Monday, January 25, 2010
Does Client "Training" Work?
How many of you support clients who seem to be stuck at the same level of skill training even though they have been in your program for several years? You and other staff have been teaching them to budget money, or to look both ways before crossing the street, or not to run up and hug strangers, and yet, despite all of your time and effort, they just don't "get it."
Have you considered that maybe it's you that doesn't "get it" when it comes to knowing how that person learns things? Does the client's ISP read the same cycle after cycle? Do you ever question the person who writes the ISP's? Why would you continue with a plan that hasn't worked before?
Does the client actually want to learn that skill or did they just agree to it in their ISP meeting because they like to please authority figures? Does the staff carrying out the training regularly remind the client why they are working on a particular skill during the day? In other words, is the client motivated to learn the skill?
Is the skill one that needs to be reinforced the same way even when the client goes home from day program? And are the parents/care providers on board with the plan? I have run into that one before; we say one thing during the day and the client hears something different when they go home. Who are they to believe?
Are you, as a direct care staff, really interested in the person and the skills training or is this just a job? If you see in your daily documentation and observations that no progress seems to be made, do you make adjustments in the instructional process such as having another staff person try... or trying at different times of the day... or asking your supervisor for help?
Remember, there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to how to teach skills. We work with individuals! What do you know about the individual you are supporting and how they learn things? Have you ever done a Learning Skills Assessment or Training Preference Assessment for a client? Maybe it's time.
Have you considered that maybe it's you that doesn't "get it" when it comes to knowing how that person learns things? Does the client's ISP read the same cycle after cycle? Do you ever question the person who writes the ISP's? Why would you continue with a plan that hasn't worked before?
Does the client actually want to learn that skill or did they just agree to it in their ISP meeting because they like to please authority figures? Does the staff carrying out the training regularly remind the client why they are working on a particular skill during the day? In other words, is the client motivated to learn the skill?
Is the skill one that needs to be reinforced the same way even when the client goes home from day program? And are the parents/care providers on board with the plan? I have run into that one before; we say one thing during the day and the client hears something different when they go home. Who are they to believe?
Are you, as a direct care staff, really interested in the person and the skills training or is this just a job? If you see in your daily documentation and observations that no progress seems to be made, do you make adjustments in the instructional process such as having another staff person try... or trying at different times of the day... or asking your supervisor for help?
Remember, there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to how to teach skills. We work with individuals! What do you know about the individual you are supporting and how they learn things? Have you ever done a Learning Skills Assessment or Training Preference Assessment for a client? Maybe it's time.
