The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) has suspended the licenses of four behavior analysts associated with an autism treatment center in Plano. The agency determined that the professionals failed to file legally required reports regarding suspected child abuse involving a four-year-old client. Emergency suspension orders were issued on August 17 against Nicole Ercan, Amberly Bossert, Karah Pack, and Alice Agyeman.
Ercan, Bossert, and Pack hold licenses as behavior analysts, while Agyeman is licensed as an assistant behavior analyst. All four are required to immediately cease providing services under their TDLR credentials.
According to TDLR, the child’s mother contacted staff at Apara Autism Center on May 12 to report an outcry by the child indicating possible sexual abuse. The disclosure involved two registered behavior technicians employed at the facility. The allegation was addressed internally, which included a review of surveillance footage.
Pack and Agyeman informed their supervisors, Ercan and Bossert, but none of the four licensees reported the suspicion to law enforcement or the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). The mother subsequently took the child to an emergency room for a sexual assault examination, after which hospital personnel reported the matter to authorities.
Texas law mandates that professionals with reasonable cause to believe a child has been abused or neglected must report the suspicion within 24 hours. TDLR stated that this obligation rests with the individual professional and cannot be delegated to supervisors or compliance officers. Internal investigations by an employer do not satisfy the legal requirement to notify authorities.
TDLR Executive Director Courtney Arbour stated, "Keeping Texans safe, especially children and other vulnerable clients is our highest priority," and added that the agency will act when this legal responsibility is not met.
