Behavioral Training by Paraprofessionals for Families of Developmentally Disabled Persons

An innovative system to deliver behavioral services was developed to extend a residential facility's community outreach and provide an alternative to institutionalization. The successful implementation of this program suggests a way to combine clinical service and staff training at the bachelor-technician career ladder step in psychology and related disciplines. Specifically, a team of behavior technicians delivered the skills of a mental retardation center to families of disabled children and adults formerly beyond the center's range. Parents were taught specific modification procedures to lessen the likelihood of disruptive behavior and to hasten the acquisition of new developmental skills by their children.