It's Memorial Day weekend — and while the field may be taking a breath, ABA therapy never really stops moving. From fresh guidance out of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board to workforce shifts shaping the coming hiring season, this week carries stories worth paying attention to. Whether you're a practicing BCBA, an RBT mid-career, or a family navigating services, this is your weekly briefing.
BACB Updates: What Practitioners Need to Know
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board remains the heartbeat of professional development in ABA, and this week it's no different. The BACB's latest newsletter cycle — released through their official communications hub — touches on several areas practitioners are watching closely heading into summer:
Continuing Education Reminders
With a large cohort of BCBAs approaching their recertification windows in Q3, the BACB is pushing reminders on continuing education unit (CEU) documentation requirements. The 32-hour requirement for a 3-year certification cycle sounds manageable in the abstract — but professionals navigating full caseloads often find themselves scrambling in the final quarter.
"Your CEUs shouldn't be an afterthought. Build them into your quarterly schedule the same way you build in supervision hours — proactively, not reactively." — Common advice from BCBA supervisors to early-career practitioners
Key reminders from current BACB guidance: at least 3 of your 32 required CEUs must cover ethics, and supervision-focused CEUs have specific documentation requirements. Don't leave these to the last minute.
Ethics Code Application in 2026
The BACB's updated Ethics Code — now fully in effect — continues to generate practical questions in the field. Two areas drawing the most discussion among practitioners this week:
- Telehealth service delivery: What constitutes "competent" remote service delivery, and when does a practitioner have an obligation to refer to in-person services?
- Social media conduct: The lines between professional commentary and violations around client confidentiality remain a source of confusion, especially for newer BCBAs building their online presence.
ABA Job Market: Summer Hiring Surge Begins
Memorial Day traditionally marks the unofficial start of the summer hiring season in ABA. Clinics that lost staff to school-based positions in May are actively rebuilding, and school districts are locking in contracted behavior support providers for the 2026–2027 academic year.
Who's Hiring Right Now
Across the country, three employer categories are dominating job postings this week:
- Home-based ABA agencies in high-density metro areas (particularly suburban Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, and the greater Boston area) are posting RBT and BCBA roles at elevated rates as school-year families ramp up summer programming.
- School districts are finalizing contracted BCBA positions for the coming academic year — these roles often close faster than clinic postings and require faster turnarounds on applications.
- Telehealth ABA platforms continue to expand their contractor networks, offering flexible hours that appeal to BCBAs managing their own caseloads or transitioning between employers.
Salary Benchmarks Update
Compensation data aggregated from recent postings shows BCBAs in metro markets commanding between $78,000 and $105,000 annually for full-time clinic roles, with telehealth rates ranging from $55 to $90 per billable hour for contractors. RBT hourly rates have ticked upward in most markets, now averaging $20–$28/hour across the country — with higher rates in California, New York, and Massachusetts.
"The RBT shortage is real in 2026. Agencies that aren't investing in retention — not just recruitment — are going to feel it by September." — Director of Clinical Operations, Midwest ABA agency
Research Roundup: What Published This Week
The research pipeline in behavior analysis moves quickly. Here's a summary of themes making the rounds in journals and professional networks this week:
Technology-Assisted ABA Delivery
Interest in AI-assisted data collection tools continues to grow, with several smaller studies examining whether automated session tracking can reduce the documentation burden on RBTs without sacrificing data fidelity. Early results are cautiously optimistic — but practitioners are rightly skeptical about anything that reduces direct observation time. The consensus: these tools augment, they don't replace.
Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs)
NDBIs — interventions that blend ABA principles with developmental science in naturalistic settings — continue to accumulate a strong evidence base. This week saw continued discussion of JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, and Regulation) and ESDM (Early Start Denver Model) outcomes in early intervention populations. For practitioners working with children under 5, these approaches are worth understanding even if your primary training is in traditional discrete trial formats.
Caregiver Training: The Evidence Keeps Building
Multiple recent meta-analyses reinforce what experienced ABA practitioners already know: the families who make the most progress are the ones where caregivers receive structured training and coaching, not just observational access to sessions. Clinics that haven't formalized their caregiver training protocols should treat that as a priority in 2026 — both for outcomes and for competitive differentiation.
For Families: Navigating Services This Summer
If your child is receiving ABA services, summer brings both opportunities and disruptions to routine. Here's what experienced families recommend going into the season:
Communicate Early with Your Agency
Most ABA agencies see scheduling disruptions in summer as families travel and RBT availability fluctuates. If you're planning vacations or schedule changes, communicate them to your BCBA now — not in June. Proactive communication protects your hours and your child's consistency.
Don't Let Goals Drift
Insurance Review Season
Many insurance plans have annual authorization cycles that reset mid-year. Check your current authorization end date and begin the renewal process at least 30 days early. Lapses in authorization create gaps in services that are difficult — and sometimes impossible — to recover.
This Week's Job Search Tips
Whether you're actively job hunting or just keeping your options open, a few things worth doing this week:
- Update your supervision hours log — Employers increasingly ask for this upfront, not as an afterthought after an offer.
- Refresh your LinkedIn headline — "BCBA | Verbal Behavior | Early Intervention" beats "Behavior Analyst at [Company]" for searchability.
- Check Free ABA Job Listings — New roles are posted daily, and our platform aggregates positions from agencies, school districts, and telehealth providers without charging candidates a dime.
"The best time to look for a new ABA job is when you don't desperately need one. Summer is that window for most practitioners — use it."
Looking Ahead: What to Watch This Week
As we move through the last week of May and into June, a few items to keep on your radar:
- BACB Newsletters: Watch for the next round of certification updates and any ethics guidance clarifications.
- Conference Season Approaches: The Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) annual convention typically draws major announcements. Check their schedule if you're planning CEU-heavy conference attendance.
- State Licensure Updates: Several states are in the process of updating their behavior analyst licensure laws. If you practice across state lines (or plan to), monitoring your state licensing board is essential.
That's the week in ABA. Check back next Monday for another roundup — and if you're on the job hunt, browse our free listings before the summer rush hits full swing.
