E.1 Communicating team concerns to your supervisor
Caregivers, teachers and other providers often share worries and ideas with the RBT, because the RBT is the team member they see most. This task is about passing those concerns and suggestions to your supervisor accurately and soon enough for the supervisor to act on them. You listen and relay; the supervisor evaluates and decides.
What the outline says
Task E.1 in content area E, Documentation and Reporting (10 of the 75 scored questions): "Communicate concerns and suggestions from the intervention team (e.g., caregivers, teachers, service providers) with a supervisor in a timely manner."
Who the intervention team is
The intervention team is everyone involved in the client's services: caregivers and family members, teachers and school staff, other service providers such as speech-language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, other RBTs on the case, and your supervisor. Because you see the client and family often, many of these people will raise things with you first.
Concerns and suggestions come in many forms: a parent worried about a new behavior at home, a teacher who finds a procedure hard to use with 25 other students, a therapist recommending a device, a coworker who thinks a reinforcer has stopped working, or a family that finds a goal unimportant or at odds with its values.
Why concerns go to the supervisor
Under the RBT Ethics Code, RBTs direct any questions or concerns that they or others, such as caregivers and coworkers, have about their services to their supervisor (Standard 2.06). The supervisor designs the plan and is responsible for all of the work you do (Standard 1.03 describes RBTs working within a clearly defined role under close, ongoing supervision).
Team concerns are clinical information. They tell the supervisor whether goals matter to the family, whether procedures are practical in a classroom, and whether something new is happening at home. Plans that caregivers and teachers find acceptable and workable are more likely to be carried out consistently. A suggestion that sounds good may still conflict with the client's assessment results, other goals or safety needs, which is why the supervisor reviews it before anything changes.
How to relay a concern well
- Listen fully. Let the person finish, stay calm if they are upset, and avoid defending yourself or the plan.
- Check your understanding. Repeat the main points back ("So you're seeing hitting at bedtime, about three nights this week?").
- Acknowledge without promising. Say you will share it with your supervisor. Do not promise a change or predict what the supervisor will decide.
- Write it down soon. Note who said it, when, and what they said, in their words where possible.
- Report objectively. Give the supervisor the facts without your own conclusions: "At pickup, the grandparent said the client woke three times a night this week and asked if it relates to the new schedule" is far more useful than "The grandparent is upset again."
- Use approved channels. Send client information only through the organization's secure systems, never through personal social media, group chats or notes left in shared spaces.
- Document and follow up. Record the concern and when you passed it on, as your organization requires. If the concern is not addressed and the caregiver raises it again, follow up with the supervisor.
What "timely" means
Timely means early enough for the supervisor to act before the issue affects the client's services. There is no single number of hours for every concern, so use urgency as your guide:
- Right away: anything involving safety or possible harm, such as new self-injury, aggression toward others, a report that the client was hurt, or a health professional's safety restriction. Report possible harm to your supervisor immediately and follow organization policy and mandated-reporting requirements (Standard 2.07).
- Promptly, through the usual channel: concerns about goals or procedures, requests for more or fewer sessions, a family considering ending services, a planned move.
- Do not hold concerns for the monthly supervision meetings. The required supervision contacts are a minimum, not a schedule for passing on information.
If your supervisor is away, use your organization's chain of command, such as a covering BCBA, rather than waiting.
What you do not do
You do not act on a suggestion before the supervisor approves it, even when it seems sensible and even when the person suggesting it is an expert in another field or another BCBA. A trial run, a compromise, or using a change in only one setting are all still plan changes. Keep running the plan as written in the meantime.
You do not dismiss or argue with a concern, give medical or placement advice, or share client information with someone who has not been authorized to receive it. If you are unsure whether a family member or school staff member may see data, ask your supervisor first (Standard 2.10).
The one exception to "keep running the plan" is safety. If you are told that an activity in the plan is unsafe for the client right now, such as a physical therapist restricting jumping after an injury, avoid the unsafe activity and contact the supervisor right away.
How this connects to other tasks
E.1 overlaps with E.2 (seeking clinical direction and following the chain of command), E.3 (reporting variables like illness or medication changes, which caregivers often mention first) and E.4 (describing what was said objectively). It also draws on the ethics tasks: confidentiality (F.5), professional skills like active listening and collaborating (F.9) and cultural humility (F.10), since many concerns reflect family values.
Examples and non-examples
| Example | Non-example |
|---|---|
| A teacher says the student's break card is hard to manage. The RBT thanks the teacher, keeps using the break card as written and sends the supervisor a short secure message that day describing what the teacher said. | The RBT agrees with the teacher and lets the student use the break card whenever they ask, planning to tell the supervisor about it later. |
| A caregiver reports the client has started hitting a sibling. The RBT asks how often and when it happens, writes down the caregiver's words and calls the supervisor that afternoon. | The RBT tells the caregiver to put the client in time-out and mentions it at supervision two weeks later. |
Common mistakes
- Trying out a good suggestion before the supervisor approves it. Even a short trial is a plan change; pass it on and keep following the plan.
- Waiting for the next scheduled supervision meeting. Urgent concerns go to the supervisor right away, and routine ones promptly.
- Relaying your interpretation instead of what was said. Report who said what and when, and leave conclusions to the supervisor.
- Promising the caregiver a result or a change. Say you will pass it on, not what the supervisor will do.
- Taking direction from another provider, even another BCBA. Your clinical direction comes from your own supervisor for that client.
- Sending client concerns through personal texts, group chats or social media. Use the organization's approved channels.
How it's tested
Expect short scenarios in which a caregiver, teacher, therapist or coworker raises a concern or suggestion. The correct option almost always has the RBT acknowledge the person, keep implementing the current plan and tell the supervisor promptly. Watch for attractive distractors: an expert recommending a change, a caregiver who agrees to something, a one-week trial, or using a change in only one setting. Some items ask which concern to report first (safety comes first) or which message to the supervisor is best (the specific, objective one).
Practice questions for task E.1
10 of our 50 questions on this task. The rest are in the Documentation and Reporting practice sets and the mock exams.
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Question 1At the end of a home session, a caregiver tells the RBT that bedtime has become a struggle and asks for help with it. Bedtime is not part of the client's current plan. What should the RBT do?
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D: Tell the caregiver they will pass the concern to the supervisor, then do so promptly. New concerns from caregivers go to the supervisor, who decides whether and how to address them. The RBT acknowledges the concern and relays it soon enough for the supervisor to act.
- A: Recommending an extinction procedure is designing an intervention, which is the supervisor's job.
- B: Adding a new target or activity changes the plan without the supervisor's direction.
- C: The RBT cannot decide what the services will or will not cover; the supervisor needs to hear the concern.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.06 · 40-hour curriculum section F
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Question 2Under the RBT Ethics Code, to whom does an RBT direct questions or concerns that caregivers or coworkers have about the RBT's services?
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D: The RBT's supervisor. Standard 2.06 says RBTs direct any questions or concerns that they or others, such as caregivers and coworkers, have about their services to their supervisor.
- A: Physicians handle medical care, not questions about behavior-technician services.
- B: The BACB handles ethics violations and certification issues, not day-to-day questions about services.
- C: Funders pay for services but do not direct the RBT's clinical work.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.06
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Question 3A classroom teacher suggests that the RBT use a token board with a student instead of the praise the plan calls for. The RBT thinks it is a good idea. What should the RBT do?
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A: Thank the teacher and pass the idea on, but keep following the current plan. Suggestions from team members are welcome and should reach the supervisor, but the plan only changes when the supervisor changes it. Until then the RBT implements the plan as written.
- B: A trial run is still an unapproved change to the plan.
- C: Team members are encouraged to make suggestions; the RBT's job is to pass them on, not to discourage them.
- D: The teacher's suggestion does not change the plan; only the supervisor can do that.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.06 · 40-hour curriculum section F
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Question 4On a Friday, a caregiver mentions that the client has started hitting a younger sibling at home. The RBT's next scheduled supervision meeting is in two weeks. When should the RBT tell the supervisor?
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C: As soon as possible, without waiting for the scheduled meeting. A new form of aggression toward another person is a safety concern that the supervisor needs to hear quickly. Timely communication means early enough for the supervisor to act before it affects the client or others.
- A: One report of aggression toward a sibling is enough to pass along.
- B: Waiting to confirm delays the supervisor's response; the supervisor decides whether more data are needed.
- D: Two weeks is too long to sit on a new safety concern.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.06 · 40-hour curriculum section F
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Question 5During one home session, a caregiver raises four items. Which one should the RBT bring to the supervisor first?
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B: The client has started banging their head and has a new bruise. Concerns about safety and possible harm to the client come first. Scheduling, reinforcer ideas and paperwork questions still get passed on, but they can follow.
- A: A reinforcer suggestion is useful but not urgent.
- C: A routine scheduling request is not urgent.
- D: A paperwork question can wait behind a safety concern.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.01 · 40-hour curriculum section F
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Question 6A caregiver tells the RBT they want the client to learn to read, and that the current goal of tolerating haircuts is not important to the family. How should the RBT respond?
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B: Listen, acknowledge it and tell the supervisor so goals can be discussed. Goals are set by the supervisor together with the family, and caregiver priorities are important input. The RBT's role is to listen and make sure the supervisor hears the concern.
- A: Requiring a written request delays the concern and is not the RBT's decision to make.
- C: Goals can be revised; dismissing the caregiver's priorities is not the RBT's call.
- D: The RBT cannot change goals on their own.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.06 · 40-hour curriculum section F
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Question 7A caregiver suggests using candy as a reinforcer during sessions. The client's plan says not to use edible reinforcers. What should the RBT do?
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C: Continue without edibles and pass the suggestion to the supervisor. The plan stays as written until the supervisor changes it. The caregiver's suggestion is passed on so the supervisor can consider it.
- A: Using candy for some targets still breaks the plan.
- B: This is not accurate as a general rule, and explaining the plan's reasons is the supervisor's role.
- D: Caregiver agreement does not override the written plan; the supervisor makes that change.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.06 · 40-hour curriculum section F
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Question 8A frustrated caregiver tells the RBT, "I'm thinking about stopping these services." What is the best response from the RBT?
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A: Listen without arguing and tell the supervisor promptly. A caregiver who is thinking of ending services has a serious concern that the supervisor needs to hear quickly. The RBT listens respectfully and relays it rather than trying to resolve it alone.
- B: Quoting contract terms is not the RBT's role and does not address the concern.
- C: The supervisor needs to know when a family is unhappy with services.
- D: Persuading the caregiver is not the RBT's role and may dismiss a real concern.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.06 · 40-hour curriculum section F
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Question 9Another RBT who also works with a client tells you the client has been more aggressive in their sessions, and they think the reinforcers need to change. What should you do?
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D: Make sure the supervisor hears it, and add your own observations. Concerns from other service providers on the team should reach the supervisor. You can encourage your coworker to report it and share your own observations, but neither of you changes the plan.
- A: Waiting delays a report of increasing aggression.
- B: Team concerns about a shared client are everyone's to pass on.
- C: Two RBTs agreeing on a change is still a plan change without the supervisor.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.06 · 40-hour curriculum section F
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Question 10A teacher tells the RBT that the planned-ignoring step of a student's plan is hard to use in a class of 25 students. What should the RBT do?
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C: Pass the teacher's concern about the step on to the supervisor. A teacher's report that a procedure does not fit the setting is important feedback. The supervisor needs it to decide whether the plan should change.
- A: The RBT should not dismiss a concern about whether the plan is workable.
- B: Dropping a step changes the plan without the supervisor.
- D: Coming up with a different procedure is the supervisor's job.
Task E.1 · RBT Ethics Code 2.06 · 40-hour curriculum section F
Answer every question to see your score.
Key terms
| Confidentiality | The obligation to protect information about clients and others from being shared except with authorized people, for valid reasons, as allowed by law, the BACB and the employer. |
|---|---|
| Cultural responsiveness | Adapting how services and communication are delivered so they respect and fit the client's and family's culture, language, values and preferences, under the supervisor's direction. |
| Procedural fidelity | Procedural fidelity is the degree to which an intervention is carried out exactly as written in the plan; it is also called treatment integrity or procedural integrity. |
| Assent | A client's own willingness to participate, shown through words or behavior, which is separate from the legal consent given by a guardian or the client. |
| Performance feedback | Specific information given to a person about how they performed a skill, including praise for what was done correctly and guidance on what to change. |