What is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)?
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) isĚýthe application of the science of learning to understand and improve behavior that is meaningful to the person and those around them. ABA considers how the environment impacts learning. The term behaviour refers to anything a person says or does, including skills and actions needed to talk, play, and live. Behavior can also be private (e.g., thoughts and feelings).
ABA canĚýhelp increase helpful or functional skills (e.g., communication) and/or decrease behaviours that are harmful or interfere with learning (e.g., self-injury).
ABA interventionĚýuses evidence-based procedures such as positive reinforcement to address a client’s concerns and needs and to reduce interfering behaviour and increase desirable behaviour.Ěý Behaviour Analysts practice in a variety of settings with many different client populations.ĚýĚýĚý
Resources:
- The (ONTABA) has developed thisĚý to describe ABA, what it is and what it is not.Ěý The graphic and more information can be found on their website.
- The (BACB) has additional information on its website about the profession of ABA and the client populations it serves.
Why are Behaviour Analysts being regulated?
In 2017, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care asked the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC) to provide advice on:
- What activities or aspects associated with ABA therapy pose a significant and inherent risk of harm (if any), and whether the risk of harm of this therapy varies by client population (e.g., children and adults); and
- If there is a risk of harm, what is the range of options for an approach to oversight that could be considered?
In HPRAC’s January 2018 report to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, it concluded:
“Based on the evidence reviewed, HPRAC affirms that there is a risk of harm associated with most ABA interventions for clients, therefore oversight is recommended. Several oversight options to regulating providers were examined with a particular focus on clinical supervisors.”
With respect to oversight, HPRAC recommended the following:
“Because ABA therapy is deemed to pose a significant and inherent risk of harm across many client populations, HPRAC recommends that ABA providers performing a clinical supervisory role be regulated under an established health regulatory college, governed by the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA). Other ABA providers would be accountable to the regulated clinical supervisors.”
To protect the public from risk of harm, once regulated Behaviour Analysts who supervise and/or deliver ABA interventions will have to meet clearly defined standards.Ěý These standards will include having the necessary knowledge, skills, and judgement to meet practice requirements and to be allowed to use the regulated title “Behaviour Analyst”.
What does it mean when a profession is regulated?
Anyone who wants to practise a regulated health profession in Ontario, i.e., psychologists, psychological associates, physicians, nurses, dentists, occupational therapists etc., and now, Behaviour Analysts, must be registered with, and be accountable to, a health regulatory College.ĚýĚý A College is not a university, community college, or school. Instead, its mandate is to protect the interests of the public by ensuring that clients receive competent and ethical professional services from qualified providers.
Ontario Health Regulators includes the 26 health regulatory Colleges in Ontario, including the College of Psychologists of Ontario. To learn more about how and why health professions are regulated in Ontario, visit their .
Where can I get more information?
For more information, visit the Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Portal on the College’s website, watch the College’s video information session on the regulation of ABA, review the FAQs page for answers to frequently asked questions, or contact the College at aba@cpbao.ca.
You may also find it useful to review the resources published by the Regulation Resource Task Force of the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis (ONTABA) .
What is restricted; the title “Behaviour Analyst” or the activities related to applied behaviour analysis?
The scope of practice or activities that a Behaviour Analyst performs when providing services to a client are not Controlled Acts or restricted activities. They are therefore, in the public domain.Ěý If one is not registered with the College, one must be aware of the restrictions within the Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act, 2021,Ěýregarding how one refers to themselves in the course of providing services in applied behaviour analysis.
On July 1, 2024, the date that the Act wasĚýproclaimed, the title “Behaviour Analyst” became a restricted title that can only be used by individuals registered with the College as Behaviour Analysts. Members registered as Behaviour Analysts may also refer to any earned certification they have, such as a BCBA or BCBA-D certification, that would assist the public in understanding their qualifications as a regulated health provider registered with the College.Ěý Non-members who use the title “Behaviour Analyst” or indicate any certification or designation or communicate in any way that could be considered as holding oneself out as a person who is qualified to practice as a Behaviour Analyst, could be in violation of the Act.
The applicable legislation prohibits unauthorized use of the specific title “Behaviour Analyst.” It does not otherwise prohibit the use of specific words in job titles or in describing the service offered or provided. However, in any title or description of services, individuals should be cautious about how their status as an unregulated individual will be perceived.
An unregulated person who “holds out” as qualified to practice as a Behaviour Analyst may also be in violation of the Act. In looking at whether someone is “holding out,” the College would consider all the circumstances, including the context of any communications and the language used. The focus would be on determining what a reasonable service recipient or funder would understand about whether the service was provided by, or under the supervision of, a regulated health professional.
In deciding on job titles and job descriptions for unregulated service providers, individuals should consider avoiding any confusion in the way they identify themselves, their colleagues, and their employees. Examples of some of the less ambiguous titles unregulated individuals may wish to consider using would include, but not be limited to: Supervised Instructor, Supervised Instructor-Therapist, Supervised Therapist, Supervised Interventionist, etc. The College is of the view that public protection is enhanced when behavioural services, like any other health services, are provided or directly supervised by regulated professionals.
