What Does Licensure for Behavior Analysts Mean for Your Child with an IEP?

What Does Licensure for Behavior Analysts Mean for Your Child with an IEP?

What Does Licensure for Behavior Analysts Mean for Your Child with an IEP? It has been long overdue! Governor Malloy has signed a budget bill that includes licensure for behavior analysts in the state of Connecticut. What does this mean? How does this impact your child’s services or IEP?

A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) is a graduate level independent practitioner who has met the requirements established by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) to become certified in providing assessment and treatment based on the principles of applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysts are able to supervise the work of individuals implementing behavior analytic services such as a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA), Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), special education teachers, paraprofessionals or any other individual implementing behavioral analytic strategies.

Licensure for Behavior Analysts will be put into effect July 2018. What this means is that the prior to licensure the field and practice was not regulated in the state of Connecticut. Since the establishment of the BCBA credential in 1998, twenty-nine states have enacted licensure for behavior analysts in order to increase consumer protection for the vulnerable population of individuals that Behavior Analysts serve by putting forth regulations at the state level. More specifically, licensure offers protection to students receiving Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services across all settings including home, school, and community. ABA is an established evidence-based practice that many individuals benefit from particularly those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Many of these individuals receive ABA services through their IEPs and now the state can assure that the individuals providing these services are not only credentialed but also licensed by the state of Connecticut.

For more information related to how licensure for behavior analysts will impact your child’s IEP please do not hesitate to contact the Forte Law Group, LLC at (203) 257-7999.