Speaker(s):

Teresa Rodgers, PhD

Presentation: A person whose functional level is neither significantly impaired yet not quite typical could experience the phenomena of “falling between the cracks.” Services typical for those with developmental disabilities might be too intrusive or restrictive, the stigma associated with the population and service provider off putting, even if funding (self, insurance or governmental subsidized) were available.  Resources available for the “unimpaired” might not work either.  People described as having borderline intellectual functioning often experience other co-occurring problems including those common to individuals diagnosed with mental health disorders such as borderline personality disorder.  Behavior Analysis offers some technology and strategies that have been effective with a wide range of problems, diagnostic categories and intellectual functioning.  Some simple to learn, but maybe hard to apply concepts that could result in better outcomes for all people, especially those with borderline intellectual functioning will be presented.

Objectives:

• Review diagnostic criteria for intellectual functioning in the borderline range.
• Identify common problems that occur for individuals described as having borderline intellectual functioning.
• Describe strategies based on behavior analysis to utilize when providing assistance, support, or services.
• Indicate ways to adapt treatment modalities for individuals with intellectual limitations.

Slides:

Rodgers_Helping someone with Borderline Intellectual Functioning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaker(s):

Nina Chastain, MSW, LCSW

Presentation: Dialectical Behavior Therapy has been proven to be a treatment of choice for clients with severe emotional dysregulation problems. However, for clients who also have intellectual disabilities, the treatment is not always as successful.  Julie F. Brown, MSW, PhD, Director of Program Development at The Justice Resource Institute’s Integrated Clinical Services in Rhode Island, developed a DBT-Informed Skills System that addresses difficulties intellectually disabled clients face. She recognized that intellectually disabled clients “require an adequate, synthesized framework or system to teach skills to clients in a form that they can understand, apply, and generalize.”  Dr. Brown developed The Skills System over the course of many years of working with her own clients and providing comprehensive DBT.  Three key elements were integrated: (1) the work of James Gross, PhD., in emotion regulation; (2) cognitive load theory (Sweller, 2010); and (3) ongoing collaboration with her own clients.  Ms. Brown ended up with a Skills System framework that helps clients know which skill to choose and how many skills to implement given his or her level of emotion in each situation.  This presentation will highlight some of the main differences of the skills and the System tools that Julie Brown carefully and effectively developed.  The participants will hear how cognitively-challenged clients in a residential psychiatric hospital setting who had previously been treated using traditional, comprehensive DBT encountered and reacted to the new DBT-Informed Skills System.  The lessons learned from implementing the model will also be shared along with data highlighting important areas of change for the clients.

Objectives:

• Review some of the fundamental knowledge of behavioral health and disability.
• This training describes in a nutshell established approaches of DBT and the new treatment of DBT-informed therapy for cognitively challenged clients.
• Provide an overview of the Skills system in order for learners to see if this treatment approach would work for their population.
• Describe how complex emotion regulation challenges are broken down into manageable problems using a series of steps that people at many different skill levels can apply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaker(s):

Paul Boyle, PhD; Jocelyn Towler, PhD; John Dandurand; PhD

Presentation:  Many individuals with developmental disabilities engage in maladaptive behaviors that result in self-harm or harm to others. Behavioral interventions can significantly reduce problematic behaviors and increase adaptive functioning. This presentation reviews Skinnerian principles and their applicability to the treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities with problematic behaviors. Participants will learn how to conduct a functional analysis of a behavior and how to measure the efficacy of interventions designed to reduce the maladaptive behavior and increase adaptive functioning.

Objectives:

• Articulate the Skinnerian principles of operant conditioning
• Define a target behavior, identify antecedents and consequents of a targeted behavior, learn about the function of a targeted behavior, and collect data to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention
• Avoid common pitfalls that contribute to unsuccessful treatment

Slides:

Boyle_Towler_Dandurand_SpringTrainingInstitutePresentation20170413