Does this CE count toward my renewal?
This is the question we are asked most often and the one the industry answers worst. Four credentialing bodies come up, our standing with each is different, and two of those differences change what you should buy. Here is each one in plain language, including the places where the answer is no.
The short version
BACB: Special Learning is an Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) Provider, number OP-14-2437. When one of our courses says it carries BACB CE, that is the BACB credit it carries and it is the credit you can use toward BCBA and BCaBA recertification.
QABA and IBAO: Special Learning is a QABA-approved and IBAO-approved continuing education (CE) provider. QABA's own renewal page lists "Approved QABA Provider" as an accepted kind of CEU, with no restriction listed for it. We are listed among QABA's current CE providers. QABA asks that every CEU certificate carry a signature and the printed name of the presenter, and that the presenter be a master's level (or higher) professional in applied behavior analysis or a related field (QABA renewal page, qababoard.com/renewal, read October 27, 2026). Sessions that carry QABA or IBAO credit offer a certificate showing that credit; check each session's credit type and hours before you choose it. QABA decides whether a particular certificate counts for your renewal, including its ethics and topic requirements. For IBAO, check IBAO's current renewal requirements.
The American Psychological Association. People ask about this one too, so here it is plainly. Our authorisation there lapsed on April 22, 2024 and has not been reinstated. If your renewal runs through that body, this is not the place to get what you need. Any older page or file of ours that suggests otherwise is out of date — tell us and we will fix it.
Two separate QABA lists
QABA keeps two separate provider lists: CE providers and coursework providers. We are on the CE provider list, not the coursework provider list.
What to do
Before you buy any continuing education for a renewal deadline — ours or anyone's — ask the certifying body two questions, in writing: is this provider recognised, and does this specific course count toward my renewal requirement. A yes to the first is not a yes to the second. Keep the answer; renewal reviews ask for it, not for the seller's word.
What we will not tell you
We will not attach a body's eligibility wording to a course that does not carry it. We will not put a body's name on a certificate for a session that does not carry that body's credit. Credit options vary by recording and credential; check each session's current credit type and hours before selecting it for renewal. Where a session carries QABA or IBAO credit, you can request that certificate on our learning platform after you complete the session, pass its quiz and submit its evaluation. Whether any certificate counts toward your renewal is your certifying body's decision. If a page of ours ever states more than a session carries, that is an error and we want to hear about it.
Authorization as an ACE Provider does not imply endorsement or approval of the ACE event content by the BACB.
Scope and dates: BACB ACE Provider OP-14-2437. The QABA provider listing was read directly at the board's own provider page on three separate dates and was unchanged on all three, with a deliberately invalid provider address checked in the same session to confirm the page can return "not found" — so a positive result means something. That record carries no expiry date, so it is true as of the day it is read and we re-read it on a schedule. Full read dates, instrument and controls are recorded on our internal row for this page. Nothing here is legal or credentialing advice; the certifying body's answer is the one that governs your renewal.