In 2023, Nebraska joined a growing list of states to legislate and license behavior analysts through its Applied Behavior Analysis Act.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services began licensing behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts in September 2024. This significant milestone further legitimizes the practice of applied behavior analysis (ABA) in Nebraska and the professionals who practice it. It comes about eight years after the Department of Health and Human Services announced that the state would cover ABA and other behavioral modification services for Medicaid-eligible children with
Licensure for behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts in Nebraska is predicated on earning national certification through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). Behavior analysts must earn certification as a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®), while assistant behavior analysts must earn certification as a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® (BCaBA®) to qualify for state licensure. BACB credentials have become mainstays in the profession and are usually held by professionals in the field, even in states without licensure.
Earning a Master’s Degree and Board Certified Behavior Analyst Certification
Becoming a behavior analyst in Nebraska means first earning the BCBA®, which requires meeting specific education, experience, and national examination requirements.
Education Requirements
You must earn a master’s or doctoral in behavior analysis or a similar field and complete specific, graduate-level coursework in behavior analysis. Earning a degree that’s accredited by the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) or accredited/recognized by the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) is the easiest way to satisfy the educational requirements necessary for BCBA® certification.
You can also meet the educational requirements by earning a master’s degree or higher in a relevant field and then completing the required graduate-level coursework, which must include:
- 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
The ABAI maintains a directory of Verified Course Sequence (VCS) programs* (usually graduate certificates) from colleges and universities that meet the above coursework requirements.
You can also provide the BACB with proof of the completion of the required coursework through a course-by-course review, which requires your department chair, dean, or BCBA-certified VCS Coordinator reviewing your course materials and completing a Non-Verified Course Content Attestation.
*Note: The ABAI is discontinuing its VCS system on December 31, 2025. Beginning in 2026, your university must provide proof that the coursework standards have been met through a course-by-course review.
Experience Requirements
Candidates for BCBA® certification must also complete between 1,500 and 2,000 hours of supervised fieldwork, which must be completed under the supervision of an approved professional (qualified BCBA®, licensed, registered psychologist certified in behavioral and cognitive psychology, or ABAI-verified instructor). The total number of required fieldwork hours is dependent upon the amount of supervision you receive during this time.
If you chose an ABAI- and APBA-accredited program, most or all of the required supervised fieldwork can be completed through your program’s practicum. Your program director will help you locate and secure an approved supervisor and site where you can begin earning your hours. You can begin accruing your supervised fieldwork hours as soon as you begin taking graduate-level courses in behavior analysis.
Some of the ABA providers in Nebraska where you may be able to complete your fieldwork include:
- Behavioral Health Solutions, PC, Nebraska City
- Lovaas Institute for Early Intervention, Lincoln
- STE Consultants, Omaha
- Heartland ABA, Omaha
- Blue Gems ABA Therapy Clinic, Omaha
Examination Requirements
Passing the BCBA® national examination is the final requirement for becoming a BCBA®. You must first apply with the BACB to receive authorization to take the exam.
In Nebraska, you can take the exam at one of the following Pearson VUE test center locations:
- North Platte
- Hastings
- Lincoln
- Omaha
Click here for step-by-step instructions on the BCBA® credentialing process.
How Insurance Reform in Nebraska Ensures All Children Have Access to ABA Therapy
In March 2016, Nebraska’s Medicaid-eligible families with autistic children gained access to ABA services, thanks to a class action suit declaring that the exclusion of these services violated federal law.
The Nebraska Appleseed Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of two boys, one diagnosed with disruptive behavior disorders, autism spectrum disorder, and ADHD and the other with Pica and stereotypic movement disorder. Though the youngsters were recommended for ABA services, based on HHS policy at the time, both boys were denied treatment.
Appleseed legal director Sarah Helvey said that the ruling is “an important victory” for children who have been denied access to doctor-recommended behavioral health treatments.
The Medicaid victory came shortly after the state’s autism insurance reform, which was enacted in April 2014. The legislation requires certain insurers to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism up to the age of 20 and requires coverage for speech, occupational and physical therapy, including up to 25 hours a week of behavioral health treatment, such as ABA.
Nebraska Organizations Working to Advance Autism Awareness and Access to Services
Thanks to a variety of state organizations committed to bolstering autism awareness, education, and access to services, families are more knowledgeable of treatment options for autism spectrum disorder than ever before, leading to better professional opportunities for ABA therapy providers:
- Autism Society of Nebraska: For 35 years, the Autism Society of Nebraska has helped families and individuals living with autism spectrum disorders by publishing a parents’ resource book, supporting local legislation, and overseeing the statewide autism conference.
- Autism Family Network: The Autism Family Network is a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization founded in Lincoln in 2006. The mission of the Autism Family Network is to provide a safe place for families to connect with other families, so they know that they are not alone.
- Autism Action Partnership: The Autism Action Partnership (also known as the GWR Sunshine Foundation) in Omaha advocates for education and awareness of autism spectrum disorder by providing diagnosis and treatment options, educational opportunities, and community resources.
Opportunities for Applied Behavioral Analysts in Nebraska
Applied behavioral analysts are found working in Nebraska’s schools, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, pediatric practices, mental health facilities, and private ABA therapy providers. Some of the ABA providers in Nebraska include:
Childhood Autism Services Inc., La Vista
Childhood Autism Services, using ABA therapy, provides individualized educational programs and comprehensive behavioral interventions. Treatment interventions are based on the principles of ABA, such as:
- Discrete-trial teaching
- Shaping
- Systematic prompting and fading
- Errorless learning
- Differential reinforcement
- Pairing procedures
- Task analysis
- Chaining
- Verbal behavior
- Natural environment teaching
Autism Care for Toddlers Clinics
The Autism Care for Toddlers (ACT) Clinic is a community-based program that provides ABA services for children with autism spectrum disorder from 18 months to 4 years of age. They have clinics in Omaha and Fremont.
Treatment plans are tailored and individualized to each child’s strengths and areas of need. Teaching strategies incorporate highly structured learning opportunities through naturalistic instruction and discrete-trial teaching.