Making organizational ethics in ABA visible, measurable, and consequential.
"The BACB governs individual practitioners. ESBAP governs the organizations that employ them. Because individual accountability without organizational accountability is incomplete."
The field of Applied Behavior Analysis is built on a powerful principle: behavior is a function of its consequences. For decades, this science has transformed the lives of children and adults with autism and other developmental conditions.
But there's a contradiction at the heart of the field. We hold individual practitioners to rigorous ethical standards through the BACB. A BCBA who provides inadequate supervision can lose their certification. An RBT who falsifies data faces professional consequences.
Yet the organizations that employ these practitioners — the companies that set caseload sizes, determine supervision ratios, establish compensation structures, and make the business decisions that directly shape clinical quality — face no equivalent accountability from any professional body.
ESBAP exists to close that gap. We've built the first comprehensive transparency platform for ABA provider organizations in the United States — mapping 8,553 organizations across 14,975 locations in 48 states. We provide verified data on ownership, ethics reviews from employees and families, and a scoring system based on seven Key Ethics Indicators.
Our goal is not to punish. It is to make organizational behavior visible — so that the natural consequences of the market can function. Ethical organizations should attract better talent, better clients, and better outcomes. ESBAP makes that possible.
I started Special Learning in 2010 with a simple goal: make high-quality ABA continuing education accessible to practitioners everywhere. Over 15 years, we've served more than 28,000 professionals across 140+ countries.
In that time, I've had thousands of conversations with BCBAs. And a pattern emerged that I couldn't ignore: the same practitioners who were passionate about ethical practice were being placed in organizational environments that made ethical practice nearly impossible.
In 2018, I began developing the framework for what would become ESBAP. I drew on the very science our field is built on — Organizational Behavior Management — to design a system where organizational ethics have real consequences.
The premise is straightforward: if you make organizational behavior transparent, stakeholders can act on that transparency. BCBAs can choose ethical employers. Parents can choose ethical providers. And the market rewards organizations that do the right thing.
Eight years later, we've mapped every ABA provider organization we can find in America. We've built the verification system, the ethics scorecard, and the infrastructure. And now we're launching it.
This is, without exaggeration, the most important work I've done in my career. I believe ESBAP will fundamentally change how the ABA field operates — not through regulation or mandates, but through the power of transparency and the behavioral science we all share.
Individually, we are powerless. Collectively, we are strong.
Karen Chung
Founder, ESBAP · CEO, Special Learning · ABA Business Growth · Professional CEUs
ESBAP didn't happen overnight. Here's the journey.
We're applying the same science ABA practitioners use daily — Organizational Behavior Management — to the organizations that employ them.
Ethical organizations earn verified badges, priority search placement, and Ethics Leader recognition. These create tangible advantages: more applicants, more clients, more trust.
Organizations without badges or with low scores become less visible in search results. BCBAs and parents choose verified providers. Talent migrates toward transparency.
Published ethics code, clear scoring methodology, and peer benchmarks set the expectations before measurement begins. Organizations know exactly what ethical behavior looks like.
Explicit if-then statements: "If you verify and score 85+, you earn Ethics Leader status." "If your score drops below 50, your Ethics Committed badge is paused." Predictable, transparent rules.
Ten principles that define what ethical organizational behavior looks like in ABA.
The primary purpose of the organization is to improve client outcomes. Business decisions must not compromise clinical quality.
Organizations must maintain supervision ratios that allow for meaningful oversight of clinical practice. Supervision time must be protected, not billable.
Staff compensation must reflect the demands and responsibilities of the role. Pay structures must not incentivize billing over outcomes.
Organizations must invest in ongoing professional development beyond minimum CE requirements. New staff must receive comprehensive onboarding.
Organizations must be transparent about their ownership structure, including private equity involvement, parent company relationships, and leadership credentials.
All billing must accurately reflect services delivered. Organizations must not pressure staff to bill for services not rendered or to upcode.
Organizations must actively monitor and address staff burnout, provide manageable caseloads, and maintain work-life balance as an operational priority.
Staff must be able to report ethical concerns without fear of retaliation. Organizations must maintain confidential reporting channels and investigate all reports.
Organizations must collect and use data on clinical outcomes, staff satisfaction, and operational ethics to drive continuous improvement.
Organizations must participate transparently in ESBAP verification, respond to reviews and feedback, and contribute to the collective ethical standards of the field.
ESBAP is part of a family of companies dedicated to the ABA profession.
BACB-approved CE provider. 15+ years, 28,000+ customers, 140+ countries. Continuing education for BCBAs and BCaBAs.
Recruiting and business consulting for ABA organizations. Connecting ethical agencies with qualified BCBAs and clinical directors.
CE platform for non-BCBA professionals: social workers, counselors, psychologists. Expanding ethical training across disciplines.
Educational content platform for families and caregivers. Making ABA knowledge accessible to the people who need it most.
Join us in building a more transparent, more ethical ABA field.
Search the Directory Get VerifiedHave questions, want to claim your organization's profile, or interested in partnering with ESBAP?