Do you need a license to practice ABA in Delaware? What Delaware law says
The short answer
In the Delaware sources reviewed, we found no separate professional license for behavior analysts. Delaware's psychology law addresses behavior analysis and therapy, but our review did not establish whether its exemption for qualified members of other recognized professions covers behavior analysts. Delaware also requires a School Behavior Analyst Standard Certificate for behavior analysts providing behavior analytic services in public schools, with an exception for educators licensed and certified to practice in other areas.
Confirm with the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation and the Delaware Department of Education before you rely on this.
What we found
On October 30, 2026, we read the Delaware Code on the General Assembly's official site (delcode.delaware.gov). We searched the full text of Title 24 (Professions and Occupations) for "behavior analyst," "applied behavior analysis" and "behavior analysis." Title 24 has no chapter for behavior analysts, and the only place it uses the phrase is in the definition of the practice of psychology, quoted below. We ran the same searches on Titles 11, 13, 16, 29 and 31 and found no behavior analyst provisions. We also read the Board of Examiners of Psychologists' regulations in the Delaware Administrative Code (24 DE Admin. Code 3500) and found no mention of behavior analysis. We did not search every title of the Administrative Code by keyword.
Delaware's psychology law is administered by the Board of Examiners of Psychologists. Its definition of the practice of psychology reads, in part:
"Providing evidence-based therapeutic interventions, such as cognitive rehabilitation, counseling, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, hypnosis, biofeedback, and behavior analysis and therapy to improve cognitive, mental, behavioral, physical, functional, and sociocultural health and wellness."
The statute lists this among the things the practice of psychology "includes." The law says who may do that practice:
"Unless an individual has been duly licensed under this chapter, the individual may not do any of the following: (1) Engage in the practice of psychology. (2) Represent to the public in this State that the individual is qualified to engage in the practice of psychology. (3) Use in connection with that individual's name, or otherwise assume or use, any title or description conveying or tending to convey the impression that the individual is qualified to engage in the practice of psychology."
The same chapter has an exemption for other professions:
"Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prevent an individual who is a qualified member of other recognized professions from rendering services consistent with the individual's professional training, the code of ethics of the individual's respective profession, and the laws of this State, if the individual does not represent themselves to the public by using any title or description stating or implying that the individual is a psychologist, a licensed psychology associate, a doctoral-level psychological assistant, or a master's-level psychological assistant, that the individual is licensed as a psychologist or licensed psychology associate, or that the individual is registered as a doctoral-level psychological assistant or a master's-level psychological assistant."
The Delaware Code marks these sections "For application of this section, see 85 Del. Laws, c. 317, § 25." That 2026 Act was approved June 24, 2026, and its Section 25 says: "This Act takes effect on enactment and is to be implemented the earlier of the following: (1) Twelve months from the date of the Act's enactment. (2) Notice by the Board of Examiners of Psychologists published in the Register of Regulations that final regulations to implement this Act have been adopted." The wording above is the Code's current text of these sections as amended by that Act. We did not find the Board's notice, so we cannot tell you whether the Act has been implemented yet; twelve months from June 24, 2026 is June 24, 2027.
We did not find a Delaware statute or rule that says whether this exemption covers a behavior analyst. We do not read it for you. Ask the Division of Professional Regulation how it applies to your role.
Source: 24 Del. C. § 3502, definitions; 24 Del. C. § 3507; 24 Del. C. § 3531, exemptions; 85 Del. Laws c. 317, § 25.
What Delaware does have
### A school certificate from the Department of Education Delaware's Professional Standards Board has a rule for a School Behavior Analyst Standard Certificate. Its scope paragraph says:
"This regulation shall apply to the issuance of a School Behavior Analyst Standard Certificate pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1220(a). The School Behavior Analyst Standard Certificate is required for all behavior analysts who provide behavior analytic services in Delaware public schools. The School Behavior Analyst Standard Certificate is not required for educators who provide behavior analytic services in the course of their work and are licensed and certified to practice in other areas such as, but not limited to, teachers or school psychologists. Applied Behavior Analysis Technicians (ABATs), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA), Qualified Autism Service Practitioner - Supervisors (QASP-Ss), and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) are not eligible to hold the School Behavior Analyst Standard Certificate."
The rule's education and certification requirement is one of two private-sector credentials:
"4.1.1.1 The applicant holds a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification issued by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board."
"4.1.1.2 The applicant holds a Qualified Behavior Analyst (QBA) issued by the Qualified Applied Behavior Analysis Credentialing Board."
There are two ways to be issued the certificate. The Department issues it to an applicant who either:
"3.1.1 Holds a valid Delaware Initial, Continuing, or Advanced License or Standard or Professional Status Certificate issued by the Department prior to August 31, 2003 and meets the requirements set forth in Section 4.0 of this regulation;"
"3.1.2 Has met the requirements for an educator's license in Delaware and presents proof of a Valid and Current License or Certificate as a school behavior analyst issued by another state or jurisdiction."
The rule defines "educator" as a person "licensed and certified by the State under 14 Del.C. Ch. 12 to engage in the practice of instruction, administration or other related professional support services in Delaware public schools." It also provides a review by the Secretary of Education:
"The Secretary of Education may, upon the written request of a local school district or charter school, review credentials submitted in an application for a School Behavior Analyst Standard Certificate on an individual basis and grant such a Standard Certificate to an applicant who otherwise does not meet the requirements for a School Behavior Analyst Standard Certificate but whose effectiveness is documented by the local school district or charter school."
The rule says the certificate "is not subject to renewal." To keep it, the rule says the educator shall hold an Initial, Continuing, or Advanced license and "Maintain the Educator's certification issued by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board or the Qualified Applied Behavior Analysis Credentialing Board." An educator who stops meeting these requirements "shall immediately notify the Department in writing." The rule was published at 27 DE Reg. 176 (September 1, 2023).
Source: 14 DE Admin. Code 1585, School Behavior Analyst; 14 Del. C. § 1220.
### Assistants and technicians in public schools A companion rule covers a School Behavior Analyst Assistant Standard Certificate. It says:
"The School Behavior Analyst Assistant Standard Certificate is required for all behavior analyst assistants who provide behavior analytic services in Delaware public schools. Educators who hold a School Behavior Analyst Assistant Standard Certificate shall be supervised by educators who hold a School Behavior Analyst Standard Certificate (14 DE Admin. Code 1585)."
The assistant certificate is not required for educators who provide behavior analytic services in the course of their work and are licensed and certified to practice in other areas, such as, but not limited to, teachers or school psychologists.
The applicant must hold one of two credentials: "a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) certification issued by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board" or "a Qualified Autism Service Practitioner – Supervisor (QASP-S) issued by the Qualified Applied Behavior Analysis Credentialing Board." The assistant certificate, like the main one, "is not subject to renewal." Section 1585 expressly lists Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) as ineligible for the School Behavior Analyst Standard Certificate.
Source: 14 DE Admin. Code 1586, School Behavior Analyst Assistant.
### Insurance coverage for autism treatment Delaware's insurance code requires coverage of the treatment of autism spectrum disorders in individuals under 21, including applied behavior analysis. It names board-certified behavior analysts among the providers:
"“Autism services provider” means any person, entity, or group authorized by this section that provides treatment of autism spectrum disorders. This includes licensed physicians, psychologists or their assistants, psychiatrists, speech therapists or their aides, occupational therapists or their aides, physical therapists or their assistants, practitioners with the national certification of board-certified behavior analyst or those working under their supervision, licensed professional counselors of mental health, licensed clinical social workers, advanced practice nurses, or any person, entity, or group meeting the standards set by the Department of Health and Social Services as authorized by subsection (f) of this section."
The statute adds:
"If an autism services provider meets recognized national certification as a board-certified behavior analyst, such autism services provider shall be deemed to have met the standards to be established under this section, to provide applied behavioral analysis services."
The same section limits applied behavior analysis coverage to "a maximum benefit of $36,000 per 12-month period per person," which the Insurance Commissioner adjusts each year, and it defines the treatment that must be covered as care "prescribed or ordered for an individual diagnosed with 1 of the autism spectrum disorders by a licensed physician or licensed psychologist who determines the care to be medically necessary." Section 3570A repeats the same coverage rules for group and blanket plans.
Source: 18 Del. C. § 3366; 18 Del. C. § 3570A.
### The Department of Education's statewide autism program Delaware's education code requires the Department of Education to run a statewide program for students with autism spectrum disorder and to employ five training specialists. It says:
"“Training specialists” must include qualified speech-language pathologists, behavior analysts, and other personnel with expertise in evidence-based instruction for people with ASD in classroom, community, and home-based consultation."
Source: 14 Del. C. § 1332.
Training the staff you supervise
If you run a program in Delaware and need new technicians or aides trained in the basics, this is what our Intro to ABA Level 1 course covers.
The Intro to ABA Level 1 course teaches methods and techniques of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for parents and caregivers, teachers, paraprofessionals and behavior technicians who work with a child every day. Topics include what autism is, what ABA is, pairing, errorless teaching and prompting, and active student responding. Complete the course and pass its 40-question final exam with a score of at least 80%. Completing this course earns a Special Learning certificate of completion. That certificate is not a continuing education (CE) certificate. It is basic training in ABA methods for daily practice, not a professional credential. It is not the 40-hour training required for the RBT credential. We do not claim Delaware state approval or continuing education credit for this course.
Two ways to start
- For one person: try the first two sessions free for 7 days; account creation is required, with no payment information requested. The full course costs $199, paid once, with no subscription or recurring charge. Activate your license code within 90 days of purchase; the published completion window is 10 weeks after activation. You may request a later start date, no later than three months after purchase. Start the free sessions
- For your team: tell us how many people need training and when, and we will send a quote; each participant who completes the course and passes its 40-question final exam with a score of at least 80% earns an individual certificate of completion. Ask for a team quote
Last reviewed: October 30, 2026.