ABA - do I need a BCBA or BCaBA qualified consultant?

[crunchynut]

Hello, I am about to start an ABA programme. I am fairly sure that if ABA is a success I will need to go to tribunal to get the right school/funding for my child. My question is - do I go for a consultant who is a BCBA/BCaBA? Or is it sufficient to have someone who says they are working towards the qualification? Obviously the huge expense of the BCBA/BCaBA is putting me off. But without it am I unlikely to win at tribunal? Your thoughts / experiences would be a great help. Thanks.

I would go for a BCBA, for the simple reason that you can guarantee a certain level of evidence based knowledge and clinical expertise. Without this qualification, you have no mark of quality.
I'm a BCBA who regularly supervises and works with people doing the MSc in ABA. Many of these are not yet ready to develop and supervise a programme. It is possible your tribunal will reject someone without a recognized qualification which seems eminently reasonable to be honest.

BCBAs are working very hard to get the profession registered under HCPC. There are only 132 BCBAs in the UK.