Best 2027 ABA Conferences for Out-of-the-Box BCBAs: Affordable CEUs Beyond Traditional Autism-Focused Events
Best ABA Conferences for Out-of-the-Box BCBAs: Affordable CEUs Beyond Autism-Focused Events
If you're searching for ABA conferences in 2027, you have a lot more options than one giant annual convention and your state ABA conference.
That's a good thing.
The 2027 behavior analysis conference calendar includes national conventions, state association conferences, virtual BCBA conferences, specialty summits, business and private practice events, school-based ABA conferences, AI events, OBM conferences, and conferences focused on topics that barely existed on the continuing education calendar a few years ago.
I've pulled them together here so you can plan your 2027 BCBA conferences and CEUs based on what you actually want to learn.
One note before we get into the list: many smaller ABA conferences announce dates later than large national organizations. If an organizer has announced a 2027 month but not final dates, I've listed the month rather than inventing a date.
Bookmark this one. I'll continue updating it with links as the 2027 ABA conference calendar fills in.
Quick List: 2027 ABA and BCBA Conferences
January 2027
New Year, New You Summit — Virtual
The ABA Collective
Behavior science pointed at ourselves for once. This virtual BCBA summit focuses on using behavior analysis for goals, habits, routines, productivity, health, and personal development.
February 4–6, 2027
CalABA Conference — Pasadena, California
The California Association for Behavior Analysis holds one of the largest state-level behavior analysis conferences in the country. The 2027 CalABA Conference, Roots & Growth, is scheduled for February 4–6 in Pasadena.
February 2027
The Next Great CEU
The ABA Collective
TED Talks meets behavior analysis. One speaker. One problem. One transformation. A live CEU competition with a $1,000 prize.
February 2027
ABA Reimagined — Virtual
The ABA Collective
ABA Reimagined focuses on applications of behavior analysis beyond the traditional therapy room: health, entrepreneurship, organizations, coaching, technology, education, parenting, and other emerging applications of behavioral science.
February 19, 2027
ABAI Behavior Technician Conference — Virtual
ABAI's Behavior Technician Conference returns virtually in February and is specifically focused on behavior technicians and the professionals who support them.
March 2027
Coaching Summit — Virtual
The ABA Collective
For behavior analysts interested in coaching skills and applications, including the distinctions between coaching and clinical services, motivational interviewing, ethics, scope, behavior change, and practical coaching conversations.
March 2027
Side Hustle Summit — Virtual
The ABA Collective
For behavior analysts exploring ways to leverage their expertise outside a traditional clinical salary: consulting, supervision, speaking, courses, CEUs, coaching, private-pay services, digital products, and other BCBA income streams.
March 2027
Soft Skills Summit — Virtual
The ABA Collective
Communication is behavior too.
This conference focuses on the skills that influence whether our technical expertise actually works in the real world: communication, feedback, difficult conversations, collaboration, conflict, leadership, and influence.
March 18–20, 2027
APBA Annual Convention — Kansas City
The Association of Professional Behavior Analysts' 2027 convention is scheduled for March 18–20 in Kansas City.
APBA tends to be especially relevant for practicing behavior analysts interested in professional practice, leadership, clinical issues, regulation, and the broader profession.
March 23–25, 2027
ABAI Annual Autism Conference — Austin, Texas
ABAI's 21st Annual Autism Conference is scheduled for March 23–25 in Austin with in-person and live-stream attendance.
For BCBAs whose work is heavily focused on autism services, this is one of the major specialty events on the 2027 calendar.
Spring 2027
Generalizing AI — Virtual
One to watch if you're trying to understand where artificial intelligence actually fits into behavior-analytic practice rather than simply collecting another list of ChatGPT prompts.
Invivo CE has announced Generalizing AI as part of its innovation and future-ready practice conference focus, with additional details forthcoming.
April 2027
Mothers in Behavior Analysis — In Person
MIBA is expanding in 2027.
Rather than another generic ABA conference, Mothers in Behavior Analysis is designed around the overlap between being a behavior analyst, a professional, and a mother, with content spanning clinical practice, parenting, career development, and personal growth.
Watch The ABA Collective for final 2027 event details.
April 22–25, 2027
TxABA Annual Conference — Houston, Texas
The Texas Association for Behavior Analysis' 42nd Annual Conference is scheduled for April 22–25 at the Royal Sonesta Galleria Houston.
TxABA has announced in-person, live-stream, and asynchronous access, with more than 55 BACB CEUs anticipated.
That's an enormous amount of continuing education in one registration if you're trying to make serious progress toward your BCBA CEU requirements.
May 29–31, 2027
ABAI 53rd Annual Convention — New Orleans, Louisiana
The ABAI Annual Convention is the giant of the behavior analysis conference calendar.
Researchers, academics, practitioners, students, SIGs, vendors, and behavior analysts from around the world converge for several days of presentations, posters, workshops, panels, and networking.
If you want breadth, ABAI is difficult to beat.
If huge conference programs overwhelm you, plan your sessions before you arrive.
June 2027
OBM Experience — Virtual
For BCBAs interested in Organizational Behavior Management, leadership, performance improvement, systems, workplace behavior, or moving beyond traditional clinical practice.
The OBM Experience is built around practical organizational applications rather than simply defining OBM.
July 2027
School's Out Summit — Virtual
The ABA Collective
Designed around behavior analysis in education: school consultation, classroom systems, teachers, student behavior, educational environments, and practical applications for school-based BCBAs.
July 2027
Business Summit — Virtual
The ABA Collective
For behavior analysts building organizations, practices, consulting businesses, CEU companies, programs, or other ventures.
Expect content around marketing, operations, offers, systems, growth, and building a sustainable business without abandoning behavioral science.
Summer 2027
Women in Behavior Analysis Conference
The Women in Behavior Analysis Conference brings together clinicians, researchers, educators, leaders, students, and allies while highlighting women's contributions to behavior analysis.
WIBA has historically offered a hybrid conference format with presentations, workshops, networking, leadership content, and BACB continuing education.
Watch for the official 2027 dates.
August 2027
Soft Skills Summit — Virtual
The ABA Collective
A second 2027 opportunity to focus on the interpersonal repertoires that technical training frequently misses: collaboration, feedback, communication, leadership, and influence.
September 2027
Behavior Analysts on Stage — Virtual
The ABA Collective
For BCBAs who want to become better presenters, speakers, teachers, trainers, and disseminators.
This isn't just "how to make prettier slides." The focus is communicating expertise in a way that keeps an audience engaged and creates an actual learning outcome.
Fall 2027
Private Practice Summit
Worth watching if you're a BCBA building or growing a private practice, particularly if you want continuing education around the business side of independent practice rather than another clinical conference.
Look for the 2027 event announcement as the conference calendar develops.
Fall 2027
School Day ABA — Virtual
School Day ABA is built specifically around the constraints of practicing behavior analysis in educational settings, including classroom-ready assessment, instructional design, teacher collaboration, and systems that work inside actual schools.
The most recently announced edition is hosted through Invivo CE/BehaviorLive; watch for the 2027 date.
October 2027
Side Hustle Summit — Virtual
The ABA Collective
The second Side Hustle Summit of the year focuses on practical ways BCBAs can use their existing expertise through pathways such as consulting, supervision, digital products, speaking, education, and other leveraged services.
October 2027
Behavioral Wealth Summit — Virtual
The ABA Collective
Behavior analysis meets money.
The Behavioral Wealth Summit applies behavioral science to financial decisions, spending, saving, investing, habits, and building greater financial flexibility.
October 2027
Autism Law Summit
This one belongs on more ABA leaders' radar.
The Autism Law Summit brings together autism service providers, attorneys, advocates, policymakers, families, and other stakeholders to discuss the legal and policy issues affecting autism services.
Historically, topics have included Medicaid, insurance coverage, billing and coding, medical necessity, school services, policy, and adult services.
If you lead an ABA organization or spend a meaningful amount of your life dealing with payers and regulation, put this one on your watch list.
November 2027
Coaching Summit — Virtual
The ABA Collective
For behavior analysts interested in coaching skills and applications, including the distinctions between coaching and clinical services, motivational interviewing, ethics, scope, behavior change, and practical coaching conversations.
December 2027
DisruptABA — Virtual
DisruptABA is deliberately built around challenging assumptions inside behavior analysis.
The 2026 event included organizational, clinical, and RBT-focused tracks and was hosted virtually through BehaviorLive. Watch for confirmation of the 2027 event and date.
Don't Skip Your State ABA Conference
Here's the conference recommendation that isn't particularly exciting but may be one of the most useful:
Go to your state ABA conference.
Seriously.
Search for your state association for behavior analysis and see what they're doing in 2027.
National conferences expose you to a much larger field.
Your state conference exposes you to the people, employers, universities, policies, regulations, payers, professional issues, and opportunities affecting behavior analysis where you actually practice.
That's a different kind of value.
Depending on your state, look for conferences from organizations such as CalABA, TxABA, FABA, NJABA, NYSABA, NCABA, COABA, AzABA, MABA, and other ABAI-affiliated chapters and state behavior analysis associations.
If you're trying to become more connected locally, find collaborators, hire, get hired, present your work, understand state-specific issues, or simply meet other BCBAs who live near you, I'd put your state conference high on the list.
Which 2027 ABA Conference Should You Attend?
Don't start with the conference.
Start with the gap.
If you want personal development and growth
Look at the New Year, New You Summit.
Behavior analysis applied to your own health, wealth, habits, and goals.
If you want engaging and entertaining
Look at The Next Great CEU.
Think TED Talks meets behavior analysis.
If you want research and breadth
Look at ABAI's Annual Convention.
It's difficult to match the sheer range of behavior-analytic research and topics represented.
If you're focused on professional practice
Look at APBA, your state association conference, and specialty conferences relevant to your work.
If you work primarily in autism services
Look at the ABAI Autism Conference, Autism Law Summit, your state conference, and clinical specialty events.
If you're a school-based BCBA
Watch School Day ABA, School's Out, Inside the IEP, and your state conference.
If you're interested in OBM or leadership
Look at the OBM Experience, Soft Skills Summit, and organizational tracks at larger conferences.
If you're building a private practice or business
Watch the Side Hustle Summit, Clinician to Coach Summit, Private Practice Summit, Business of ABA Summit, and conferences focused on practice ownership and entrepreneurship.
If you're interested in AI and technology
Watch Claude for Clinicians, Generalizing AI, and technology-focused tracks as 2027 programs are announced.
If you want something outside traditional ABA
Start with ABA Reimagined.
That's literally why we created it.
In-Person vs. Virtual ABA Conferences
There isn't one right answer.
I love in-person conferences for relationships, spontaneous conversations, networking, and getting completely out of my normal environment for a few days.
Virtual conferences win on accessibility.
No flights.
No hotel.
No three-day interruption to your caseload.
And increasingly, virtual BCBA conferences are getting much more specific than traditional events because organizers don't need to fill a convention center to make a niche topic viable.
That's how we end up with entire events about OBM, AI, public speaking, soft skills, private practice, school-based ABA, coaching, and financial behavior.
That's good for the field.
You don't need every conference to appeal to every BCBA.
You need the right conference to appeal strongly to the right one.
How to Use Conferences to Plan Your 2027 BCBA CEUs
Don't wait until you need 14 CEUs next month.
Look at the year now.
Choose one larger conference that gives you breadth.
Choose one specialty conference that develops a skill you specifically want.
Use smaller webinars and CEUs throughout the year to fill the remaining gaps, including your required ethics and supervision hours.
And keep an eye on whether registration includes recordings.
On-demand conference access can dramatically increase the value of registration because you aren't forced to choose between simultaneous sessions.
Before assuming any particular conference session qualifies toward your BACB requirements, confirm the continuing education details with the conference organizer and make sure the provider and event meet the requirements applicable to your certification cycle.
The 2027 ABA Conference Calendar Is Getting Better
My favorite change in behavior analysis continuing education isn't that we have more conferences.
It's that they're getting more specific.
You can still spend several days immersed in the full science of behavior analysis at ABAI.
You can attend your state association and understand what's happening where you practice.
But you can also spend a day studying AI.
Or OBM.
Or public speaking.
Or school consultation.
Or entrepreneurship.
Or coaching.
Or financial behavior.
That's where I think continuing education gets interesting.
The question isn't just:
"Where can I get my BCBA CEUs in 2027?"
It's:
"What do I want to be better at by the end of 2027?"
Pick your conferences accordingly.
Still not sure? Take our free quiz!
