The History of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s Ethics Codes

Sellers and colleagues traced every BACB ethics document from 1998 to today.

They lined up nine versions to show how rules grew and shifted.

The paper is a story, not an experiment, so there are no participants or data tables.

The first code was a slim page; the newest is a small book.

Each rewrite added clearer language, new tech issues, and tighter supervision rules.

Knowing the order helps you see why today’s standards exist.

Tyrer et al. (2009) argued that state licensure, not just BACB papers, is needed to protect clients.

Their call for tighter outside control came while the ethics code was still thin; Sellers shows the Board kept tightening from within.

Walton (2016) details Auburn’s one-year master’s that meets BACB coursework hours; Sellers explains how ethics hours inside that curriculum also expanded each time the code grew.

Yingling et al. (2025) reveal that half of BCBAs supervise no RBTs and many counties lack staff; the ethics timeline shows supervision rules became stricter exactly because such gaps were noticed.

Print the timeline and tape it near your desk. When you train new RBTs or argue for supervision hours, point to the year the rule changed. The story turns dry standards into living tools you can defend to bosses, insurers, and families.