Does North Dakota require autism training for school staff? What North Dakota law asks, and where outside training fits
The short answer
We found no North Dakota law or rule that requires school staff to complete autism training. North Dakota requires paraprofessionals who serve students with disabilities to hold a state certificate of completion, except those who provide services only in speech-language pathology. For paraprofessionals who provide instructional support to individuals with disabilities, the rule requires twenty contact hours of inservice training, including strengthening behavior, conducted "within one calendar year of employment in which the paraeducator assumes assigned duties." Separately, state law allows, but does not require, a school district to provide at least eight hours of professional development every two years on youth behavioral health, child abuse and child neglect.
What we found
On October 29, 2026, we searched every chapter of Title 15.1 (Elementary and Secondary Education) of the North Dakota Century Code and every chapter of the Department of Public Instruction and Education Standards and Practices Board rules in the North Dakota Administrative Code. We looked for autism, restraint, seclusion, positive behavior, de-escalation, behavior and staff training. We found no law or rule that requires school staff to complete autism training. Autism appears as a disability category in the special education law and rules, not as a training topic. Our search of Title 15.1 of the Century Code and Titles 67 and 67.1 of the Administrative Code found no provision on restraint or seclusion in schools.
Related training rules for North Dakota school staff
### Paraprofessionals who serve students with disabilities N.D. Admin. Code § 67-11-14-01 says "paraprofessionals serving students with disabilities, except paraprofessionals providing services only in the speech-language pathology discipline, must hold the North Dakota certificate of completion for their respective discipline." For paraprofessionals who support students with disabilities, § 67-11-14-03(1) sets the training standard:
"Paraprofessionals providing instructional support to individuals with disabilities must demonstrate completion of twenty contact hours of inservice training conducted within one calendar year of employment in which the paraeducator assumes assigned duties."
The areas of preparation listed are student support concepts; human growth and development and the impact of disabilities; utilizing effective instructional strategies to serve students with disabilities in integrated settings; and strengthening behavior. The rule defines "paraprofessional" as "an individual providing service as an aide, paraprofessional, or paraeducator who provides instructional support in an early childhood through grade twelve setting."
Under § 67-11-14-04, the local special education unit must have an approved comprehensive system of personnel development plan on file with the superintendent of public instruction, including "the nature and content of the training" and "the number of contact hours." Completion of the twenty hours "must be documented by a letter of verification signed by the person providing the training," kept on file in the special education administrative office. Under § 67-11-14-04(3), the requirements of that section do not apply to speech-language pathology paraprofessionals or to paraprofessionals providing instructional support in a program supported with Title I funds.
### Optional professional development on youth behavioral health N.D.C.C. § 15.1-07-34(1):
"Every two years, a school district may provide a minimum of eight hours of professional development on youth behavioral health, child abuse, and child neglect to elementary, middle, and high school teachers and administrators."
The district chooses the hours from a list of categories based on its annual needs assessment. One category is "Current or new evidence-based behavior prevention or mitigation techniques." Subsection 1 says "may," so this eight-hour professional development is optional for the district. Separately, subsection 5 of the same section requires a public or nonpublic school teacher, administrator, librarian and counselor, before initial licensure, to submit documentation to the Education Standards and Practices Board "verifying completion of a mandated reporter training program for suspected child abuse or neglect." North Dakota law also lets a school board designate professional development, which "may include content areas, including behavioral, physical, or mental health" (§ 15.1-18.2-03.2).
### Teacher preparation For an initial teaching license, the Education Standards and Practices Board requires coursework that includes "strategies for teaching and assessing diverse learners (e.g., universal design for learning, response to intervention, early intervention, positive behavior interventions and supports)" (§ 67.1-02-02-07). This applies to licensure coursework, not to yearly training for staff already working.
Source: N.D. Admin. Code ch. 67-11-14; N.D.C.C. ch. 15.1-07, § 15.1-07-34; N.D.C.C. ch. 15.1-18.2; N.D. Admin. Code ch. 67.1-02-02.
Where outside training fits
The paraprofessional rule does not name who must provide the twenty hours. It requires the local special education unit's approved personnel development plan to describe the training's nature, content and contact hours, and it requires a letter of verification signed by the person providing the training. It does not explain how an outside course would be accepted. Before buying outside training for this purpose, ask your local special education unit what its approved plan includes and how it evaluates outside courses. We offer this course as introductory ABA training. We do not claim that it satisfies § 67-11-14-03, counts toward the twenty contact hours or any professional development requirement, or meets any other North Dakota requirement, and we do not claim a number of training hours for it.
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 North Dakota 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 school'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.