What Is a Clinical Supervisor in OAP?

The clinical supervisor is the qualified professional responsible for designing your child's individualized behaviour intervention plan (IBIP), conducting functional behaviour assessments, monitoring treatment progress, and adjusting programming based on data. Under OAP Core Clinical requirements, the clinical supervisor must be a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA), a Board Certified Assistant Behaviour Analyst (BCaBA) under BCBA supervision, or a psychologist with equivalent ABA competencies.

The clinical supervisor does not typically deliver all direct therapy — this is done by Registered Behaviour Technicians (RBTs) or equivalent paraprofessionals under the supervisor's direction. The supervisor is responsible for training, overseeing, and evaluating the RBTs working with your child.

Ask your provider to explain the supervision ratio in writing before services begin. The plan should state how often a qualified supervisor observes therapy, reviews data, updates goals, and meets with caregivers.

Supervision can be delivered in-person or via telehealth. It includes: direct observation of therapy sessions, data review meetings with the RBT, parent training sessions, and the creation or revision of the behaviour plan. Families should confirm with their provider what supervision activities are included in the billed hours and how often they will meet with the supervising BCBA.