Does New Hampshire require autism training for school staff? What New Hampshire law asks, and where outside training fits
The short answer
In the New Hampshire laws and rules we searched, we found no requirement for school staff to complete autism-specific training. New Hampshire's restraint and seclusion law says restraint and seclusion may be used only by trained personnel. Ed 1113.12(a) requires personnel providing services to children with disabilities in public elementary and secondary schools to be appropriately and adequately trained as required by 34 CFR 300.156. Licensed paraeducators employed by a school administrative unit, school district or participating nonpublic school need at least 50 continuing education units to renew, in areas set by the local professional development master plan.
What we found
On October 29, 2026, we searched New Hampshire's special education law (RSA 186-C), its restraint and seclusion law (RSA 126-U), and the state board of education's rules on school approval (Ed 300), educator and paraeducator licensing and renewal (Ed 500), special education (Ed 1100) and restraint and seclusion (Ed 1200), for autism, positive behavior, behavior intervention, challenging behavior, de-escalation, training and paraeducators. We found no requirement in the laws and rules searched for school staff to complete autism-specific training. Autism appears in these texts as a disability category and in the certification standards for special education teachers, not as a staff training duty. The school approval rules require each local school board to adopt written policies on managing student behavior and on restraint and seclusion. These policy provisions do not set training hours, content or frequency.
Related training rules for New Hampshire school staff
Restraint and seclusion (RSA 126-U). The law applies to schools operated by school districts, chartered public schools, public academies, nonpublic schools under the state board's approval authority, and public or private providers of any part of a child's IEP. On who may act, it says:
"Restraint shall be used only by trained personnel using extreme caution when all other interventions have failed or have been deemed inappropriate."
"Seclusion shall only be used by trained personnel after other approaches to the control of behavior have been attempted and been unsuccessful, or are reasonably concluded to be unlikely to succeed based on the history of actual attempts to control the behavior of a particular child."
Each use of seclusion must be "directly and continuously visually and auditorially monitored by a person trained in the safe use of seclusion." These sections do not set training hours or frequency. Our course does not teach restraint or crisis intervention.
Staff serving children with disabilities (Ed 1113.12).
"Personnel providing services to children with disabilities in public elementary and secondary schools shall be appropriately and adequately trained as required by 34 CFR 300.156."
The rule does not name autism or a number of hours.
Paraeducator renewal (Ed 513.06). For licensed paraeducators employed by a school administrative unit, local school district or participating nonpublic school:
"a minimum of 50 continuing education units shall be required in areas determined by the local professional development master plan required by this part"
Source: RSA 126-U; Ed 1100; Ed 500 (read from Internet Archive copies of these official pages, captured August 13, 2026, August 11, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively, because the state's sites blocked our automated access).
Where outside training fits
None of these provisions names a training provider or says how outside courses are evaluated. For licensed paraeducators employed by a district, the areas that count toward the 50 continuing education units are set by the local professional development master plan. Our search did not identify a statewide autism-specific training requirement. Under Ed 1113.12(a), personnel providing services to children with disabilities in public elementary and secondary schools must be appropriately and adequately trained as required by 34 CFR 300.156. We do not claim that our course satisfies any New Hampshire requirement, counts toward continuing education units or license renewal, or meets RSA 126-U or Ed 1113.12. Before buying outside training for these purposes, ask your district or school administrative unit, or the New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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.