It seems befitting that the first post I would share on the site would be on being a telehealth BCBA. After all, I have spent the past two years stepping out of the clinic and behind a computer screen. My reasons for making this shift are worth a conversation for another time but for now I wanted to share some of the things that have helped me support my clients and staff as a telehealth BCBA:
- SET YOUR STAFF UP FOR SUCCESS. Make sure your RBT has everything they need to be successful (a tablet and HIPPA compliant video-call program–I like the integration of Teams for this. Also consider airpods for both privacy and better audio).
- CLEAR AND CONCISE COMMUNICATION. Be clear with your expectations such as they need to ready to go and in the video call at the designated time, they need to do their best to keep the learner in the video throughout the supervision, and also have a back up means of taking data as necessary.
- USE THE RIGHT TOOLS. Invest in a Boom Cards account. Trust me on this one, it is such a game changer! I do all my rec ID programs and match-to-sample programs on there. Best of all your families can download the app and run the targets outside of session.
- DON’T BE A BUMP ON A LOG. Be engaged with your staff and learner. Talk to them and involve yourself. If my learner is coloring in a coloring book I might join them doodling on one of my sketchbooks. If your learner likes to show you their toys, keep a few knicknacks around to recipicate. One of the biggest critiques RBT’s often have with their telehealth supervisors is that their BCBA will keep their screen off and hardly talk. Don’t do this!
- COMMUNICATE WHEN YOU DO GO QUIET. As a follow up to being engaged, if you need to work on a note/look at a graph / edit a program / whatever COMMUNICATE. Even if it’s just a “Hey if I’m quiet for the next few minutes it is because I am updating that target!” No one likes creepy silence and your staff can’t guess what you are doing unless you tell them.
Study Paloma 