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For training leads at behavioral health agencies

What is the best online DSP training for a behavioral health agency?

Short answer: There is no single best online training for every agency’s direct support professionals (DSPs). The best fit covers the topics your state requires, gives you the completion and competency records your licensor asks for, and matches the people your staff support. Agencies that want one full DSP curriculum can compare programs on the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) list of accredited education, such as Relias, DirectCourse’s College of Direct Support and Open Future Learning. Agencies whose staff support autistic people can add a focused course on autism and behavior support, such as Special Learning’s Level 1 ABA Online Training Course for groups ($99 per learner, with a free 7-day trial of the first 2 sessions).

Special Learning · Published November 12, 2026 · Sources read November 12, 2026

Five things to check, in this order.

Before you compare

  1. Your state’s rule. It sets the required topics, the deadlines and sometimes the source. In Ohio, for example, part of every DSP’s training must be “provided by the department or by an entity using department-provided curriculum” (Ohio Adm. Code 5123-2-08, Appendix C). Find your state’s developmental disabilities agency in the NASDDDS directory.
  2. Accreditation, if you use NADSP certification. NADSP accredits whole curricula “for alignment with validated competency areas” and with the NADSP Code of Ethics, and accredited programs “can be used by DSPs and supervisors in meeting the accredited education requirements for certification through the NADSP E-Badge Academy” (NADSP, “NADSP Accredited Education”).
  3. Fit with the people your staff support. Intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health recovery, autism, children or adults: the examples staff see should look like their work.
  4. Records and competency. Ohio asks agencies to record “a description of the training completed, the date of training, the duration of training, and when applicable, the instructor’s name,” and to name how competency is established, such as a “written test, skills demonstration, or documented observation by supervisor” (Ohio Adm. Code 5123-2-08(F)). Ask each vendor what its records show.
  5. A trial and a pricing model you can live with. Per active user per month, per learner, or by quote. Watch part of the course with a few staff before you buy for everyone.

Each described from its own site or from NADSP, read November 12, 2026.

The options you will meet

OptionWhat it isHow you buy it
ReliasLearning, compliance and competency tools for providers. Its libraries include “Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Services” for direct support staff and frontline supervisors, and its IDD learning paths cover topics including behavior management and crisis management (Relias). NADSP lists its DSP training as fully accredited.Request a demo from Relias.
DirectCourse: College of Direct SupportAn online curriculum developed by the University of Minnesota’s Research and Training Center on Community Living, with content areas including Positive Behavior Supports, Person-Centered Planning and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Accredited by NADSP for DSP training hours toward e-badges (DirectCourse). Its College of Recovery and Community Inclusion covers support for people with mental health conditions (DirectCourse).Through DirectCourse’s sales team. Some states provide access; Minnesota’s Department of Human Services provides “free and low-cost access” (Minnesota DHS).
Open Future LearningMultimedia learning “100% dedicated to the field of intellectual disabilities,” with modules on subjects such as Active Support, Challenging Behavior and Supported Employment (Open Future Learning). On NADSP’s accredited list.Published monthly prices by number of active users: in US dollars, $155 a month for up to 24 and $405 for up to 99, with no contract (pricing page).
NADSP E-Badge AcademyNot a course: NADSP says it “is not itself a training, education, or curriculum program.” DSPs and frontline supervisors earn e-badges toward nationally recognized NADSP Certification (NADSP).Organizations enroll staff through NADSP’s inquiry form; individual staff cannot buy access on their own.
Special Learning: Level 1 course for groupsAutism and behavior-support foundations for frontline staff who support autistic people: nine sessions and a final exam.$99 per learner, one-time, 12 weeks of access per learner. Free 7-day trial of the first 2 sessions.

Frequently asked

Questions training leads ask.

Is NADSP accreditation required for DSP training?

It depends on your state and your goals. NADSP accreditation means NADSP reviewed a whole curriculum for alignment with its competency areas and Code of Ethics, and accredited programs count toward the accredited education requirements of the NADSP E-Badge Academy. Whether your license calls for an accredited program, a state curriculum or something else is set by your state’s own rule, so ask your state developmental disabilities agency.

Can DSP training be done entirely online?

Often in part. Many state rules also ask for supervised practice or an observed skill check. Minnesota, for example, requires orientation that combines supervised on-the-job training with instruction, and competency shown through knowledge testing or observed skill assessment. Ohio requires first aid and CPR certifications that include an in-person skills assessment. Plan the hands-on parts alongside any online course.

How much does online DSP training cost?

Pricing models differ. Open Future Learning publishes monthly prices by active users, for example $155 a month for up to 24 active users in the US. Relias and DirectCourse ask you to request a demo or talk with their sales teams, and some states give providers free or low-cost DirectCourse access. Special Learning’s Level 1 course for groups is $99 per learner, one-time, with 12 weeks of access for each learner.

Can we try Special Learning’s course before buying for the whole team?

Yes. The course has a free 7-day trial of its first 2 sessions. Our free team pilot kit shows how to run the trial with a small group of staff and decide against a bar you set in advance.

Sources

Each source was read on November 12, 2026. Providers and states change their pages and rules, so check the current version before you rely on it.

  1. Ohio Administrative Code 5123-2-08, Appendix C, Training requirements for direct support professionals, https://codes.ohio.gov/assets/laws/administrative-code/pdfs/5123/0/2/5123-2-08_PH_FF_A_APP3_20240919_1204.pdf
  2. Ohio Administrative Code 5123-2-08, Provider certification: agency providers (effective September 29, 2024), https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-5123-2-08
  3. NASDDDS, “State Agencies” (directory of state developmental disabilities agencies), https://www.nasddds.org/state-agencies/
  4. NADSP, “NADSP Accredited Education”, https://nadsp.org/services/accredited-education/
  5. NADSP, “E-Badge Academy”, https://nadsp.org/services/the-nadsp-e-badge-academy/
  6. Relias, “Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Training”, https://www.relias.com/industry/intellectual-developmental-disabilities
  7. DirectCourse, “College of Direct Support”, https://directcourseonline.com/direct-support/
  8. DirectCourse, home page, https://directcourseonline.com/
  9. Minnesota Department of Human Services, “DirectCourse”, https://mn.gov/dhs/partners-and-providers/training-conferences/long-term-services-and-supports/directcourse/
  10. Minnesota Statutes, section 245D.09, Staffing standards, https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/245D.09
  11. Open Future Learning, home page, https://www.openfuturelearning.org/
  12. Open Future Learning, “Pricing”, https://www.openfuturelearning.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=login.Pricing