Behavioral Support

Individuals with both intellectual and psychiatric disabilities possess a higher risk for maladaptive behaviors. These individuals have a myriad of complicating factors that make it difficult for them to express their emotions at times. In order to meet the needs of these individuals, systematic behavioral management techniques can be implemented in their environment. Evidence-based treatment approaches have been proven effective for individuals experiencing an emotional, behavioral, or psychiatric disorder. Among these approaches, clinicians have used behavioral support plans. Behavior support plans are developed to reduce inappropriate behaviors and to teach adaptive skills.

Behavioral Support Plan Templates

BACH, P. & MCCRACKEN, S. (2005). Best Practice Guidelines for Behavioral Interventions. Developed for Behavioral Health Recovery Management Project An Initiative of Fayette Companies, Peoria, IL and Chestnut Health Systems, Bloomington, IL

Technological Resources/APPS

R+ Tracker 
A mobile tracking system to track negative and positive feedback in interaction with others

iReward 
Token reinforcement system that tracks rewards

Behavioral Tracker 
Pro Behavior Tracker Pro for the iPad allows you to collect ABC data from your iPhone, iTouch or iPad. BTP also automatically charts your data and allows you to export both the charts and the raw data.

Cognitive Behavior Analysis (CBA) 
A monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics tool for clinicians

Social Skills (S2L) 
Social Skills Learning, by MDR, offers parents and educators the ability to interact with six social narratives (broken into 2 levels which give a total possible of 12 social narratives) designed to help individuals improve their social ability. With Social Skills (S2L), the stories contain targeted instruction in the following core areas: Joint Attention; Non-Verbal

Journals/Publications/Books

Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions

Effective Teaching Methods For People With Intellectual Disabilities

Download this pdf file. Mental Health Crisis Planning   (NAMI in Minnesota)
This booklet provides information on crisis management for family members. 

Download this pdf file. Verbal De-escalation of the Agitated Patient: Consensus Statement of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry Project BETA De-escalation Workgroup by Janet S Richmond, MSW, Jon S Berlin, MD,  Avrim B Fishkind, MD, Garland H Holloman, Jr, MD, PhD, Scott L Zeller, MD, Michael P Wilson, MD, PhD, Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD, CPE, and Anthony T Ng, MD, FAPA

Treating Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities and Challenging Behaviors With Adapted Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Brown, J., Brown, M., & Dibiasio, P. (2013). Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 6(4), 280-303. doi:10.1080/19315864.2012.700684

Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition (2006) Cooper, John O. & Heron, Timothy E. & Heward, William L. Pearson Education, Inc.,
Applied Behavior Analysis, provides a comprehensive, in-depth discussion of the field, providing a complete description of the principles and procedures needed to systematically change socially significant behavior and to understand the reasons for that change.

The Handbook of High-Risk Challenging Behaviors in People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities by James Luiselli Ed.D ABPP and Peter Sturmey
Comprehensive textbook for clinicians addressing challenging behaviors in the least restrictive settings using evidence-based, empirically supported practices.

Alternatives to Punishment: Solving Behavior Problems with Non-Aversive Strategies by Gary W. Lavigna and Anne M. Donnellan
This book provides a comprehensive treatment of alternatives to punishment in dealing with behavior problems evidenced by human beings at various levels of development and in various circumstances.

Mental Health Services for Adults with Intellectual Disability: Strategies and Solutions by Nick Bouras and Geraldine Holt
This book considers how mental health services have evolved over the past three decades to meet the needs of people with intellectual disability, focusing on the ways that theories and policies have been applied to clinical practice.

Intellectual Disability and Mental Health: A Training Manual in Dual Diagnosis by Sharon McGilvery PhD and Darlene Sweetland PhD
This handbook clarifies the extremely complex nature of working with dual diagnosis. In-depth information about the diagnostic process, hands-on treatment considerations, and the elements of proper staff training are featured, and complicating factors in identifying appropriate psychiatric diagnoses are addressed.

Diagnostic Manual-Intellectual Disability (DM-ID): A Clinical Guide for Diagnosis of Mental Disorders in Persons with Intellectual Disability by Robert Fletcher DSW, Earl Loschen MD, Chrissoula Stavrakaki MD PhD, and Michael First MD
This manual provides extensive knowledge of mental disorders and intellectual disabilities to aid in psychiatric diagnosis.

Associations

National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services

Resources

Social Skills Training for Intellectual Disabilities

DBHDD Resources

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