Your RBT Renewal Is Changing. Get Ready Now.
As of January 1, 2026, every Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) needs 12 Professional Development Units (PDUs) to renew certification. Special Learning, a BACB-authorized provider, is launching PD-designated courses built for this requirement.
The New 12-PDU Requirement: What Changed for Your RBT Renewal
Right Now
Renewing your RBT requires your supervisor's sign-off and a competency assessment. No courses. No continuing education.
As of January 2026
You will also need 12 Professional Development Units every two years. PDUs are earned through approved training from qualified instructors.
Not Everything Counts
After July 2026, the BACB no longer accepts article-plus-quiz or code-word formats. You need video-based courses with assessments.
CE and PD Are Not the Same Thing
Continuing Education (CE) is for Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and BCaBAs. Professional Development (PD) is for RBTs. They are separate designations under Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) rules.
A course designated as CE does not count as PD. A course designated as PD does not count as CE. They are mutually exclusive.
What this means for you: your supervisor's CE courses do not count toward your PDU requirement. You need PD-designated content specifically.
Three Ways to Earn Your 12 PDUs
1. ACE Provider Courses
Training from BACB-authorized Continuing Education providers. Special Learning is an ACE provider (OP-14-2437). We are designating PD courses delivered by BCBAs specifically for RBTs.
Highest credibility. Audit-proof documentation.
2. In-Service Training
Professional development sessions facilitated by a BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D at your workplace. If your agency has a qualified supervisor, they can lead PD sessions that count toward your 12 PDUs.
Available through your employer at no extra cost.
3. University Coursework
Courses at accredited universities taught by faculty with qualifying credentials (BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D).
Higher cost, limited availability.
The RBT Professional Development Library
A dedicated library of PD-designated courses built for the new 12-PDU requirement. All courses delivered by BCBAs using video instruction with embedded assessments.
What is included
- PD-designated courses covering key RBT practice domains
- Every course delivered by a BCBA
- Video instruction with embedded assessments
- Enough content to cover your full 12 PDU requirement
- PDU progress tracking in your account
- Documentation for BACB audit verification
Why Special Learning
- BACB-authorized ACE Provider (OP-14-2437)
- 15 years of continuous approval, serving 32,000+ customers in over 140+ countries
- Self-paced CE is built with knowledge-assessment questions embedded throughout, so you will not need to do anything differently when the July 1, 2026 ACE standard takes effect
- Courses repurposed from our existing BCBA-instructor-led catalog
- Priced for RBT budgets (pricing announced soon)
- Volume pricing for agencies purchasing seats for multiple RBTs
Get notified when the RBT PDU Library launches
We will email you once with pricing and availability. No spam.
What You Can Do Right Now
Talk to Your Employer
Many ABA agencies provide a professional development budget or training stipend. When the RBT PDU Library launches, it will be priced to fit within most agency stipend programs. If your employer pays for training, share this page with your clinical director.
Agencies: Volume pricing will be available for organizations purchasing seats for multiple RBTs. See our organizations page for current options.
Free PDU Planning Tools
Plan your PDUs, check if your training counts, compare costs, and track your progress.
Your Career in ABA
What Professionals Say
My experience in this training was amazing! Each chapter has its own video and PowerPoint presentation and everything was detailed and well explained. It lets you do it in your own time and makes me feel that I want to learn more.
Thanks to that course I am completing almost a year and a half at Love2Learn Consulting, was recently certified as an RBT, and am well into a Masters in ABA. None of this would have been possible without Special Learning.
I just wanted to say a big thank you for your amazing courses. I have enrolled a number of my staff and they are loving it. I have also seen their ability and understanding improve, which has improved their work output.
Frequently Asked Questions
Professional Development Units. The new BACB requirement for RBT certification renewal as of January 1, 2026. You need 12 PDUs every 2-year certification cycle, averaging 6 per year.
12 PDUs per 2-year certification cycle.
January 1, 2026. RBTs renewing on or after that date must have completed their PDUs.
Continuing Education (CE) is for BCBAs and BCaBAs. Professional Development (PD) is for RBTs. They are separate BACB designations. A course designated as CE does not count as PD, and a course designated as PD does not count as CE. Your supervisor's CE courses do not count toward your PDU requirement.
Video-based courses with assessments, live workshops, conferences, and supervised training led by a BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D. After July 2026, article-plus-quiz and code-word formats are no longer accepted by the BACB.
We are launching a dedicated RBT Professional Development Library with PD-designated courses delivered by BCBAs. All courses use video-based instruction with embedded assessments. The library is being built to support the new 12-PDU requirement, which is live as of January 1, 2026. Sign up above to get notified when it launches.
Yes. In-service training facilitated by a BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D at your workplace counts toward your 12 PDUs. Many agencies combine vendor-provided PD courses with internal in-service sessions.
Many ABA agencies provide professional development budgets or training stipends. Special Learning will offer volume pricing for agencies purchasing seats for multiple RBTs. Share this page with your clinical director.
You need a 40-hour foundational training course, supervised practical experience, and to pass the RBT exam. We recommend Dan Dube's RBT training course at abagrowthteam.com for initial certification.
No. CE courses are designated for BCBAs and BCaBAs. PD courses are designated for RBTs. They are not interchangeable under BACB rules. You need PD-designated content specifically.