Page Updated on: 10/9/2025
Public Policy Agenda — Workforce Development
Autism New Jersey believes that the autism community should be served by qualified, competent, and fairly compensated professionals. To achieve these goals, initiatives are needed to ensure a robust pipeline and stable workforce of professionals across disciplines (e.g., behavior analysis, medicine).
Current Focus
- State agency alignment with the implementation of the Applied Behavior Analyst Licensing Act (e.g., NJEIS, CSOC, DDD)
- Consumer and provider understanding of the Applied Behavior Analyst Licensing Act
- Information gathering and relationship building on workforce development incentives within and outside the industries that serve the autism community (e.g., Behavioral Healthcare Provider Loan Redemption Program, “grow your own” models)
- Credentialing of behavior analysts in schools
- Planning our workforce development initiative to increase the number and retention of behavior analysts and medical professionals, informed by a report authored by the Rutgers Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
| Autism New Jersey led advocacy efforts to secure or enact: |
|---|
| The Applied Behavior Analyst Licensing Act. |
| Strengthening of DDD’s Behavioral Support Services provider qualifications to align more closely with those of professional behavior analysts. |
| Establishment of a DOE-approved job code for Board Certified Behavior Analysts. |
| Increased funding for the Behavioral Healthcare Provider Loan Redemption Program in the State FY25 Budget (from $5 million to $7 million). |