Category — 3.1 The “B” Professionals

Behaviour Consultant

Behavior consultants work closely with behavior interventionists. They work with children who have serious behavioral difficulties. This includes children with autism and children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Behavior consultants work very closely with a child’s family  to help a child improve his or her behavior. They also work with school staff to make sure that a child can function well in a regular classroom.

If you are a parent who wants to hire a behavior consultant, it is highly recommended that you hire one who is board certified. Board Certified Behavior Consultants (BCBA) have a graduate degree and supervised hands-on training in behavior intervention. They usually observe the child, then come up with a plan of action to help minimize a child’s disruptive behavior and maximize the child’s positive behaviors. They will train both parents and behavior interventionists on how to put the plan of action in place. They will also make changes to the plan as needed.

Behavior Interventionist

Behavior interventionists usually work directly with a child  to help this child minimize disruptive behaviors and maximize positive and socially-appropriate behaviors. Working with the behavior consultant, BIs look at the child’s skills and needs, design a behavior plan directly with the child, train parents to work with the child, and collaborate with school personnel. This helps the child function well both at home and in school (Fig. 1). BIs will work specific behaviors and will also help children develop certain cognitive, social/emotional, language and adaptive skills.

For more information about Behavior intervention in British Columbia, please visit the following B.C. government website.

Figure 1. Going to school

see References