Direct support professionals (DSPs) provide people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) with individualized, personal assistance in a wide variety of settings. There is currently a very high turnover for DSPs, due in part to a lack of training for DSPs. The aim of this study is to explore how ongoing staff development impacts the…

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) may engage in challenging behavior. These behaviors present challenges to support staff who often lack training in effective behavior management procedures. Behavioral skills training (BST) is an empirically supported method of staff training and has been used to teach support staff a…

Frontline staff are a valuable asset within an intellectual and developmental disability service. Their work dictates the overall standard of care delivered by the organization. However, there is evidence that the research relating to effective practice is having little impact on the competencies displayed by staff in the real-world setting.…

The occurrence of 'challenging' behavior is commonly documented amongst people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Since behavior is not only a form of communication, but often in response to environmental conditions, it stands to reason that one mechanism to reduce 'challenging' behaviors would be to draw attention to people's…