Rhode Island § 5-86-9 - Licensing of Applied Behavior Analysts

§ 5-86-9. Qualifications and examinations for licensing.

(a) An applicant for licensure as a licensed applied behavior analyst shall submit to the board written evidence on forms furnished by the department that the applicant:

(1) Is of good moral character;

(2) Has obtained a graduate degree in applied behavior analysis or a related field, as approved by the board, from a college or university accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, or an equivalent regional accrediting agency, and that has the approval by a national or regional certifying authority, including, but not limited to, the applied behavior analyst licensing board;

(3) Has successfully completed the amount of coursework in applied behavior analysis acceptable to the board;

(4) Has appropriate supervised experience that aligns with the behavior analyst certification boards (BACB) supervision requirements to include either: (i) One year, including one thousand five hundred (1,500) hours of supervised independent fieldwork in applied behavior analysis. The distribution of supervised independent fieldwork hours must be at least ten (10) hours per week, but not more than thirty (30) hours per week, for a minimum of three (3) weeks per month; (ii) One thousand (1,000) hours of practicum in behavior analysis within a university experience program approved by the national or regional certifying authority. The distribution of practicum hours must be at least ten (10) hours per week, but not more than twenty-five (25) hours per week, for a minimum of three (3) weeks per month; or (iii) Seven hundred fifty (750) hours of intensive practicum in behavior analysis within a university experience program approved by the national or regional certifying authority. The distribution of intensive practicum hours must be at least ten (10) hours per week, but not more than twenty-five (25) hours per week, for a minimum of three (3) weeks per month;

(5) Has passed the behavior certification behavior analyst (BCBA) examination administered by the behavior analyst certification board (BACB);

(6) Has maintained active status and fulfilled all relevant requirements for renewal and relicensing with the behavior analyst certification board;

(7) Conducts his or her professional activities in accordance with the ethical guidelines and standards outlined by the behavior analyst certification board (BACB); and

(8) Meets the criteria as established in § 5-86-12.

(b) An applicant for licensure as a licensed assistant applied behavior analyst shall submit to the board written evidence on forms furnished by the department that the applicant:

(1) Is of good moral character;

(2) Has obtained a bachelor’s degree in behavior analysis or a related field, as approved by the board, from a college or university accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, or an equivalent regional accrediting agency, and that has the approval by a national or regional certifying authority, including, but not limited to, the applied behavior analyst licensing board;

(3) Has successfully completed the amount of coursework in applied behavior analysis acceptable to the board;

(4) Has appropriate supervised experience to include either: (i) One thousand (1,000) hours of supervised independent fieldwork in applied behavior analysis. The distribution of supervised independent fieldwork hours must be at least ten (10) hours per week, but not more than thirty (30) hours per week, for a minimum of (3) three weeks per month; (ii) Six hundred seventy (670) hours of practicum in behavior analysis within a university experience program approved by the national or regional certifying board. The distribution of practicum hours must be at least ten (10) hours per week, but not more than twenty-five (25) hours per week, for a minimum of three (3) weeks per month; or (iii) Five hundred (500) hours of intensive practicum in behavior analysis within a university experience program approved by the national or regional certifying board. The distribution of intensive practicum hours must be at least ten (10) hours per week, but not more than twenty-five (25) hours per week, for a minimum of three (3) weeks per month;

(5) Is supervised by a licensed applied behavior analyst in a manner consistent with the board’s requirements for supervision of licensed assistant applied behavior analysts;

(6) Has passed the examination administered by an appropriate nationally recognized accrediting organization as approved by department of health licensing for this function;

(7) Has maintained active status and fulfilled all relevant requirements for renewal and relicensing with the nationally recognized and accredited organization(s) as approved by the department of health licensing;

(8) Conducts his or her professional activities in accordance with accepted standards for responsible professional conduct, as required by the Rhode Island applied behavior analyst licensure board; and

(9) Meets the criteria as established in § 5-86-11.

(c) [Deleted by P.L. 2025, ch. 323, § 1 and P.L. 2025, ch. 324, § 1.]