New Credential Ensures Exceptional Services for Children with Autism

As more insurance companies adopt the Registered Behavior Technician™ (RBT™) credential, agencies providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy will need to implement the RBT credential for frontline staff. Bill & Virginia Leffen Center for Autism is pleased to announce that 95 percent of its behavior technicians have received the credential, with the others in progress.

Created by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board® (BACB®), the credential established training standards for behavior technicians. The RBT credential requires applicants to meet minimum age and education standards, obtain 40 hours of extensive training, complete a competency assessment and pass an exam.

“This credential will be an asset to clients and their families,” said Kristy Parker, Bill & Virginia Leffen Center for Autism Clinical Director. “This is assurance that we are meeting national standards and that our clients are receiving exceptional care.”

The RBT is a paraprofessional who practices under the supervision of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) or Board Certified assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA), and works one-on-one with clients receiving behavioral therapy. The primary responsibility of the RBT is to implement plans developed by the supervisor, which include expanding communication skills, daily living skills and social skills.

BACB is a nonprofit corporation to meet professional credentialing needs by behavior analysts, governments and consumers of behavior analysis services. Certification requirements, exam content and procedures undergo regular review according to international standards for organizations that grant professional credentials.

About Ozark Center

An integral component of Freeman Health System based in Joplin, Mo., Ozark Center provides comprehensive behavioral health services to children, adults and families in an area that includes more than 450,000 residents from Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Ozark Center continually looks for innovative ways to address the mental health needs of the community and promote awareness of mental illness in an effort to eliminate the discrimination associated with it. For more information, visit ozarkcenter.com or call 417.347.7600.

About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2017, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers. U.S. News & World Report ranked Freeman one of the top Hospitals in Southwest Missouri more than five years in a row, and the Leapfrog Group awarded Freeman the highest grade possible in the Spring 2017 Hospital Patient Safety Score. With more than 300 physicians on staff representing more than 60 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart and vascular care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services and women’s services. Additionally, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com, facebook.com/freemanhealthsystem or follow Freeman at twitter.com/FreemanCares4U. Follow Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Baker at twitter.com/freemanceo.