ABAT Crisis Management and Safety Procedures

Question 1

The PRIMARY goal of de-escalation strategies when a client is in an agitated state is to:

Accepted Answer

Reduce the person's level of distress so that a crisis is avoided without the use of physical intervention

Answer

De-escalation aims to lower the individual's emotional and physiological arousal before behavior reaches a dangerous peak. By using calm verbal communication, reducing demands, providing space, and following the client's individualized crisis plan, a technician may prevent the need for physical intervention.

Question 2

Physical management procedures (restraint) in an ABA setting should ONLY be used when:

Accepted Answer

The client engages in self-injurious or aggressive behavior that poses imminent danger and all other options have been exhausted

Answer

Physical management is a last resort, used only when there is imminent risk of serious harm and only by staff who are trained and authorized under an approved protocol. It must never be used as a behavior reduction strategy for non-dangerous behavior.

Question 3

A client's crisis/safety plan includes a specific sequence of steps to follow when a behavior escalates. The ABA technician's responsibility is to:

Accepted Answer

Follow the plan as written and notify the supervisor after the crisis resolves

Answer

ABA technicians are responsible for implementing individualized crisis plans as written by the supervising BCBA. Deviating from an approved plan without authorization is outside the technician's scope of practice. After the crisis, the technician notifies the supervisor and completes required documentation.

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of a PROACTIVE safety strategy?

Accepted Answer

Arranging the environment before a session to remove objects that could be used harmfully

Answer

Proactive safety strategies are put in place BEFORE a crisis occurs to prevent dangerous behavior. Examples include rearranging the physical environment, removing sharp or heavy objects, ensuring proper supervision ratios, and following recommended seating arrangements — all done in advance.

Question 5

After a crisis event has ended and the client has returned to a calm state, the ABA technician's NEXT step should be:

Accepted Answer

Complete required documentation and inform the supervising BCBA about the incident

Answer

Post-crisis procedures require documentation of what happened (incident report) and notification of the supervising BCBA. This ensures that the supervisor can review the crisis, assess whether the behavior plan needs adjustment, and determine whether additional reporting obligations exist.

(ABAT) Applied Behavior Analysis Test Practice Test

(ABAT) Applied Behavior Analysis Test Practice Test

ABAT Crisis Management and Safety Procedures