Does Mississippi require autism training for school staff? What Mississippi law asks, and where outside training fits
The short answer
We found no school-staff autism-training requirement in the Mississippi education rules and the 2025 and 2026 legislative bill lists we reviewed on October 29, 2026; we did not full-text search the Mississippi Code. A related requirement we found is in the State Board of Education's restraint and seclusion rule: a district that permits restraint and seclusion must ensure staff members receive restraint training within a program covering positive behavioral intervention strategies, crisis intervention and de-escalation. Five-year standard license renewal options vary by license class and include continuing education units, college coursework and other alternatives; the general renewal provisions do not specify autism training.
What we found
On October 29, 2026, we read the State Board of Education's rules in the Mississippi Administrative Code (Title 7, Part 3, Board Policies) and the Guidelines for Mississippi Educator Licensure K-12 (Title 7, Part 4), searching for autism, restraint, positive behavior, de-escalation and paraprofessional or assistant teacher training. We found no rule that requires teachers, assistant teachers or other school staff to complete autism training. We also checked the Legislature's lists of 2025 and 2026 bills. Bills in the 2026 session on autism in schools, including House Bill 951 (an autism scholarship bill) and Senate Bill 2499 (a grant program for autism specialists, professional development and sensory supports), died in committee. We did not run a full-text search of the Mississippi Code itself.
The state's Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee reached the same point in its 2025 report to the Legislature, which listed "No Statewide Mandate" and made this recommendation for the 2026 session:
"MAAC recommends that legislators establish a program for teachers to earn 5 continuing education hours (1/2 CEU) focused on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as part of their licensure renewal process."
That is a recommendation, not a requirement. Source: Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee, 2025 Report to the Legislature.
Related training rules for Mississippi school staff
Restraint training (State Board Rule 38.13). The State Board of Education's Restraint and Seclusion rule says:
"School districts that permit restraint and seclusion shall ensure that staff members are trained in the use of restraint. This training shall be provided as part of a program which addresses a full continuum of positive behavioral intervention strategies, crisis intervention, and de-escalation techniques."
The rule adds that, absent an imminent danger to health or safety, only staff trained in the district's adopted physical restraint approach may practice physical restraint. It also says that the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) does not endorse a particular training program, and that the local district selects programs approved by MDE that are founded on evidence-based techniques. It adds: "Additional and follow-up training shall be provided on an ongoing basis." Our course does not teach restraint, de-escalation or crisis intervention.
The same rule also says: "Schools shall implement an evidence-based system of positive behavioral intervention strategies and support." It does not set a number of training hours for staff.
Source: Miss. Admin. Code Title 7, Part 3, Rule 38.13.
License renewal. Under the licensure guidelines, renewing a five-year standard license requires one of several options that differ by license class. For a Class A license, one option is ten continuing education units (CEUs), or the equivalent contact or clock hours, in a content or job/skill related area; for Class AA, AAA or AAAA, one option is five CEUs or the equivalent. The guidelines say content area courses refer to the area of endorsement, such as special education, and that "Ten contact or clock hours of professional learning is equal to one CEU credit." These general license-renewal provisions do not specify autism or behavior training.
Source: Miss. Admin. Code Title 7, Part 4, Guidelines for Mississippi Educator Licensure K-12.
Where outside training fits
For license renewal, the guidelines say: "The Mississippi Department of Education no longer approves programs for professional learning credit." A provider that wants to offer professional learning credit applies to an accredited credit-granting agency, such as a college or university continuing education office. For restraint training, Rule 38.13 leaves the choice of program to the district, from programs approved by MDE. We do not claim that our course earns CEUs, contact hours or clock hours for Mississippi license renewal, meets any district training requirement, or replaces restraint training. Before buying outside training for any of these purposes, ask your district, or MDE's Office of Educator Licensure, 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 Mississippi 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.