Regulation of Behavior Analysis in 15 Countries of Latin America: Assessing the Challenges and Opportunities for Implementation of the Science

The authors looked at how 15 Latin-American countries oversee behavior analysis. They read laws, university rules, and professional codes. They asked: who can call themselves a behavior analyst, what training is required, and who checks the work?

No clients were tested. The paper is a map, not an experiment.

Most countries have no behavior-analysis license. A few let psychologists use ABA under a general mental-health law. None have the clear title protection you see in the U.S. or U.K.

The authors list the exact steps each country would need to create real standards.

Virues-Ortega et al. (2015) built a Spanish glossary of 1,200 behavior terms. Their work came first; you need shared words before you can write shared laws.

Tavassoli et al. (2012) did the same for Finnish. Both papers show that accurate, culturally accepted dictionaries are the quiet first step toward regulation.

Cicero (2021) argues that ethics training must be behavior-based, not just code memorization. The new review echoes this: laws alone will not help if practitioners cannot make ethical decisions in the moment.

If you consult, supervise, or hire south of the U.S. border, do not assume the letters BCBA protect you. Check local rules every time. Push for title protection, but also share Javier’s glossary and Cicero’s ethics tasks with new groups. Good laws grow from good words and good behavior.