What is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)?
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the 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 can help increase helpful or functional skills (e.g., communication) and/or decrease behaviours that are harmful or interfere with learning (e.g., self-injury).
ABA intervention uses evidence-based procedures such as positive reinforcement to address a client’s concerns and needs and to reduce interfering behaviour and increase desirable behaviour. Behaviour Analysts practice in a variety of settings with many different client populations.
Resources:
- The Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis (ONTABA) has developed this graphic to describe ABA, what it is and what it is not. The graphic and more information can be found on their website.
- The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) has additional information on its website about the profession of ABA and the client populations it serves.
Where can I get more information?
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. If one is not registered with the College, one must be aware of the restrictions within the Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act, 2021, regarding how one refers to themselves in the course of providing services in applied behaviour analysis.
On July 1, 2024, the date that the Act was proclaimed, 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. 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.
What are Controlled Acts? Will Behaviour Analysts be authorized to perform any of the Controlled Acts?
Controlled Acts are health care activities or interventions that are considered to be potentially harmful if performed by unqualified persons. Some examples of Controlled Acts are administering a substance by injection, setting a broken bone, dispensing a drug, prescribing glasses, performing a surgical procedure, managing the delivery of a baby, and applying a form of energy. The full list of the 14 Controlled Acts may be found in section 27 of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA).
Due to the potential for harm, a Controlled Act may only be performed by a regulated health professional who is authorized, in legislation, to do so. Not all regulated health professions are authorized to perform Controlled Acts. Each profession specific act, e.g., the Medicine Act, 1991, Pharmacy Act, 1991, Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act, 2021, or Nursing Act, 1991, etc., prescribes which, if any, Controlled Acts may be performed by members of that profession.
Behaviour Analysts will not be authorized to perform any of the Controlled Acts outlined in the legislation. A Controlled Act may only be performed by those professions that have been granted authorization under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 and their profession specific acts. The full list of the 14 Controlled Acts may be found in section 27 of the RHPA. This prohibition on performing any of the Controlled Acts is currently in place for individuals practicing applied behaviour analysis or any form of behaviour therapy and will continue with the proclamation of the new Act.
If a Behaviour Analyst registrant is dually registered with another regulatory College, and if their registration with that College qualifies them to perform one or more Controlled Acts, that registrant can continue to perform the Controlled Act(s) they are authorized, in legislation and in their profession specific act, to perform, while engaged in the practice for which they have been authorized to perform the Controlled Act(s).
What is the supervision structure in the practice of ABA?
Supervision is defined as:
…an ongoing educational, evaluative and hierarchical relationship, where the supervisee is required to comply with the direction of the supervisor, and the supervisor is responsible for the actions of the supervisee.
Supervision in ABA is a regulated professional service. The ABA supervisor is in a hierarchical relationship with their supervisees, whereby the supervisees must comply with the supervisor’s direction.
Models of care in ABA can sometimes include multiple teammates working together to serve a client’s needs.
The College does not permit “second-order” supervision. This means that, while a Behaviour Analyst’s supervisees may have varying roles and responsibilities as among themselves, including some oversight or supervisory roles, the Behaviour Analyst is directly responsible for all supervisees.
It may be helpful to think of the Behaviour Analyst as the one responsible for all services provided to the client. There may be multiple individuals involved in providing those services, who may have varying roles and responsibilities. The Behaviour Analyst is responsible for all the individuals involved in the provision of services to clients. The illustration above is meant to assist in emphasizing the Behaviour Analyst’s supervisory responsibilities across different models of care.
Can the Peer Assessment for Transitional Route 2 be conducted virtually?
Yes, the Peer Assessment may be conducted in-person or virtually. Any confidential documentation must be shared via a secure platform, and either anonymized or with the consent of the client.
Where can I find the Attestation Forms and Peer Assessment Form (for Transitional Route 2)?
Behaviour Analyst Transitional Route 2 applicants can download the Attestation A/B, Attestation C, and Peer Assessment Forms from the "Download Documents" section in the application portal or from the "Become a Member" section of the Reference Library.
What is a Vulnerable Sector Check?
A Vulnerable Sector Check is the standard police screening for individuals who work with vulnerable persons. A Vulnerable Sector Check collects information on offences, including convictions, outstanding warrants, judicial orders, charges, and record suspensions (pardons) for sexual offences.
All applicants for registration as a Behaviour Analyst are required to provide the results of a Vulnerable Sector Check as part of their application. The practice of applied behaviour analysis is used widely to treat autism and other developmental disabilities, and Behaviour Analysts work closely with and have authority over children and other vulnerable persons in their care. A Vulnerable Sector Check provides an added level of public protection by obtaining information from an outside entity about an applicant’s good character.
All applicants must upload the original Vulnerable Sector Check results to the College through the application portal. Applicants should keep a scanned copy for their records. If the Vulnerable Sector Check is password-protected, please email the password to cpbao@cpbao.ca. If your original results were issued as a paper hard copy from the police, please submit them to the College in an enclosed letter:
The College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario
110 Eglinton Ave West, Suite 500
Toronto, ON, M4R 1A3
For more information, click here.
Do Behaviour Analysts Require Supervision?
Registrants who have been issued a certificate of registration authorizing autonomous practice as a Behaviour Analyst by the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario are considered autonomous/independent practitioners of applied behaviour analysis (ABA). Therefore, autonomous practice Behaviour Analysts do not require supervision from a Psychologist/Psychological Associate or another regulated professional to practice ABA.
Can I complete the JECAABA and OEPPABA after the transitional routes close?
Yes, provided that you submit an application form and fee by 11:59pm on June 30, 2026, the deadline for the closure of the transitional routes. Once a complete application (i.e. application form, fee, and all supporting documentation) has been received and approved, you will be given access to the Jurisprudence and Ethics Course and Assessment in Applied Behaviour Analysis (JECAABA) (Transitional Routes 1 & 2), and the Ontario Examination for Professional Practice in Applied Behaviour Analysis (OEPPABA) (Transitional Route 2 only). Applicants who do not submit an application form and fee by the deadline will not qualify for registration via a transitional route, and therefore, must apply via the Entry Level Route.
Where can I find the Supervisor’s Agreement and Confirmation of Private Practice Arrangements Form for Entry Level Route Behaviour Analysts?
The Supervisor's Agreement and Confirmation of Private Practice Arrangements Form required for all Entry Level Route (Supervised Practice) Behaviour Analyst applicants can be found in the Reference Library under "Become a Member". Applicants may upload the completed form to their application.
