Friday, May 15, 2009
Curriculum Ideas
I have a new Service Coordinator. In our program, that's the person who writes all of our ISP's (Individual Service Plans). We were looking at some notes that my last Service Coordinator left about a client's ISP. This client was returning to our program after attending a different program for a time and he had an Objective to keep a budget book. He had apparently not been very good at this skill at the other program.
We looked at it and asked, "What part of 'keeping a budget book' can't he do? After talking to him, it was quite apparent that he couldn't transfer numbers from a sales receipt to a budget book because he doesn't know what the numbers represent.
He knows a number is $2.00... he just doesn't know if that is an item amount or the sales tax or what.
Ah Ha! Then there is the skill he needs to work on.
So we started working on the plan. In our plans we write down which applicable curriculum staff might review with a client to help them learn the new skill. It turns out that we didn't have a curriculum piece about sales receipts. So I just finished writing it, and it will be a permanent part of all SNAP Curriculum sets sold in the future.
Which brings me to my point about this blog piece... I am always looking for ideas to include. Every piece in the curriculum was generated by a client need. Do you have a client with an issue that you have wished there was something written somewhere to help staff help the client?
Please, let me know! I will be happy to include it in the curriculum.. or even just give you my thoughts about the issue. Just remember, I make no claims to be an expert in the field of developmental disabilities. I am just a guy who has been working directly with clients for about 17 years now.
We looked at it and asked, "What part of 'keeping a budget book' can't he do? After talking to him, it was quite apparent that he couldn't transfer numbers from a sales receipt to a budget book because he doesn't know what the numbers represent.
He knows a number is $2.00... he just doesn't know if that is an item amount or the sales tax or what.
Ah Ha! Then there is the skill he needs to work on.
So we started working on the plan. In our plans we write down which applicable curriculum staff might review with a client to help them learn the new skill. It turns out that we didn't have a curriculum piece about sales receipts. So I just finished writing it, and it will be a permanent part of all SNAP Curriculum sets sold in the future.
Which brings me to my point about this blog piece... I am always looking for ideas to include. Every piece in the curriculum was generated by a client need. Do you have a client with an issue that you have wished there was something written somewhere to help staff help the client?
Please, let me know! I will be happy to include it in the curriculum.. or even just give you my thoughts about the issue. Just remember, I make no claims to be an expert in the field of developmental disabilities. I am just a guy who has been working directly with clients for about 17 years now.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Training
How many of you believe you are getting enough training (or providing enough training)? I'm talking about training for staff. Too often we hire inexperienced people to be staff and then assume that they can "do this." After all, it's entry level work, right? And then too often, we are surprised when they can't! Nobody is born with the skills to support adults with developmental disabilities, no matter how sincere their intent.
I have helped develop a couple of trainings for our agency. One is called Reactive Assault Intervention Training. It's how to keep your hands the heck off of clients except in extreme situations.
I also created a series called Behavior Analysis Skills - Introductory Course (BASIC) Training. It consists of 7 - 2 hour sessions of basic principles of behavior (how to recognize, define and measure behaviors), behavior reinforcement (reinforcement and punishment - when to use or not use them... you would be surprised how many people do not know the difference between positive and negative reinforcement), basic instructional processes (methods to teach skills and replacement behaviors), principles of behavior management (what do you do when a client hasn't actually read his behavior support plan and is still learning how not to be assaultive to communicate?), data collection (methods of assessing and tracking behaviors and skills), ethical issues (understanding care and supervision, confidentiality and informed consent), and understanding the elements of a treatment plan (treatment plan = ISP, BSP, etc. What information should be included in a good plan?).
We started the trainings for our own staff, but then opened them up to staff from other agencies (for a price, of course) and were happy to see the response. Unfortunately, in order to save money, our agency recently cancelled the BASIC trainings.
We also participate in the College of Direct Support trainings (on-line), but I am a firm believer that live trainings are so much more useful because you can ask questions.
I discovered that once I provided staff with a decent orientation book when they start work and followed up with actual training in how to do the job, staff turn-over dropped some. Imagine that.
What are you doing for your agency?
I have helped develop a couple of trainings for our agency. One is called Reactive Assault Intervention Training. It's how to keep your hands the heck off of clients except in extreme situations.
I also created a series called Behavior Analysis Skills - Introductory Course (BASIC) Training. It consists of 7 - 2 hour sessions of basic principles of behavior (how to recognize, define and measure behaviors), behavior reinforcement (reinforcement and punishment - when to use or not use them... you would be surprised how many people do not know the difference between positive and negative reinforcement), basic instructional processes (methods to teach skills and replacement behaviors), principles of behavior management (what do you do when a client hasn't actually read his behavior support plan and is still learning how not to be assaultive to communicate?), data collection (methods of assessing and tracking behaviors and skills), ethical issues (understanding care and supervision, confidentiality and informed consent), and understanding the elements of a treatment plan (treatment plan = ISP, BSP, etc. What information should be included in a good plan?).
We started the trainings for our own staff, but then opened them up to staff from other agencies (for a price, of course) and were happy to see the response. Unfortunately, in order to save money, our agency recently cancelled the BASIC trainings.
We also participate in the College of Direct Support trainings (on-line), but I am a firm believer that live trainings are so much more useful because you can ask questions.
I discovered that once I provided staff with a decent orientation book when they start work and followed up with actual training in how to do the job, staff turn-over dropped some. Imagine that.
What are you doing for your agency?
