After ten years in the field, Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA®s) in Delaware can earn up to $85,000 a year, while the median salary as of 2016 was $60,148. Their average annual incremental increase in earnings was found to more than $1,100 per year.
The state of Delaware requires insurance carriers to cover the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders for individuals who are younger than 21 years old. The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services regulates the provision of ABA services. Providers certified as BCBA®s meet the department’s standards to be able to treat patients using ABA or to supervise behavioral technicians.
Salary Highlights for BCBA®s in Delaware
Shown below is a summary of the highlights of the salaries among ABAs in the five largest cities in Delaware (November 2016):
- Wilmington has the highest average salary for experienced ABAs in the state
- Newark has the highest average salary for entry-level ABAs closely followed by Wilmington
- ABAs in Wilmington had the highest level of annual salary increase over a ten-year period
Salaries for Experienced Board Certified Behavior Analysts in Delaware’s Largest Cities
Shown below are the salary figures for applied behavior analysts with ten years of experience in the largest cities in Delaware by sector. Each list provides the overall salary range (from median to 90th percentile) for each city, followed by the median salary for a number of employment sectors (November 2016):
Wilmington – $63,801 – $85,000
- Companies – $63,480
- Government – $63,313
- Private Practice – $63,174
- Non-Profits – $62,902
- School Districts – $62,861
Dover – $57,788 – $79,000
- Private Practice – $62,075
- Government – $61,730
- Companies – $59,625
- School Districts – $58,967
- Non-Profits – $58,449
Newark – $62,141 – $80,000
- Companies – $63,916
- Private Practice – $62,448
- Government – $62,103
- School Districts – $62,083
- Non-Profits – $61,550
Bear – $60,139 – $79,000
- Companies – $62,386
- Government – $61,032
- School Districts – $60,538
- Private Practice – $60,184
- Non-Profits – $59,653
Milford – $56,869 – $75,000
- Companies – $58,623
- Government – $58,959
- Private Practice – $57,746
- School Districts – $57,023
- Non-Profits – $55,800
Entry-Level Salaries for Board Certified Behavior Analysts in Delaware’s Largest Cities
Shown below are the entry-level salary figures for behavior analysts in the largest cities in Delaware by sector. Each list provides the overall salary range (from median to 90th percentile) for each city, followed by the median salary for a number of employment sectors (November 2016):
Wilmington – $50,842 – $67,000
- Companies – $54,071
- Government – $53,749
- School Districts – $53,211
- Private Practice – $52,791
- Non-Profits – $50,368
Dover – $47,891 – $66,000
- Companies – $51,107
- Non-Profits – $49,633
- Private Practice – $49,562
- Government – $49,525
- School Districts – $48,435
Newark – $50,943 – $66,000
- Companies – $52,600
- Government – $52,529
- Private Practice – $51,965
- School Districts – $51,729
- Non-Profits – $49,234
Bear – $49,222 – $65,000
- Private Practice – $50,447
- Government – $50,388
- Non-Profits – $49,850
- School Districts – $49,778
- Companies – $49,222
Milford – $45,547 – $61,000
- Companies – $48,494
- Private Practice – $48,203
- Government – $46,687
- Non-Profits – $46,131
- School Districts – $45,405
The Number of Autistic Public School Students in Delaware Increased More than 900% Over a 24-Year Period
The Delaware Department of Education (DOE) tracks cases of autism in the state. However, they can only track individuals who are in the public school system. Many afflicted individuals are home-schooled or not disabled enough to have an educational classification of autism. These individuals are not tracked.
Despite these limitations, the DOE identified a 992% increase in students with autism over a 24-year period as compared to a national rate of increase of about 600% over a 20-year period:
- 2015 – 1,680 public school students with autism
- 1991 – 152 public school students with autism
ABAs also treat individuals who have Asperger’s syndrome. The Delaware Department of Developmental Disabilities Services reported that 78 individuals with this syndrome registered for services as of March 2012:
- 46 children
- 32 adults
ABA Providers in Delaware
The national autism science and advocacy organization Autism Speaks® identified 12 resources to obtain ABA treatment in Delaware as of November 2016.
Delaware contains several different types of organizations that provide ABA therapy to the autistic. Some are nonprofit organizations while others are private companies. All are likely to employ BCBA®s to meet Delaware’s standards for ABA interventions:
Wilmington:
- Brandywine Center for Autism (BCA)
- Continuum Behavioral Health (CBH)
Newark:
- Autism Delaware Clinical Services
- Bear Glasgow Branch YMCA – Special Needs Instruction
- CHIMES Delaware
- Hybridge Learning Group (HLG)
Dover:
- CHIMES Delaware
- Innovation Behavior Services
Other Cities:
- Bear – ADVOSERV of Delaware
- Hockessin – Positive Reinforcement (PR) ABA Therapy, Inc.
- Millsboro – CHIMES Delaware
- Milton – Autism Delaware Clinical Services
PayScale.com provides detailed information on what applied behavior analysts in various employment settings and with various levels of experience can expect to earn in Delaware.