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Does Illinois require autism training for school staff? What Illinois law asks, and where outside training fits

The short answer

We found no Illinois law or rule that requires school staff to complete autism training. Illinois does require teachers, administrators and school support personnel who work with pupils to complete in-service training in a set list of topics, generally within 6 months of employment by a school board and at least once every 5 years; more frequent training may be required by that section or by other state or federal law, and some exemptions apply. Autism and positive behavior are not named topics. Separately, any adult who supervises a student in time out or isolated time out, or who is involved in a physical restraint, must receive at least 8 hours of training every year, including behavior management practices.

What we found

On October 29, 2026, we searched the official Illinois Compiled Statutes and Illinois Administrative Code on the Illinois General Assembly's site (ilga.gov). We read the School Code's in-service training section (105 ILCS 5/10-22.39), its behavioral intervention section (105 ILCS 5/14-8.05), its time out and restraint section (105 ILCS 5/10-20.33), the Professional Educator License renewal section (105 ILCS 5/21B-45), the state special education rules (23 Ill. Adm. Code 226) and the time out and restraint rule (23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285). In those statutes and rules, we found no requirement for school staff to complete autism training.

The behavioral intervention section states the General Assembly's intent that "in-service training programs be made available as necessary in school districts, in educational service centers, and by regional superintendents of schools to assure that adequately trained staff are available to work effectively with the behavioral intervention needs of students with disabilities." It is a statement of intent; it does not set a training requirement for individual staff.

Related training rules for Illinois school staff

Required in-service topics (105 ILCS 5/10-22.39). The School Code says:

"teachers, administrators, and school support personnel who work with pupils must be trained in the following topics: health conditions of students; social-emotional learning; developing cultural competency; identifying warning signs of mental illness and suicidal behavior in youth; domestic and sexual violence and the needs of expectant and parenting youth; protections and accommodations for students; educator ethics; responding to child sexual abuse and grooming behavior; and effective instruction in violence prevention and conflict resolution."

The training regarding protections and accommodations for students must include "instruction on the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, as it pertains to the school environment, and homelessness." On timing, the section says the training "must be completed within 6 months of employment by a school board and renewed at least once every 5 years, unless required more frequently by other State or federal law or in accordance with this Section." It also says: "Training may be delivered through online, asynchronous means." In-service training in these topics is credited toward the professional development hours required for license renewal. School support personnel may be exempt if the training is not relevant to the work they do.

Time out and physical restraint (105 ILCS 5/10-20.33 and 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285). The statute allows time out, isolated time out and physical restraint only under strict conditions, including that the staff members applying it "have been trained in its safe application, as established by rule by the State Board of Education." The rule sets the training:

"Any adult who is supervising a student in isolated time out or time out, or who is involved in a physical restraint, shall receive at least 8 hours of developmentally appropriate training annually. Except for training on physical restraint, online training may be utilized for all training areas under this subsection (h)(1). Training is required in the following areas: A) crisis de-escalation; B) restorative practices; C) identifying signs of distress during physical restraint and time out; D) trauma-informed practices; and E) behavior management practices."

The rule adds: "No individual may use isolated time out, time out, or physical restraint before receiving the required training and certificate." This training may be provided by the employer or by an external entity, and every person or entity that provides it must be trained and certified in less restrictive alternatives and in the safe application of these interventions. Our course does not teach restraint, time out procedures, de-escalation or crisis intervention.

License renewal (105 ILCS 5/21B-45). "Each licensee shall complete a total of 120 hours of professional development per 5-year renewal cycle in order to renew the license, except as otherwise provided in this Section." The section names no autism or behavior content requirement. It lists the entities designated as approved to provide professional development for renewal, including the State Board of Education, regional offices of education and intermediate service centers, approved Illinois professional associations, regionally accredited institutions of higher education that offer Illinois-approved educator preparation programs, public community colleges subject to the Public Community College Act, Illinois public school districts, and state agencies. One of the purposes approved providers may serve is "training on inclusive practices in the classroom that examines instructional and behavioral strategies that improve academic and social-emotional outcomes for all students, with or without disabilities, in a general education setting." For paraprofessionals, the section says: "An Educator License with Stipulations with only a paraprofessional endorsement does not lapse."

Source: 105 ILCS 5/10-22.39; 105 ILCS 5/10-20.33; 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285; 105 ILCS 5/21B-45; 105 ILCS 5/14-8.05.

Where outside training fits

We found no statewide Illinois requirement for school staff to complete autism training. That finding does not rule out other training duties that apply to a particular school, district or staff member. For license renewal, Illinois law designates which entities are approved to provide professional development; we do not claim to be an approved provider under that section. We do not claim that our course satisfies any Illinois requirement, including the in-service topics in 10-22.39 or the time out and restraint training in Section 1.285, or that it counts toward professional development hours for license renewal. If you want training to count toward a district requirement or a license renewal, ask your district, your regional office of education or the Illinois State Board 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 Illinois 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

Last reviewed: October 29, 2026.

See every state's school autism-training rules