Does Arizona require autism training for school staff? What Arizona law asks, and where outside training fits
The short answer
We found no Arizona education statute that requires school staff to complete autism training. Arizona's restraint and seclusion law, A.R.S. § 15-105, says restraint or seclusion may be used only by school personnel trained in its safe and effective use, unless an emergency does not allow time to summon trained personnel. Separately, a school district or charter school that employs officers on its campuses must train each officer to recognize and effectively interact with children with disabilities.
What we found
On October 29, 2026, we searched Title 15 (Education) of the Arizona Revised Statutes on the Arizona Legislature's site for autism, training and school personnel, and read the sections on restraint and seclusion, special education duties, school employee training, State Board of Education duties and dyslexia training. None requires school staff to complete autism training or positive behavior training.
Related training rules for Arizona school staff
Restraint and seclusion (A.R.S. § 15-105). A school may permit restraint or seclusion only when both of these apply: "1. The pupil's behavior presents an imminent danger of bodily harm to the pupil or others. 2. Less restrictive interventions appear insufficient to mitigate the imminent danger of bodily harm." On training, the law says:
"The restraint or seclusion technique shall be used only by school personnel who are trained in the safe and effective use of restraint and seclusion techniques unless an emergency situation does not allow sufficient time to summon trained personnel."
The section requires training in the safe and effective use of restraint and seclusion techniques but does not specify training hours, frequency or a detailed curriculum. Its definition of "school" includes school districts, charter schools, public or private special education schools that serve pupils placed by a public school, the Arizona state schools for the deaf and the blind, and private schools. Our course does not teach restraint or crisis intervention.
School officers and children with disabilities (A.R.S. § 15-120.06).
"Each school district or charter school that employs one or more officers on one or more school campuses, including indirect employment through the school safety program pursuant to section 15-154, shall train each officer how to recognize and effectively interact with children with disabilities as defined in section 15-761."
"Officer" includes peace officers; full-authority reserve peace officers certified by the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board; individuals employed by the district or charter school in their off-duty capacity as either kind of officer; individuals previously employed as peace officers in Arizona who retired in good standing; and juvenile probation officers. The section covers officers, not teachers or aides.
Source: A.R.S. § 15-105; A.R.S. § 15-120.06.
Where outside training fits
Neither section names a training provider or says how outside courses are evaluated. Our search found no autism-training requirement in the education statutes we reviewed; we did not review Arizona Administrative Code Title 7, Chapter 2 or the Arizona Department of Education's certificate renewal guidance. We do not claim that our course satisfies any Arizona requirement, including § 15-105 or § 15-120.06, or that it counts toward professional development for certificate renewal. If you want training to count toward a district requirement or a certificate renewal, ask your district or the Arizona Department of Education how it evaluates outside courses.
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. We do not claim Arizona state approval or continuing education credit for this course.
A paraprofessional who took it wrote: "I want to learn everything I can to help my student succeed in the public school system. I found Special Learning's ABA level 1 course so fascinating and inspiring."
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 district's staff: 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 school quote
Last reviewed: October 29, 2026.