Two boards, two very different publication habits - and one rule that never changes: a credit under one board does not satisfy another.
Hold a QABA or IBAO credential and you have probably discovered the same thing: almost everything written about behavior-analysis continuing education assumes you hold a BCBA. This page is the other map. It tells you where each of the two boards publishes its renewal rules, what shape those rules take, and what Special Learning's provider standing is with each - with every fact read from the boards' own pages.
Scope: the Qualified Applied Behavior Analysis Credentialing Board (QABA) and the International Behavior Analysis Organization (IBAO). BACB recertification is covered on its own page. Licensing is a separate matter from credentialing entirely - your state or country's regulator governs the license; the board governs the credential.
The load-bearing warning: the handbook alone is not sufficient. When we read QABA's own documents side by side, its renewal page and its QBA Candidate Handbook disagree in scope - the renewal page states the ethics minimum and the first-cycle subject additions, and the handbook we read contained neither. A candidate who plans renewal from the handbook alone can miss requirements the renewal page imposes. QABA's renewal page governs; read it, not a summary of it.
What IBAO does not publish on those pages: renewal hour requirements. As of September 21, 2026 - the date this page was written from a direct read - IBAO's credential pages and directories state initial-certification requirements but no continuing-education or renewal hour figures. Your IBAO account and the board's documents page are the source of record for renewal terms. Do not assume the BACB's rules, or QABA's, apply to an IBAO credential.
What standing means: the boards list Special Learning as a CE provider. It does not by itself say what a specific course carries for your specific renewal under a specific board - your certificate for a course states what it carries, and your board's renewal page states what your credential requires. Settle the two against each other before you plan a renewal.
Can I use BACB CEUs for my QABA or IBAO renewal?
Each credentialing board's own rules govern its own renewals, and a credit under one body does not satisfy another - never total hours across bodies. Read the renewal rules published by the board that issued your credential, not another board's.
Where does QABA publish its renewal requirements?
On its own renewal page, qababoard.com/renewal/. Two-year cycle, four renewal deadlines a year (1 January, 1 April, 1 July, 1 October), a separate ethics minimum, and - beginning January 1, 2024 - first-cycle subject-specific hours (Trauma Informed Care, plus Comorbidities/Multiple Diagnosis for the QBA). Read the renewal page itself; the QBA handbook alone is not sufficient.
What is the difference between the IBA and the IBT?
Both are IBAO credentials: the International Behavior Analyst (IBA) is the analyst tier; the International Behavior Therapist (IBT) is the therapist tier. IBAO states the IBT is obtained after a 40-hour training and 300 hours of supervised practice, plus supervision-related tasks and activities.
Does IBAO publish continuing-education hour requirements?
Not on its credential pages or directories as of September 21, 2026, when this page was written from a direct read. Your IBAO account and the board's documents page are the source of record. Do not assume the BACB's rules apply to an IBAO credential.
Is Special Learning a QABA-approved CE provider?
Special Learning is a QABA-approved CE provider. Special Learning is an IBAO-approved CE provider. QABA's pre-approved CE providers directory and IBAO's CEUs-providers directory both list Special Learning. Standing means the boards list Special Learning as a CE provider; what a specific course carries for your renewal is settled by your certificate and your board's renewal page.
QABA renewal facts on this page were verified at QABA's own renewal page and cross-read against the QBA Candidate Handbook; IBAO facts were read directly from IBAO's own pages on September 21, 2026. Both boards edit their pages without notice. If a board's page and this page ever disagree, the board's page wins - and tell us, so we fix this one.
General educational information - not legal advice, and not a substitute for your board's own pages or your account with the board. Nothing on this page can tell you your renewal date, your balance, or what your credential requires; only the board that issued it can.
This page describes the boards' rules. It doesn't say how many CEUs any Special Learning course carries for your QABA or IBAO renewal; the certificate you receive states the CEU count and type, and your board's renewal page states what your credential requires.
Special Learning is a BACB Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) Provider (OP-14-2437). Video CE Library 1: $199, 32.5 CE hours including 4 ethics and 3.5 supervision. All Access Annual: $299 for 12 months, one payment.
See Video CE Library 1Special Learning is a BACB ACE Provider (OP-14-2437), and has been an ACE Provider since 2014. Special Learning is a QABA-approved CE provider. Special Learning is an IBAO-approved CE provider. Authorization as an ACE Provider does not imply endorsement or approval of the ACE event content by the BACB.
AI Disclosure: This content was designed with AI assistance and reviewed by Special Learning for accuracy. It is intended for general educational information only and does not constitute clinical advice or a substitute for assessment and treatment by a qualified professional. Consult a licensed provider for guidance specific to your needs.