ABA organization accreditation is an outside review of an applied behavior analysis (ABA) provider's business, clinical and quality operations against a published standard. New applicants now go through the Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ), whose governing text is the ACQ Applied Behavior Analysis Accreditation Program Standards and Guide (version 1.0). This service is for ABA provider organizations and their clinical and operations directors. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) drafts the policies, workplan and evidence file for ABA accreditation; your behavior analysts own the clinical content.

Last reviewed: October 2026. ACQ, BHCOE and CASP pages checked on October 2, 2026.

What is ABA organization accreditation?

For a new applicant, the governing text is the "ACQ Applied Behavior Analysis Accreditation Program Standards and Guide (version 1.0)" (ACQ standards page). The standards are organized in nine sections: Business Operations, Human Resources, Financial Operations, Risk Management, Clinical Personnel, Clinical Operations, Patient Protections, Quality Assurance and Ethics. ACQ provides the full text on request; IHS works from the copy your organization obtains.

Many ABA providers know BHCOE instead. BHCOE's own application page now states: "BHCOE is no longer accepting new applications for accreditation. However, we encourage you to pursue accreditation from the Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ)" (BHCOE Get Started page). CASP states that "Once fully unified, the combined non-profit accreditation efforts will operate under the ACQ name and framework" (CASP announcement).

BHCOE-accredited organizations still work under BHCOE's "201 Standards of Excellence in Applied Behavior Analysis Services." BHCOE states: "The 201 standards are effective April 1, 2025, for all BHCOE-Accredited organizations" (BHCOE standards page). For those organizations, CASP says: "When your organization is ready for reaccreditation, you will be invited to apply through the Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ)" (CASP).

ACQ describes the review this way: "you'll work through each phase of accreditation, including the desktop review, employee and patient surveys, clinical observations, and leadership interviews" (ACQ Apply page). Accreditation runs "a two-year cycle from the date of certification issuance" (ACQ FAQ).

Who needs it and what triggers it

Three situations bring ABA organizations to this work.

• A first accreditation. Eligibility is set by service line. ACQ states that "an ABA service line must be (a) continuously active and consistent with the seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis articulated by Baer, Wolf and Risley (1968); (b) clearly and publicly defined and distinguishable from current or future service lines offered by the Organization; and (c) relevant to and overseen by a Clinical Leader" who meets the requirements in the current Standards and Guide (ACQ FAQ).
• A BHCOE reaccreditation coming due. CASP says the organization will be invited to apply through ACQ at that point (CASP).
• A decision to formalize organization-wide quality processes, such as supervision, family feedback, incident handling and business practices, against a published standard before applying.

How IHS helps

IHS works from the ACQ Standards and Guide your organization holds. The process:

1. Gap assessment. IHS compares the organization against the nine sections of the ACQ Standards and Guide, using questionnaires on credentials, supervision, family feedback, incidents and business practices.
2. Document and evidence mapping. IHS builds a crosswalk from each standard to the policy, record or report that shows it is met, and marks what is missing.
3. Drafting. IHS drafts the policies, procedures and an accreditation workplan, including clinical supervision and treatment-protocol content that your BCBAs review, change and approve.
4. Mock review. Before the desktop review, IHS reviews sample files and the evidence file the way a reviewer reading the standards would, and lists the gaps.
5. Readiness support. IHS keeps the workplan current through the surveys, clinical observations and leadership interviews, and drafts answers to follow-up questions for your organization to review and send.

What you supply: the copy of the standards you request from ACQ, staff credentials, supervision records, family survey data and qualified behavior analysts. Your organization applies and submits through the ACQ Portal.

The limit: assessment, treatment and supervision decisions stay with your BCBAs. IHS does not judge clinical ABA practice, and the accreditation decision is ACQ's.

What to have ready

• Your copy of the "ACQ Applied Behavior Analysis Accreditation Program Standards and Guide (version 1.0)" (ACQ).
• A written, public definition of each ABA service line you will put forward, since a service line must be "clearly and publicly defined and distinguishable" from your other service lines (ACQ eligibility).
• The name and qualifications of the Clinical Leader who oversees each service line, matched against the requirements in the current Standards and Guide (ACQ eligibility).
• Records showing each service line is "continuously active" (ACQ eligibility).
• A signer for the Accreditation Agreement and the Business Associate Agreement, which ACQ asks applicants to "Review and electronically sign" in the ACQ Portal before payment (ACQ Apply page).
• A plan to send employee and patient surveys and finish the self-directed portion within the window ACQ states: "applicants have up to 90 days to send out their surveys and submit the self-directed portion of their application in the ACQ Portal" (ACQ FAQ).
• Calendar time for clinical observations and leadership interviews, which ACQ says are "scheduled typically within 2-4 months" after submission (ACQ FAQ).
• An owner for follow-up questions, since "the organization is given 30 days to answer follow-up questions from the review team" (ACQ FAQ).
• Current policies and records for each of the nine ACQ sections, from Business Operations through Ethics (ACQ standards page).
• If you hold BHCOE accreditation now, your current BHCOE file under the 201 Standards, effective April 1, 2025 (BHCOE).

To go through the list with IHS, book the introductory call below.

How it compares

The routes below come from the accreditors' own pages. Which one applies depends on where your organization stands today.

What it costs

ACQ states: "ACQ's application pricing starts with a minimum fee of $4,500 for smaller organizations and scales up depending on the number of reimbursable service hours offered by the organization. Application pricing is subject to change" (ACQ FAQ, read October 2, 2026). Verify current fees with ACQ. BHCOE is not accepting new applications, so no BHCOE applicant fee applies. IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.

What this is not

• IHS is not ACQ or BHCOE and does not grant, predict or influence an accreditation decision.
• IHS does not contact, submit to or speak for your organization to ACQ. IHS drafts; your organization submits through the ACQ Portal.
• IHS does not provide or evaluate ABA treatment, and this page is not legal or clinical advice.

Frequently asked questions

What is ABA accreditation and does my ABA practice need it?

ABA accreditation is an outside review of an ABA organization's business, clinical and quality operations against a published standard. For new applicants that standard is the ACQ Applied Behavior Analysis Accreditation Program Standards and Guide (version 1.0). Whether your practice needs it depends on your own circumstances; this page does not state a payer or legal requirement.

Is BHCOE still accepting new applications, and where do applicants go now?

No. BHCOE's application page says it is no longer accepting new applications and encourages organizations to pursue accreditation from the Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ). CASP states that the combined non-profit accreditation efforts will operate under the ACQ name and framework once fully unified.

What happens to our current BHCOE accreditation?

CASP says existing BHCOE accreditations will be upheld. When your organization is ready for reaccreditation, you will be invited to apply through ACQ. Until then, BHCOE's 201 Standards, effective April 1, 2025, apply to BHCOE-accredited organizations.

Who is eligible for ACQ accreditation?

Eligibility is set by ABA service line. ACQ requires a service line to be continuously active and consistent with the seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis described by Baer, Wolf and Risley (1968), clearly and publicly defined, and overseen by a Clinical Leader who meets the requirements in the current Standards and Guide.

What are the steps to apply for ACQ accreditation?

ACQ asks applicants to review and electronically sign the Accreditation Agreement and Business Associate Agreement in the ACQ Portal, then submit payment to begin. The organization then works through the desktop review, employee and patient surveys, clinical observations and leadership interviews.

How long does ACQ accreditation take?

ACQ says completion can take anywhere from less than six months to about a year, depending on the applicant. Applicants have up to 90 days to send surveys and submit the self-directed portion, observations and interviews are typically scheduled within two to four months after submission, and the organization then has 30 days to answer follow-up questions.

How much does ACQ accreditation cost?

ACQ says application pricing starts at a minimum fee of $4,500 for smaller organizations and scales with the number of reimbursable service hours, and that pricing is subject to change. Verify current fees with ACQ. IHS scopes its own work after a free introductory call.

How long does ACQ accreditation last?

ACQ states that accreditation runs on a two-year cycle from the date of certification issuance.

What policies and records should we have ready before starting?

Start with your copy of the ACQ Standards and Guide, a written definition of each service line, your Clinical Leader's qualifications, and current policies and records for the nine sections from Business Operations through Ethics. Plan for surveys, clinical observations, leadership interviews and a 30-day window for follow-up questions.

Does IHS make clinical decisions or submit our application?

No. Your BCBAs own assessment, treatment and supervision content and approve what IHS drafts. Your organization signs the agreements and submits through the ACQ Portal; IHS drafts and reviews the material behind the submission.