QASP-S® Certification

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Qualified Autism Service Practitioner-Supervisor® (QASP-S®) Requirements & Procedures

Table of Contents

In order for a candidate to be eligible for the QASP-S credential, they must meet all requirements and understand the following:

  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Possess a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university for higher education (QABA uses primary source verification of coursework and degrees)
  • Must have completed 180 hours of approved assessment-based ABA coursework or 12 semester credit units (including a minimum of 20 hours in ethics and a minimum of 15 hours in autism core knowledge)
  • Training must be developed or delivered by a master’s level professional within the scope of ABA and autism
  • 1000 hours of supervised fieldwork with a minimum of 600 hours in the role of a supervisor or program development. Duties include, but are not limited to conducting functional assessments, reviewing data, training staff or parents, advocating at team meetings. Up to 400 hours can be done as 1:1 direct care provider.
  • Recommendation from their supervisor
  • Criminal Background check conducted by the QABA Board through our 3rd-party background check provider or evidence from an employer that there has been no change in status since the last background check was completed
  • Successful passing of accredited exam proctored by Examity
  • Agree to the QABA Code of Ethics and all renewal requirements
  • All eligibility criteria will be reviewed by the QABA Board before formal credentialing
  • Placement on our public registry
  • Renewed every 2 years

1000 hours of supervised fieldwork must be completed to finalize the QASP-S credential. The supervisor verifying your fieldwork will be required to do so using the online verification system to acknowledge that all credentials and all requirements of the 5% supervised fieldwork have been met.

Hours cannot be accrued prior to a candidate taking their first course in their QASP-S coursework sequence.

 

Fieldwork hours that will not count as supervised hours

  • Participation in meetings that are not specific to the person-centered planning process
  • Implementation of plans that are not based in evidenced based practice
  • Documentation other than data collection, progress notes, graphs, and other necessary paperwork related to the person-centered planning process

Purpose of supervision

  • Demonstration of skills related to observation and measurement of behaviors and skills acquisition
  • Demonstration of an understanding of advocacy, professionalism and ethical behavior
  • Demonstration of a working knowledge of the mechanisms and strategies for effectively supporting and assisting with skill/behavior development in individuals diagnosed with autism
  • Demonstration of an understanding of implementation strategies such as:
    • task analyzed chaining procedures
    • discrimination training
    • transfer of stimulus control
    • stimulus fading
    • prompt and prompt fading
  • Implementation of ABA treatment options that will best provide an individual with alternative ways of communicating his/her needs in an appropriate, non-challenging ways
  • Demonstration of working knowledge of how to apply the principles of non-aversive treatment models ahead of aversive options
  • Demonstration of working knowledge of how to use discrete trial teaching (DTT) when teaching individuals new skills, behaviors and competencies
  • Demonstration of working knowledge of, how to use PRT as an integral part of a multi-elemented ABA treatment plan.
  • Demonstration of working knowledge of the functional analysis as an integral element of the behavior analysis process.

Each QASP-S is required to meet with his/her supervisor for 5% of the time they provide direct services to a client, every month. The 5% supervision can be done remotely, using software that meets privacy requirements such as HIPAA-compliant video conferencing program; however, one of the contacts must be in-person or live via video conferencing for a minimum of 1 (one) hour.

QABA requires one professional recommendation which focuses on your qualifications and experience working with and supporting individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. You may choose which evaluator, supervisor or administrator provides the recommendation.

You will be required to agree to the eligibility agreement which includes:

  • Enrollment Application Requirements

    • Government issued photo ID
    • Certificate of completion for 188 hours of QASP-S coursework from a pre-approved coursework provider; or the completed QASP-S Competencies Worksheet along with your university transcripts from an accredited university for higher education
    • Current background check or background attestation form signed by your employer/supervisor
    • Copy of your bachelor’s degree diploma (or the equivalent) from an accredited university for higher education
    • Submission of your final verification form for supervision signed by a valid supervisor.
    • Submission of your supervisor/evaluator/administrator’s name and email address. An electronic form will be emailed to your supervisor to complete the recommendation form.

Prior to accessing the QASP-S examination, all coursework and training requirements, professional recommendation, fieldwork and supervision requirements must be completed, verified and approved through the online process. The “cut score” or “pass point” for the QASP-S examination is 72%. Click here to find out more information about how our exams work.

Allotted time

Three (3) hours to complete.

If you require more time to take the exam due to a disability, please complete the EXAM ACCOMMODATIONS application.

Exam description

The QASP-S examination consists of 125 questions. 100 questions are live and scored, while 25 of the questions (pre-test questions) are not scored. The unscored questions will not be marked, so it is very important to answer all 125 questions to the best of your ability.

Unlike scored live exam questions, unscored pre-test questions are newly created pilot questions that provide helpful information regarding difficulty level and overall question quality. Pre-test questions are not used for scoring purposes. Instead, they are analyzed for psychometric performance and provide verification that newly developed questions are performing acceptably within defined parameters prior to implementation as live exam questions.

Cost

The cost of the QASP-S certification is $300 USD, which does not include the cost of the retake fee should you fail the exam. See if you qualify for discounted pricing for residents of developing countries.

Retake

  • If an applicant fails to pass the QASP-S exam, they may schedule to retake the exam after 30 days.
  • If a fourth attempt is needed, 30 days must elapse between the third and fourth exam attempt.
  • Candidates may not test more often than 4 times within one calendar year of their first exam attempt.

Click HERE to find out more information of the retake fees. Discounted pricing available for those residing in developing countries.

Renewal

To maintain your QASP-S certification, you are required to renew every 2 years and complete at least 20 CEUs. Click HERE to find out more information of the renewal process.

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Examination Development for the Qualified Autism Services Practitioner - Supervisor (QASP-S)

 The QASP-S Job Task Analysis (JTA) is the primary method employed in developing rigorous examinations for the Qualified Autism Services Practitioner – Supervisor (QASP-S). This process includes the following key stages:

1. Competency Standards Development: Initially, a draft task list is formulated based on thorough research and input from subject matter experts (SMEs) in the field of behavior analysis.

2. Content-Validation Survey: A content-validation survey is conducted among active behavior analysts and assistant behavior analysts certificants from accredited certifying entities in the relevant profession. This survey ensures that the tasks identified in the draft task list are comprehensive and reflect current practices in autism services supervision.

3. New Examination Blueprint: Using the feedback gathered from the content-validation survey, a new examination blueprint, also known as competency standards, task list or test content outline, is developed. This blueprint outlines the specific domains and tasks that QASP-S candidates must demonstrate proficiency in.

The examination for QASP-S is periodically updated to align with the latest developments and standards in behavior analysis, ensuring that certified practitioners are equipped to effectively supervise and support individuals with autism and their families. This is determined by QABA’s Exam Committee, consisting of SMEs.

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