ABA Certification

Preparation for the Certification of Applied Behavior Analysts

Students working on their bachelors or master degrees or who already have such degrees can now, with appropriate training and experience, seek certification in applied behavior analysis. The Behavior Analysis Certification Board oversees the application process and examination. Please contact the Board to learn more details about all of the requirements.

There are two major areas of competency to fulfill—academic preparation and supervised practica or field work. We offer opportunities to complete both. The academic preparation involves in-depth study of the philosophy, procedures, and technology of ABA. The Center provides coursework to meet the academic requirements for certification through four courses

Basic Applied Behavior Analysis

This course is delivered entirely online through a distance-learning format. It is designed for those who are new to the field of applied behavior analysis and want to learn basic principles and characteristics. This is the first of a 5-course track for Advanced Study in ABA and is recommended for persons interested in learning about ABA, or those interested in becoming a Board-Certified Applied Behavior Analyst or Board-Certified Associate Behavior Analyst.

In this course, the participants will learn about the characteristics and basic principles of ABA. ABA will be compared and contrasted with other schools of psychological thought. Descriptive analyses of behavior and the concept of functional relationships (i.e., systematic manipulations) will be reviewed. A major focus will be on basic concepts, measurement, data display, and data interpretation.

Advanced Behavior Analysis

This is the second course in the sequence for studying applied behavior analysis and is delivered through a distance-learning format. This course will focus clinical applications of applied behavior analytic procedures. The content will include ethical considerations when selecting targets for change, managing emergencies, specific behavior change principles (such as shaping, chaining, and response cost), and the transfer of the technology. This course provides credit hours towards educational qualifications required to sit for the behavior analysis certification examination.

Research and Ethics in Behavior Analysis

This course will focus on experimental research designs and the role of the researcher in protecting the rights of potential subjects. Traditional research design will be discussed, with a comparison to single subject research designs and their advantages. The various types of single subject designs will be studied in depth, along with the standard research issues, such as internal and external validity, sampling, reliability, and statistical analysis.

Advanced Applications of ABA

This last course in the four-course sequence provides a description of the application of behavior analytic principles across a large number of areas and issues in our society. The students will learn how the principles derived from an experimental study of human behavior has generality in the fields of medicine, counseling, mental health, human factors, and other areas. Broadening the perspective of the students to see the application of behavior analysis will lead to further refinement of the science and its application to more areas of human endeavor.

Mentoring and Supervision

In addition, the Center offers mentoring experiences. The acceptable experience includes working at a human-service agency or school, in the capacity of a teacher, speech pathologist, consulting educator, school psychologist, psychologist, or other professional. To meet the certification requirements, you must work under the supervision of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (or someone who could meet the requirements of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst). Please see the Behavior Analysis Certification Board website for more complete information about mentoring and supervision requirements.