Helping Technicians Succeed and Perform Like Pros

Sometimes a performance concern is not about the child but about how the technician is running the program, and that is a normal part of developing a team. The first step is simply to watch the technician run the target and check a few concrete things: whether the discriminative stimulus fits the environment, whether the child's attention is secured before the instruction, whether the right materials are prepared and used, whether the prompt hierarchy and reinforcement schedule are being followed, and whether data are recorded right after the response. These observation points turn a vague sense that something is off into specific, teachable information. Pinpointing the gap this way also keeps feedback fair, because it is tied to observable behavior rather than impressions. Once the gap is clear, the goal shifts from correcting to coaching.

The structured way to coach is Behavioral Skills Training, an evidence-based method that combines clear instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback (Parsons, Rollyson, & Reid, 2012). Instructions come first and should already be written into the program, so a new target is never opened without them. Modeling shows the technician exactly what the procedure should look like, and rehearsal lets them practice it, ideally while the child is on a break so the session is not disrupted. Feedback then closes the loop with specific praise and correction, delivered both during rehearsal and when the technician runs the target with the child. Each component matters, because skipping any one of them tends to leave the new skill shaky.

How the supervisor talks with the technician matters as much as the procedure. Ending a session with "Do you have any questions?" often goes nowhere, because a technician may not know what to ask or may be hesitant to speak up. Weaving questions into the work tends to surface more — asking what step might be missing when a technician says a child cannot do something, or inviting them to show how they would feel comfortable running the target. Listening closely reveals whether the technician needs to build the skill itself or simply needs guidance applying a skill they already have, and the response differs accordingly. The real aim is not just to fix one target but to build technicians who can problem-solve, adapt, and perform well even when the supervisor is not in the room (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2020).

References

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Parsons, M. B., Rollyson, J. H., & Reid, D. H. (2012). Evidence-based staff training: A guide for practitioners. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 5(2), 2–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03391819