TheoryAutism Services Practitioner
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30 free Autism Services Practitioner questions
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Autism Services Practitioner
Which of the following is NOT a component of the four-term contingency?
Correct — D. The four-term contingency consists of the setting event (or motivating operation), antecedent, behavior, and consequence. 'Reinforcement schedule' is not part of the four-term contingency, but rather a specific way to arrange consequences. -
Autism Services Practitioner
What defines a respondent behavior?
Correct — C. Respondent behaviors are elicited by stimuli that precede them and are considered involuntary. These are reflexive responses, as opposed to operant behaviors which are emitted and controlled by their consequences. -
Autism Services Practitioner
What is a discriminative stimulus (SD)?
Correct — B. A discriminative stimulus signals the availability of reinforcement for a specific behavior. When present, it indicates that a certain behavior is likely to be reinforced, increasing the probability of that behavior occurring. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which term describes the process where a behavior generalizes to stimuli similar to the original discriminative stimulus?
Correct — A. Stimulus generalization is the process by which a response conditioned to a specific stimulus occurs when similar stimuli are presented. This is important for ensuring skills transfer across different settings, people, or materials. -
Autism Services Practitioner
What does the 'dead man's test' help determine?
Correct — D. The dead man's test is used to determine if a definition of behavior is adequate. If a dead person could perform the described action, it's not a proper behavioral definition because behavior requires active responding. -
Autism Services Practitioner
What is positive reinforcement?
Correct — C. Positive reinforcement occurs when the addition (positive) of a stimulus following a behavior increases the future probability of that behavior. The key elements are adding something and increasing behavior. -
Autism Services Practitioner
What is a motivating operation of deprivation?
Correct — B. Deprivation as a motivating operation involves restricting access to a reinforcer, which temporarily increases its value and increases behaviors that have historically led to obtaining that reinforcer. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Under which schedule of reinforcement does ratio strain most commonly occur?
Correct — A. Ratio strain most commonly occurs under fixed ratio schedules, especially when the requirement increases too rapidly. When the response requirement becomes too high too quickly, the individual may stop responding altogether. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which of the following is an unconditioned reinforcer?
Correct — D. Food is an unconditioned reinforcer because it naturally strengthens behavior without requiring prior learning or conditioning. It has reinforcing properties based on biological needs rather than through association with other reinforcers. -
Autism Services Practitioner
What is the matching law in applied behavior analysis?
Correct — C. The matching law states that the relative rate of responding on different alternatives matches the relative rate of reinforcement for those alternatives. This principle helps explain choice behavior and how reinforcement distribution affects response allocation. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which of the following verbal operants is defined as a request for something the speaker wants?
Correct — B. A mand is a verbal operant that functions as a request for something the speaker wants or needs. It's controlled by motivating operations and reinforced by access to the requested item or action. -
Autism Services Practitioner
What distinguishes a tact from other verbal operants?
Correct — A. A tact is a verbal operant that labels or identifies objects, actions, events, or properties. It's evoked by a nonverbal stimulus and maintained by generalized social reinforcement, unlike other verbal operants that have different controlling variables. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which phenomenon occurs when a previously extinguished behavior temporarily increases when extinction procedures are first implemented?
Correct — D. An extinction burst is a temporary increase in the frequency, intensity, or duration of a behavior when extinction procedures are first implemented. This is a common side effect of extinction and typically subsides if the extinction procedure is consistently maintained. -
Autism Services Practitioner
What is spontaneous recovery in relation to extinction?
Correct — C. Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished behavior after a period of time has passed without the behavior being emitted. This occurs without any additional training or reinforcement. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which of the following is NOT one of the seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis as defined by Baer, Wolf, and Risley?
Correct — B. While experimental, analytic, technological, conceptually systematic, effective, generalizable, and applied are the seven dimensions of ABA, theoretical is not one of them. The dimensions focus on practical application and measurable outcomes rather than theoretical constructs. -
Autism Services Practitioner
What characterizes a variable ratio schedule of reinforcement?
Correct — A. A variable ratio schedule of reinforcement provides reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses, although the average number remains constant. This unpredictability typically leads to high, steady rates of responding that are resistant to extinction. -
Autism Services Practitioner
What is resurgence in relation to extinction?
Correct — D. Resurgence is the reappearance of a previously extinguished behavior when a more recently reinforced behavior is placed on extinction. This phenomenon helps explain why old behaviors may return when new intervention strategies are not effective. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which of the following statements best describes stimulus delta (S-delta)?
Correct — C. Stimulus delta (S-delta) is a stimulus in the presence of which a particular behavior has not been reinforced. It signals that reinforcement is not available for that behavior, which decreases the likelihood of the behavior occurring. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which of the following is a scientific understanding within applied behavior analysis?
Correct — B. In applied behavior analysis, scientific understanding involves description (precisely defining and measuring behavior), prediction (identifying relationships between behavior and environmental events), and control (manipulating variables to change behavior in meaningful ways). -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which verbal operant is defined as a response that has point-to-point correspondence with a verbal stimulus and is maintained by generalized reinforcement?
Correct — A. An echoic is a verbal operant that involves repeating what was heard, having point-to-point correspondence with the verbal stimulus. It's maintained by generalized reinforcement such as social approval or confirmation of accuracy. -
Autism Services Practitioner
According to the DSM-5, which of the following is NOT one of the two core domains for diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Correct — D. The DSM-5 condensed the diagnostic criteria into two core domains: (1) persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction, and (2) restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Intellectual impairment is a potential co-occurring condition, not a core diagnostic domain. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which change occurred in the transition from DSM-IV to DSM-5 regarding autism diagnosis?
Correct — C. In DSM-5, the separate diagnoses (Autistic Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and PDD-NOS) were consolidated under a single umbrella diagnosis called Autism Spectrum Disorder, with varying levels of severity. -
Autism Services Practitioner
According to the CDC, which of the following is considered a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder?
Correct — B. Advanced parental age (both maternal and paternal) is recognized by the CDC as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder. Having older parents increases the likelihood of genetic mutations that may contribute to autism. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which of the following represents a typical developmental milestone for an 18-month-old child?
Correct — A. Pointing to objects of interest is a typical developmental milestone that emerges around 12-18 months. The absence of pointing behaviors by 18 months is often considered a potential red flag for autism spectrum disorder. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which of the following comorbidities has the highest prevalence rate among individuals with autism spectrum disorder?
Correct — D. Intellectual disability is one of the most common comorbidities in autism spectrum disorder, affecting approximately 31-40% of individuals with ASD according to recent CDC data. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which of the following statements accurately describes the current CDC prevalence estimate of autism spectrum disorder in children?
Correct — C. According to recent CDC data, the prevalence of autism is approximately 1 in 36 children (2.8%), which represents a significant increase from earlier estimates and highlights the importance of awareness and early intervention. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which atypical developmental pattern is most concerning for possible autism spectrum disorder in a 2-year-old child?
Correct — B. Regression or loss of previously acquired language skills is considered a significant red flag for autism spectrum disorder, typically occurring between 15-24 months of age in some children with ASD. -
Autism Services Practitioner
According to the DSM-5, severity levels for autism spectrum disorder are based on which two domains?
Correct — A. The DSM-5 specifies three severity levels (requiring support, requiring substantial support, requiring very substantial support) based on the two core domains: social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviors. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which screening tool is specifically designed for toddlers (16-30 months) to identify risk for autism spectrum disorder?
Correct — D. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F) is specifically designed to screen toddlers between 16-30 months of age for autism risk and is widely used in primary care settings. -
Autism Services Practitioner
Which statement about the gender ratio in autism spectrum disorder is most accurate based on current CDC data?
Correct — C. Current CDC data consistently shows that autism is diagnosed more frequently in males than females, with a ratio of approximately 4:1, though this gap may be narrowing as diagnostic practices improve for identifying autism in females.
Autism Services Practitioner sample questions
Tap any question below to reveal the answer and a plain-English explanation.
Autism Services Practitioner According to the CDC, which of the following is considered a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder?
A. Childhood vaccinations
B. Advanced parental age ✓
C. Birth order (being firstborn)
D. Excess vitamin consumption during pregnancy
Correct — B. Advanced parental age (both maternal and paternal) is recognized by the CDC as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder. Having older parents increases the likelihood of genetic mutations that may contribute to autism.
Autism Services Practitioner Which of the following represents a typical developmental milestone for an 18-month-old child?
A. Points to objects of interest ✓
B. Engages in cooperative play with peers
C. Uses complex sentences with correct grammar
D. Demonstrates abstract reasoning skills
Correct — A. Pointing to objects of interest is a typical developmental milestone that emerges around 12-18 months. The absence of pointing behaviors by 18 months is often considered a potential red flag for autism spectrum disorder.
Autism Services Practitioner Which of the following comorbidities has the highest prevalence rate among individuals with autism spectrum disorder?
A. Substance use disorder
B. Schizophrenia
C. Bipolar disorder
D. Intellectual disability ✓
Correct — D. Intellectual disability is one of the most common comorbidities in autism spectrum disorder, affecting approximately 31-40% of individuals with ASD according to recent CDC data.
Autism Services Practitioner Which of the following statements accurately describes the current CDC prevalence estimate of autism spectrum disorder in children?
A. Approximately 1 in 500 children (0.2%)
B. Approximately 1 in 150 children (0.67%)
C. Approximately 1 in 36 children (2.8%) ✓
D. Approximately 1 in 1,000 children (0.1%)
Correct — C. According to recent CDC data, the prevalence of autism is approximately 1 in 36 children (2.8%), which represents a significant increase from earlier estimates and highlights the importance of awareness and early intervention.
Autism Services Practitioner Which atypical developmental pattern is most concerning for possible autism spectrum disorder in a 2-year-old child?
A. Mild delay in walking independently
B. Loss of previously acquired language skills ✓
C. Preference for playing with one specific toy
D. Occasional temper tantrums when frustrated
Correct — B. Regression or loss of previously acquired language skills is considered a significant red flag for autism spectrum disorder, typically occurring between 15-24 months of age in some children with ASD.
Autism Services Practitioner According to the DSM-5, severity levels for autism spectrum disorder are based on which two domains?
A. Social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviors ✓
B. Intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior
C. Language development and sensory sensitivities
D. Motor skills and social motivation
Correct — A. The DSM-5 specifies three severity levels (requiring support, requiring substantial support, requiring very substantial support) based on the two core domains: social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviors.
Autism Services Practitioner Which screening tool is specifically designed for toddlers (16-30 months) to identify risk for autism spectrum disorder?
A. GARS-3 (Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, Third Edition)
B. ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised)
C. CARS-2 (Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition)
D. M-CHAT-R/F (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-Up) ✓
Correct — D. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F) is specifically designed to screen toddlers between 16-30 months of age for autism risk and is widely used in primary care settings.
Autism Services Practitioner Which statement about the gender ratio in autism spectrum disorder is most accurate based on current CDC data?
A. ASD is diagnosed approximately 2 times more often in females than males
B. ASD occurs equally among males and females
C. ASD is diagnosed approximately 4 times more often in males than females ✓
D. ASD is diagnosed approximately 10 times more often in males than females
Correct — C. Current CDC data consistently shows that autism is diagnosed more frequently in males than females, with a ratio of approximately 4:1, though this gap may be narrowing as diagnostic practices improve for identifying autism in females.
About the Autism Services Practitioner test
Autism Services Practitioner candidates are tested on Counseling & Social Work and Core Principles Of Aba, in the same format the real exam uses. Every question here comes with a plain-language explanation, so you learn why an answer is right instead of memorising it — with 30 questions to start on.
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- Real-world scenarios and how to respond
- Common mistakes and how to avoid them
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Topics in this question bank
The core topics and terminology you'll be tested on
Rules, standards and best-practice procedures
Real-world scenarios and how to respond
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
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