By Laura O’Neill

PRCC Public Relations

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Educators looking to earn Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) Certification can get one step closer by taking the Applied Behavior Analysis course offered this spring at Pearl River Community College. For the third year in a row, educators located in PRCC’s six-county district (Forrest, Hancock, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Marion, and Pearl River) can take the course for free.

Applied behavior analysis uses a scientific approach to understand behaviors, particularly as to how they are impacted by the environment and how learning  occurs. The goal is to establish and reinforce socially important behaviors that will enhance independence and quality of life for the student. This approach can work with individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as other developmental disorders. 

Any assistant teacher or teacher who is working with autistic students or other types of special needs students can benefit from this course. It offers  the training required to qualify for observation in practice by a certified professional and then eventually sit for a national board exam for RBT certification.

The course is encouraged by Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann and is not offered widely across the state. PRCC is the second community college in Mississippi  and one of only five higher education institutions in the state to offer it.

The course will be delivered as a Term 2, seven-week, synchronous online hybrid that begins in March 2022. Interested individuals need to apply to PRCC  as a student and then complete a special form available from FCC Administrative Assistant Michelle Campbell at mowen@prcc.edu.