Credentialing behavior analysts and the Florida behavior analysis certification program.

Nearly 1,000 professions are regulated in one or more of the 50 states. Behavior analysis is not regulated as a distinct profession except in Florida. Typically, the regulation of behavior analysis is subsumed within other professions (such as psychology) whose practices often differ considerably from those of behavior analysis. This paper provides an overview of the common methods of regulation and discusses the pros and cons of regulating behavior analysis independently of other professions. It also describes how one state agency in Florida has regulated behavior analysts through the Behavior Analysis Certification Program, with a historical summary of the development of the training curriculum and certification examination and description of current efforts to refine and expand the regulation of behavior analysts. Suggestions for establishing formal regulation of behavior analysts in other states are also given.