Association for Behavior Analysis International

Beginning in 2009, 28 states in the United States have established licensure for behavior analysts. Not only does the nature of licensure vary across states, the processes and experiences of behavior analysts involved in establishing such licensure has varied greatly. Behavior analysts in some state some experienced little difficulty or opposition with the process being relatively brief while those in other states experienced much difficulty, dealt with opposition from members of other professions with the effort require multiple legislative sessions. In this discussion, the experiences of behavior analysts in 4 states where behavior analyst licensure was established in the last 2 years will be discussed. Information will be presented regarding the experiences in Michigan, South Dakota, Montana, and Texas. The discussion will include comparison of experiences, strategies and tactics of the states as well as recommendations for other states where licensure has not as yet been established. This discussion will be helpful for behavior analysts considering pursuing licensure in other states and will provide important information for persons interested in the history of the profession of behavior analysis.

Behavior analysts interested in establishment of state licensure of behavior analysts and persons interested in the history and ongoing development of the profession of behavior analysis.