Trans-situtational interventions : generalization of behaviour support across group home and family home settings

• Main Author: Reiman, Benjamin Adolph
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2014
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/46383

A number of studies have shown that adults living in group homes spend less time with their families. One barrier to increasing time spent with families may be that a large proportion of adults living in group homes display elevated levels of problem behaviour. Furthermore, group home staff and families may not have sufficient training to prevent problem behaviour in group home or family home settings. This study evaluates an approach that synthesizes three promising practices in the field of developmental disabilities: person-centred planning, trans-situational positive behaviour support (PBS), and the activity setting as a unit of analysis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of this approach to the generalized reduction of problem behaviour for an adult with autism from a group home setting to a family home setting. One adult with autism and problem behaviour, the group home staff who supported him, and his parents participated in the study. Two settings were identified for trans-situational intervention: a group home post-dinner routine; and a family home pre-dinner routine. In collaboration with group home staff a functional assessment-based, multi-component trans-situational PBS plan (TSI) was designed for the group home routine. In addition a brief trans-situational PBS plan (tsi) for the family home was generated. A preliminary cultural fit evaluation by primary staff indicated that the plan was a good fit with group home ecology. Completion of baseline and intervention phases will occur by June 2014. Preliminary results are discussed in terms of relation to the literature, implications, cautions and limitations, and directions for future research. === Education, Faculty of === Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of === Graduate