let my supervisor know what you noticed today too." She writes an objective note about the sleepiness and tells her BCBA the same day. She does not give medical advice or adjust the session plan on her own.
For BCBA candidates and supervisors
For behavior analysts, scope of practice is often defined by state licensure laws, which vary by jurisdiction, as well as by certification standards. Scope of practice differs from scope of competence: an activity may be within a BCBA's legal scope yet outside their personal competence (for example, feeding disorders or a population they have not been trained with), which calls for training, supervision, consultation, or referral. Supervisors are responsible for assigning RBTs only tasks within both the RBT role and the RBT's demonstrated competence.
Often confused with scope of competence
Scope of practice is what a role or license permits; scope of competence is what an individual has been trained and has shown they can do well. An RBT may be allowed to run a procedure but not yet competent at it, and a BCBA may be legally allowed to treat a population they have no training with. Both limits apply.
Exam tip
When a stem asks what an RBT should do about a request to design, change, or interpret something, the answer is to refer it to the supervisor. Options in which the RBT adjusts goals, gives clinical or medical advice, or changes a procedure are outside scope.
Can you spot scope of practice in a scenario?
Practice RBT E.1 with exam-style questions and instant feedback.