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Variations in Staff Training Across Different Settings and Skills |
Monday, May 27, 2024 |
11:00 AM–11:50 AM |
Marriott Downtown, Level 3, Liberty Ballroom Salon BC |
Area: OBM; Domain: Service Delivery |
Chair: Aoife McTiernan (National University of Ireland, Galway) |
CE Instructor: Aoife McTiernan, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Staff training is an important component of high quality service delivery and behavior analysts need to have the ability to implement emprirically derived staff training methods. In the current symposium three papers describe different staff training procedures in three different settings. In the first presentation Anna Marín assessed the effects of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Service (PDC-HS) in an Icelandic preschool setting. The authors used the checklist to identify the appropriate intervention to improve the teachers performance in implementing Discrete Trial Training, Token economy and Preference Assessment. In the second presentation, Snædís examined the effects of graphic feedback and goal setting on verbal communication between staff and patients in an inpatient psychiatric care unit. Finally, in the third presentation, Margrét investigated the effect of behavior skills training (BST) in teaching effective boundary setting and empathetic responding among staff members in a psychiatric intensive care unit. In all studies, the staff training procedures were effective in improving the targeted skills. |
Instruction Level: Advanced |
Keyword(s): BST, Goal Setting, PDC-HS, Staff training |
Target Audience: Advanced. Audience should have completed graduate level work and have knowledge on evidence based staff training and experience in training others. |
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to (1) Describe the effects of using the PDC-HS list to guide intervention selection (2) Discuss how BST can be used in training skills that are sometimes considered as "soft skills" (3) Discuss under what conditions BST, Goal Setting and /or Graphic Feedback should be used when training staff. |
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An Evaluation of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist - Human Services With Icelandic Educators |
Anna Marín Skúladóttir (Reykjavik University;State Counseling and Diagnostic Center Iceland ), BERGLIND SVEINBJORNSDOTTIR (Reykjavik University;National University Hospital Iceland), Andressa Sleiman (Florida Institute of Technology) |
Abstract: Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Service (PDC-HS) is an effective assessment tool to guide intervention selection in human service settings. However, its utility has yet to be investigated in countries with cultural differences and where English is not the first language within the human services. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the PDC-HS could guide intervention selection to increase teachers' implementation of Discrete Trial Training (DTT), token-system, and Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO) preference assessment in two preschools in Iceland. We recruited three special education teachers from two Icelandic preschools who had finished the course Skráning og Þjálfun held by the State Counseling and Diagnostic Center. The dependent variable was the teacher's treatment integrity in implementing DTT, token system, and MSWO. Results showed that the PDC-HS was successful in guiding intervention selection to increase teachers' implementation of DTT, token-system, and MSWO. We discuss the implications of these findings and future directions. |
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The Effect of Graphic Feedback and Goal Setting on Verbal Communication With Patients in a Psychiatric Care Unit |
SNÆDÍS JÓHANNSDÓTTIR (Reykjavík University; National University Hospital Iceland ), Hanna Steinunn Steingrimsdottir (Reykjavik University), Berglind Sveinbjornsdottir (Reykjavik University; National University Hospital Iceland) |
Abstract: Treatment in psychiatric care involves many components one of which is staff-patient interaction. Communication between staff and patients in an inpatient psychiatric care can increase the chances of developing a positive therapeutic relationship, which is a strong predictor of the treatment’s success. The present study used non-concurrent multiple baseline design to examine the effects of graphic feedback and goal setting on social communication, positive statements and negative statements of four staff working in an inpatient psychiatric care unit. The intervention was effective in increasing the target behaviors for all four participants. Additionally, the participants communicated more with the patients overall following the intervention. Lastly, the intervention indirectly affected the patients who started seeking out communication with the participants more frequently. This study gives an idea of an intervention that is relatively easy to perform, is not time-consuming, and has a significant impact. More research is needed to further disentangle the effects of graphic feedback and goal setting in staff training. |
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Training Staff in a Secure Psychiatric Unit to Set Boundaries and Communicate Emphatically With Patients |
MARGRÉT KRISTJÁNSSON (Reykjavík University; National University Hospital Iceland), Hanna Steinunn Steingrimsdottir (Reykjavik University), Berglind Sveinbjornsdottir (Reykjavik University;National University Hospital Iceland) |
Abstract: The field of ABA has placed recent emphasis on a more compassionate approach, however little research exists on how to train empathetic skills. Empathetic responding is positively associated with a number of factors, including higher satisfaction of care, trust, rapport, compliance to treatment and clinical outcomes. In addition, patients who have spent time in psychiatric care emphasize structure and social relationships. Specifically, ensuring that structure, safety protocols and clear boundaries are set by staff, is effective in decreasing the likelihood of challenging situations. The present study investigated the effect of behavior skills training in teaching effective boundary setting and empathetic responding in the form of reflective statements among staff members in a psychiatric intensive care unit. Three participants took part in the study and a multiple baseline across participants design was utilized. BST was shown to be effective in training target skills. Reflective responses improved by 26%, 33%, and 38% and the boundary making statements improved by 73%, 30%, and 66% for the three participants from baseline to post-intervention. More research is needed to isolate variables that affect staff´s behavior when communicating with patients. |
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