BACB Certification Trends: State of the States (1999 to 2014) - Abstract

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Elsa

Since the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) was created in 1998, BACB certification has expanded markedly, especially in the United States. The report describes state-by-state patterns from 1999 to 2014, noting steady growth in some states alongside exponential expansion in others. It analyzes the growth and geographic distribution of BCBA and BCaBA certificants and discusses contributing influences such as regional distribution, autism insurance or state licensing reforms, and major academic or practicum training programs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Growth patterns and contributing factors

Scope and analyses

Behav Analysis Practice (2016) 9:243–252 DOI 10.1007/s40617-016-0118-z BACB Certification Trends: State of the States (1999 to 2014) Neil Deochand 1 & R. Wayne Fuqua 1 Published online: 28 March 2016 \# Association for Behavior Analysis International 2016 Abstract Since the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) was officially created in 1998 (Shook, 2005), the number of individuals certified by the BACB has grown significantly, particularly in the USA. Some states have witnessed a steady growth in the number of certificants, whereas others have witnessed exponential growth. Many factors could account for these overall growth patterns, including (a) geographic variations in distribution of certificants across states,(b) the passage of autism insurance reform laws or state licensing laws that influence the professional practice of applied behavior analysis (ABA) services, and (c) the presence of major academic or practicum training programs. This report documents the growth and geographic distribution of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs) from 1999 to 2014 and also discusses some of the factors that might have influenced the documented growth patterns. Keywords Autism spectrum disorder . BCBA . Certification . Insurance reform . Supervision | Neil Deochand and R. Wayne Fuqua are credentialed by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board® Inc. (BACB®), but this project is not affiliated with the BACB. | | --- | | Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40617-016-0118-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. | * Neil Deochand [neil.deochand@wmich.edu](neil.deochand@wmich.edu) 1 Department of Psychology, Western Michigan University, 3700 Wood Hall, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA The professional discipline of applied behavior analysis (ABA) has grown at an unprecedented rate over the past two decades . Although some individuals in the field have expressed concerns that a considerable amount of this growth can be attributed to focusing almost exclusively on the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is still a general approval that ABA is being legitimately accepted as an authority in at least one capacity(Poling, 2010) . Organizations that focus on behavior analytic research and practice, such asthe Association of Behavior Analysis International® (ABAI) and the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts®(APBA), have provided evidence pertaining to the accelerated growth pattern for the discipline of ABA. There was a relatively steady growth in the attendance at the ABAI® annual convention over the first 25 years of its operation, a yearly trend that accelerated after 1998, the year the Behavior Analysis Certification Board® (BACB®) was established (Kangas & Vaidya, 2007) . Total membership to ABAI experienced a similar shift in growth, albeit 2 years later. Noticeably in Fig. 1, there was a steady increase in total ABAI membership from 1977 to 2000, after which membership climbs more rapidly (Association for Behavior Analysis International, 2015) . While there are occasional declines in total ABAI membership throughout the period of 1977 to 2015, the growth of the field is evident. These data are insufficient to denote a causal relationship between the creation of the BACB and growth of the field of ABA; it is nonetheless noteworthy. The discipline’s growth is further reflected in the growing number of presentations and workshops offering continuing education credits at ABAI (Kangas & Vaidya, 2007), with an increasing focus on topics related to the service of individuals with ASD (Leblanc, Heinicke, & Baker, 2012) . Beyond growth in conference attendance, membership, continuing education opportunities for practitioners, and a shift in presentation topics, an additional indicator of the ABAI Membership 7,000 6,500 6,000 5,500 5,000 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000

FAQs

What time period and credential types does the report cover?

The report tracks BACB credentialing trends from 1999 to 2014 and discusses growth and geographic distribution for BCBA and BCaBA certificants.

How do state trends differ in BACB certification growth?

Some states show steady increases, while others show exponential growth in the number of certificants over the same period.

What factors are proposed to explain the observed growth patterns?

The report points to geographic variation in certificant distribution, autism insurance reform laws or state licensing laws affecting ABA practice, and the presence of major academic or practicum training programs.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Elsa