Zaliyna Hina, Extern and Kate McKenna, MEd, MSEd, MS, BCBA, LBA
Association for Science in Autism Treatment

ASAT Review of Effective Teaching ProceduresBoard Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) act as supervisors in various work situations, including overseeing the work of Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) and Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs) as they provide services to clients. These supervision sessions are ongoing and occur at a frequency outlined by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). Those in training to become BCBAs complete both a series of coursework approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) and 2000 hours of service provision under the supervision of a BCBA, who has taken additional coursework to prepare for the role of supervisor.

This supervision is a professional and ethical responsibility designed to protect clients, develop supervisee competence, and maintain the integrity of applied behavior analysis. According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Ethics Code, Section 4, effective supervision requires structured observations, ongoing feedback, and performance-based evaluations to ensure high-quality service delivery. Effective supervision benefits both the supervisee and the clients they serve by building skill fluency, ensuring integrity, and promoting ethical decision-making; however, the supervision described here is not to be equated with “case supervision,” which refers to the oversight a behavior analyst provides over an individual client’s case.

Written by Tammy Frazer, BCBA, founder and CEO of On Solid Ground Inc., the Effective Teaching Procedures: Instructor Therapist Performance Quality Checklists, published by Different Roads to Learning, is a structured tool designed to support the training, supervision, and evaluation of therapists working in applied behavior analysis (ABA) programs. By breaking down teaching skills into observable, measurable steps, this resource offers a practical framework for both ensuring treatment integrity and supporting therapist growth. The set includes nine Quality Checklists and one form designed for goal development and feedback.

The compilation of structured checklists breaks complex teaching procedures into observable, measurable steps. Instructions on how to use and score checklists during the observation are included. The checklists cover the following key areas in ABA service provision:

    1. Teaching Area Organization and Session Responsibilities
      Emphasizes maintaining a structured, organized teaching environment and accurately following session protocols and documentation procedures.
    2. Natural Environment: Manding & Communication
      Focuses on encouraging and supporting spontaneous communication and requests (mands) in the learners natural, everyday setting.
    3. Manding & Communication – Manding Trial Tracker
      Tracks and measures how consistently and effectively the learner uses mands during structured and unstructured settings.
    4. Social Engagement and Interaction Style
      Evaluates how the technician promotes social interaction, responsiveness, and appropriate engagement with the learner.
    5. Compassionate Care and Interaction Style
      Assesses the therapist’s ability to show empathy and respond to the learner with warmth and respect.
    6. Reinforcement Preparation & Delivery
      Ensures reinforcers are identified, prepared, and delivered appropriately to motivate learning and maintain positive behavior.
    7. Teaching Trial Delivery & Reinforcement
      Examines how effectively the therapist conducts the teaching trials, implements prompting and fading, and error correction.
    8. Task Analysis/Life Skills
      Focuses on running task analysis trials in the correct sequence, collecting precise data, and ensuring procedures are implemented consistently.
    9. Safety, Professionalism and Staff Interactions

Focuses on consistently maintaining professional conduct and communicating effectively and respectfully with all team members.

Collectively, these checklists capture the full scope of an effective ABA teaching session. BCBAs are called to provide ethical, evidence-based treatment that produces socially meaningful and sustainable behavior change. Supervisors, in turn, are charged with ensuring that these standards are upheld through systematic training, feedback, and performance monitoring. The checklists directly support this process by providing a structured framework for observation and discussion.

The checklists highlight the depth of practicality of this resource. We wanted to provide a bit more detail about the content of two of the sections. Teaching Area Organization and Session Responsibilities emphasizes the importance of preparation and structure to ensure a productive session. Steps include arranging materials before the session begins, setting up the teaching area to minimize distractions, reviewing the learner’s program data, and ensuring that all necessary reinforcers and data sheets are readily available. This organization supports a smooth transition and maximizes instructional time. Another example is The Safety, Professionalism, and Staff Interactions, which outlines expectations for maintaining ethical and professional conduct throughout service delivery. Steps include adhering to all safety protocols, demonstrating respect towards colleagues, maintaining appropriate confidentiality, and communicating calmly and clearly during collaborative problem solving.

The final template in the book is a strength-based goal-setting tool that allows supervisors and supervisees to track progress on goals over time. By encouraging collaboration in setting developmental goals, this tool transforms the checklists from a purely evaluative instrument into a growth-oriented framework. This combination of clarity, structure, and adaptability makes the resource user-friendly while promoting collaboration, consistency, and professional development, positioning it as a valuable addition to any ABA supervision system.

A key strength of this resource is its clarity. Each checklist outlines specific teaching behaviors in a way that makes them easy to observe and evaluate. This helps supervisors provide consistent feedback and ensures that therapists understand what proficient implementation looks like. The checklists also promote treatment fidelity across staff, which is critical for achieving positive outcomes. Another strength of this tool is its flexibility. Although designed with early intervention in mind, the checklists can be adapted across a variety of ABA service settings. They can be used for live session observations, structured evaluations, or even as a self-reflection tool for newer therapists. In this way, the checklists can serve not only as an evaluation measure but also as a learning aid.

As with many evaluative tools, the usefulness of these checklists depends on thoughtful implementation. If used without supportive and constructive feedback, they may feel overly evaluative rather than growth oriented. Additionally, while the checklists are valuable, they are not a replacement for comprehensive training, modeling, and supervision. Instead, they work best when embedded within a broader supervision system.

This resource is well-suited for ABA supervisors, program coordinators, and clinical directors seeking to strengthen staff training and ensure consistency in teaching practices. It may also be helpful for graduate students or newer BCBAs who are developing their supervisory skills and want a structured guide for evaluating therapist performance. The Effective Teaching Procedures: Instructor Therapist Performance Quality Checklists is a practical, user-friendly resource that can enhance both training and supervision practices. When paired with supportive feedback and ongoing training, it offers an effective way to improve therapist performance and maintain high standards of treatment fidelity across ABA programs. To purchase a copy of The Effective Teaching Procedures: Instructor Therapist Performance Quality Checklists click here.

Reference for this article:

Hina, Z., & McKenna, K. (2025). Review of Effective teaching procedures: Instructor therapist performance quality checklists. Science in Autism Treatment, 22(11).

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