ABA licensure in Pennsylvania: who needs a license, how to get one and how to keep it
The short answer
Pennsylvania issues behavior specialist licenses through the State Board of Medicine. The sources we reviewed do not establish whether everyone practicing ABA must hold that license. Pennsylvania's IBHS staffing rules require specific licenses and qualifications for certain ABA service roles. Confirm with the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine before you rely on this.
What the law says
The license comes from the autism insurance law, The Insurance Company Law of 1921, section 635.2 (40 P.S. § 764h). It defines the role and sends the licensing to the State Board of Medicine:
"(4) "Behavior specialist" means an individual who designs, implements or evaluates a behavior modification intervention component of a treatment plan, including those based on applied behavioral analysis, to produce socially significant improvements in human behavior or to prevent loss of attained skill or function, through skill acquisition and the reduction of problematic behavior."
"(g) (1) The State Board of Medicine, in consultation with the Department of Public Welfare, shall promulgate regulations providing for the licensure or certification of behavior specialists."
The Board's regulation says what the subchapter is for:
"This subchapter implements section 635.2(g) of The Insurance Company Law of 1921 (40 P. S. § 764h(g)) to provide for the licensure of behavior specialists. To the extent that an individual holds a professional license whose scope of practice includes the diagnostic assessment or treatment of autism spectrum disorders, this subchapter is not intended to require dual licensure, impact the licensee’s scope of practice or impact the licensee’s ability to qualify as a participating provider." (49 Pa. Code § 18.521)
We did not find, in the statute and regulations we read, a sentence that says in so many words that a person may not practice applied behavior analysis, or use a title, without this license. We did find that the state's Department of Human Services names the behavior specialist license, and other licenses, in its staff rules for ABA services (see "Assistants, RBTs and technicians" below). Ask the Board how the license applies to your role.
Source: The Insurance Company Law of 1921, section 635.2 (Pennsylvania General Assembly); 49 Pa. Code § 18.521.
How to get licensed
The Board's criteria are in 49 Pa. Code § 18.524. An applicant must show good moral character and:
"a master’s or higher degree from a Board-approved, accredited college or university, including a major course of study in at least one of the following: (1) School, clinical, developmental or counseling psychology. (2) Special education. (3) Social work. (4) Speech therapy. (5) Occupational therapy. (6) Professional counseling. (7) Behavioral analysis. (8) Nursing. (9) Another related field."
The rule also requires "at least 1 year of experience involving functional behavior assessments of individuals under 21 years of age," at least 1,000 hours of in-person clinical experience with individuals with behavioral challenges (or 1,000 hours in a related field with individuals with autism spectrum disorders), and "90 hours of course work in evidence-based practices", split among ethics, autism-specific training, assessments, instructional strategies, crisis intervention, comorbidity and medications, family collaboration and addressing skill deficits. The Department of State's summary page for the license says "No Examination Required".
Under § 18.523, supporting documents include state police criminal history reports and child abuse history clearances covering the states where the applicant currently resides or works and has resided or worked during the previous 10 years, plus an FBI criminal record. These records must be completed no more than 90 days before the Board receives the application. Applicants must also verify completion of at least 3 hours of approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting. The Board will not license an applicant convicted of certain offenses described in § 18.523(d). The application fee, the biennial renewal fee and the reactivation fee are each $75 (49 Pa. Code § 16.13(i)).
Source: 49 Pa. Code § 18.523; § 18.524; § 16.13; Department of State, Behavior Specialist Licensure Snapshot.
Assistants, RBTs and technicians
We found no separate Pennsylvania license for assistant behavior analysts or technicians in the Board's rules. The Department of Human Services' staff rule for ABA services provided by IBHS agencies (55 Pa. Code § 5240.81) sets qualifications by service. For individuals who provide "BHT-ABA services", it says that by July 1, 2020 they must meet one of several options, including:
"(1) Have a certification as a BCaBA. (2) Have a certification as an RBT. (3) Have a certification as a BCAT. (4) Have a behavior analysis certification from an organization that is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or the American National Standards Institute. (5) Have a high school diploma or the equivalent of a high school diploma and have completed a 40-hour training covering the RBT Task List as evidenced by a certification that includes the name of the responsible trainer, who is certified as a BCBA or BCaBA."
Other options in the rule rest on years of experience and training. For an individual who provides ABA services through assistant behavior consultation, the rule lists the qualifications for licensure as a behavior specialist (with an exception), a BCaBA or similar certification with a bachelor's degree, or six months' experience with a bachelor's degree and 12 credits in ABA. For behavior analytic services, subsection (d) requires one of the listed Pennsylvania licenses plus BCBA certification or another qualifying graduate-level certification. For behavior consultation—ABA services, subsection (e) provides several qualification routes; it does not require certification under every route. Read § 5240.81 in full for the exact conditions.
Source: 55 Pa. Code § 5240.81.
Renewal and state-required training
Under 49 Pa. Code § 18.525, "A license issued under this subchapter expires on December 31 of the even-numbered year unless renewed for the next biennium." The same section says:
"As a condition of biennial renewal, a licensee shall complete at least 2 hours of approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting in accordance with § 16.108(b) (relating to child abuse recognition and reporting—mandatory training requirement)."
The rule we read states no other continuing education hours for renewal. A license becomes inactive if the licensee asks in writing or fails to renew by the end of the renewal period; reactivation is described in § 18.526. Licensees are subject to the discipline rules that apply to medical doctors (§ 18.527).
Source: 49 Pa. Code § 18.525, § 18.526 and § 18.527.
Training the staff you supervise
If you run a program in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.