Applied behavior analysis is the study of behavior and how learning takes place. But it’s also about action – using the information gleaned to apply techniques designed to bring about meaningful and positive changes in behavior. Therefore, the work of applied behavioral analysts involves identifying, measuring, and analyzing behavior while developing and applying any number of intervention strategies.
While applied behavior analysis (ABA) is used to treat those with any number of learning difficulties and brain injuries, autism represents the primary domain of ABA, largely because of the climbing rates of diagnoses in recent years.
Colorado’s Autism Insurance Mandate Laws
When Senate Bill 09-244 was enacted in 2009 and passed in 2010 to ensure treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was covered by insurers operating in the state, it included language describing the qualifications ABA providers had to meet for their services to be eligible for reimbursement:
- Doctoral degree in medicine, psychology or psychiatry and experience performing behavioral therapy (effectively, licensed physicians, psychologists and psychiatrists)
OR
- Doctoral degree in behavioral health science and one year of experience performing behavioral therapy
OR
- Master’s or higher degree in behavioral science and holds the BCBA® (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) certification
OR
- Master’s or higher degree in behavior or health sciences; credentialed as an occupational therapist, physical therapist or speech therapist; and one year of supervised experience performing behavioral therapy
OR
- Bachelor’s or higher degree in behavioral science and holds the BCaBA® (Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst) certification (requires oversight and not appropriate for those who wish to practice independently with full authority)
Why Colorado Doesn’t Regulate Applied Behavior Analysts
Colorado is one of just 12 states that doesn’t regulate the practice of applied behavior analysts. The decision not to regulate at the state level was decided through a 2020 Sunrise Review by the Colorado Office of Policy, Research and Regulatory Reform (COPRRR) within the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA).
The Colorado Association for Behavior Analysis submitted a sunrise application detailing their recommendations for regulation. After the review process, COPRRR found that ABA falls under the umbrella of the “legal” definition of psychotherapy, although ABA practitioners are not required to register as Unlicensed Psychotherapists unless they engage in the practice of psychotherapy. Behavior analysts who practice under the legal definition of psychotherapy must be regulated and those who do not are not required to be regulated.
While the Colorado Association for Behavior Analysis argued that licensing would eliminate “harm due to incompetence,” the COPRRR found no evidence that “Colorado consumers are being harmed due to the unregulated practice of behavior analysts” and therefore found that the threshold had not been met and the regulation of behavior analysts to be unjustified.
How to Become a Board-Certified Applied Behavior Analyst in Colorado: BCBA® Certification
The most well established path to entering the profession, and the one that best aligns with national standards, is to meet the qualifications for national certification through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB).
To qualify for the BCBA® credential, you must meet education and experience requirements and pass the BCBA® examination.
Education Requirements
To qualify for BCBA® certification, you must earn a master’s degree or higher in behavior analysis from an Association for Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA)-accredited program or an Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI)-accredited or recognized behavior analysis master’s or doctoral degree.
You can also meet the educational requirements for certification by earning a master’s degree in behavior analysis or a similar field and completing at least 315 hours of graduate coursework in behavior analysis:
- BACB Ethics Code and Code-Enforcement System; Professionalism: 45 hours
- Philosophical Underpinnings; Concepts and Principles: 90 hours
- Measurement, Data Display and Interpretation; Experimental Design: 45 hours
- Behavior Assessment: 45 hours
- Behavior-Change Procedures; Selecting and Implementing Interventions: 60 hours
- Personnel Supervision and Management: 60 hours
If you don’t complete an ABAI-accredited/approved or APBA-accredited program, you must be able to show proof that you’ve completed the required courses by either completing an ABAI-Verified Course Sequence (VCS)* or by having your department chair, dean, or BCBA-certified VCS Coordinator complete a Non-Verified Course Content Attestation.
Note: The ABAI announced it will end the VCS system on December 31, 2025. Therefore, as of 2026, students applying for certification by completing graduate coursework in behavior analysis must show proof of completed coursework by submitting a Non-Verified Course Content Attestation.
Experience Requirements
You must also complete a period of supervised fieldwork of between 1,500 and 2,000 hours of regular, ongoing supervision from a qualified BCBA® or a licensed, registered psychologist certified in behavioral and cognitive psychology, or an ABAI-verified instructor.
The total number of supervised fieldwork hours needed is dependent on whether your experience is “supervised independent fieldwork,” which requires 5% supervision time, or “concentrated supervised fieldwork,” which requires 10% supervision time.
You can begin accruing supervisions hours as soon as you begin taking qualified, graduated-level coursework in behavior analysis. Most accredited programs include a practicum where you can complete most or all of the required fieldwork hours before you graduate. Your program director will help you locate and secure a supervisor and approved site.
During your supervisory period, you’ll complete activities such as:
- Observation and data collection
- Training staff and caregivers
- Conducting assessments
- Meeting with clients
- Data graphing and analysis
- Research literature relevant to a client’s programming
- Writing and revising programs
Just some of the Colorado ABA providers where you may be able to complete your practicum include:
- ABA Enhanced Respite Care, Glenwood Springs
- ABA Behavioral Services, Eagle
- Art of Behavior, Louisville
- Autism Behavior Associates, Inc., Pueblo, Denver, Colorado Springs
- Autism Concepts Incorporated (ACI) Learning Centers, Colorado Springs
- Autism Home Support Services, Denver
- Behavior Frontiers, Denver
- Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), Aurora
- Imagine! Behavioral Health Services, Lafayette
Exam Requirements
You must apply to, and receive authorization from, the BACB before you can take the BCBA® exam. The exam consists of 175 multiple-choice questions based on the following content:
- Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations: 5%
- Concepts and Principles: 14%
- Measurement, Data Display, and Interpretation: 12%
- Experimental Design: 7%
- Ethical and Professional Issues: 13%
- Behavior Assessment: 13%
- Behavior-Change Procedures: 14%
- Selecting and Implementing Interventions: 11%
- Personnel Supervision and Management: 11%
The BCBA® exam is administered by Pearson VUE. You can take the exam at one of the Pearson VUE testing sites throughout the U.S. Just a few of the testing centers in Colorado include Pueblo, Greeley, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Denver, and Littleton.
Click here for detailed step-by-step instructions on the BCBA® credentialing process.
Autism Insurance Coverage Expansion Bill Increases Access to ABA Services in Colorado
In Colorado, ABA and the work of applied behavior analysts has become particularly significant since Governor John Hickenlooper signed an autism insurance coverage expansion bill in 2015.
The bill (SB15-015) eliminates all dollar and visit limits on coverage for health-related expenses associated with autism. Largely considered a landmark achievement for Colorado’s autism community, this state bill clarifies autism as a mental health condition, which therefore entitles it to the protections of state and federal mental health parity law.
What does the passage of SB15-015 mean? It means that children with autism in Colorado will no longer be denied medically necessary treatments such as ABA therapy and that the demand for healthcare providers, such as applied behavioral analysts, will be stronger than ever.
How Colorado’s Work in Autism is Expanding the ABA Profession
A great deal of insight into the prevalence of autism in Colorado has been achieved in recent years, thanks to the Colorado Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Project, a collaborative effort between the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and JFK Partners/Developmental Pediatrics at the University of Colorado.
The goal of the ADDM Project is to provide an ongoing estimate of the prevalence of ASD among four- and eight-year-olds in the metro Denver region and to better understand the characteristics of these children and the age at which they were first evaluated and diagnosed.
Today, thanks to the information gathered from research efforts and the increases in insurance coverage, Colorado children with autism are receiving appropriate interventions more often and earlier than ever. These changes have also produced a strong network of ABA facilities committed to making a difference in the lives of those with autism and other learning difficulties. You can read more about Colorado’s ADDM Project here.
Just a few of the leaders in ABA in Colorado include:
Behavior Services of the Rockies (BSOTR), Lafayette
Behavior Services of the Rockies is a group of BCBA®-certified practitioners that deliver behavior supports designed to improve inclusion, independence, and an overall quality of life through evidence-based, pragmatic treatment, consultation, and teaching based on ABA. The goal of BSOTR is to teach skills to clients and caregivers and to develop applied behavior analysts as to expand the availability of high-quality services throughout the region.
BSOTR offers adult services as to help support independence and address difficult behavior and children services, including early intervention and help at school.
Alpine Autism Center, Colorado Springs
The Alpine Autism Center is a private, non-profit treatment facility that focuses on evidence-based, data-driven, individualized therapy utilizing the principles of ABA. The BCBA®-certified behavioral analysts here specialize in ABA, discrete trial teaching, natural environment teaching, small and large group direct instruction, and verbal behavior.
The staff of the Alpine Autism Center has varied backgrounds in early childhood education, special education, and psychology. They work on all areas of development, including motor, language, academic, behavior, social skills, and daily living. The Center also provides home therapy, consultation services, and ongoing support and training for teachers, schools, therapists, and families.
Northstar Achievements, Colorado Springs and Monument
Northstar Achievements provides effective research-based behavior analytic services to children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Treatment methods include a variety of ABA principles, such as discrete trials training, incidental training, and verbal behavior.
Northstar Achievement’s Early Intervention Program include several areas of emphasis, including:
- Language
- Motor skills
- Social skills
- Executive Functioning skills
- Adaptive skills