Speak Out June 2018

Branch News

Training direct care staff using Behavioural Skills Training

Northern Territory

The Darwin based Clinical and Behavioural Specialist Services (CaBSS) Team have been focusing on Behavioural Skills Training for direct care staff to support clients throughout the NT with intellectual disabilities and behaviours of concern. Behaviour Skills Training (BST) is an evidence-based approach to supporting people to perform a skill. It’s relatively simple and can be done quickly and efficiently. It is a good way to make sure somebody "gets it" and has the skills to follow through with your recommendations. There four main components to BST as described in Table 1. How would you apply this to speech pathology? Let’s go through an example. Scenario: You want to implement a visual schedule in a supported accommodation setting for a disability client. You meet with the house coordinator to go over your assessment and recommendations. Step 1: Tell the house coordinator about the visual schedule, the purpose of using it, why you would use it, when to use it, how to use it, who to use it with and where it should be set up. You would also cover ongoing maintenance of the visual schedule and potential issues staff may encounter when introducing a visual schedule to the client. Step 2: You should demonstrate setting up and using the visual schedule. You can demonstrate this with the client or with other people who are familiar with the client. Another idea is to film yourself and create a video model for staff to watch if you cannot be there in person or you have multiple people to teach. Step 3: Get the coordinator to practice setting up and using the visual schedule. To start with they may want to practice rehearsing by themselves, and then with a colleague (role play) and eventually with the client. Step 4: Watch the coordinator doing step 3 and tell them how they went. Make suggestions about how they performed the skill and ways to improve it. Remember to be positive and encouraging and focus on what you want them to do and what they did well.

NT 52 members as at May 2018

Key points about BST • Steps 3 and 4 are best done at same time. • Feedback should be immediate and constructive. • Try to be as specific as possible ahead of time

about the exact skill you want someone to perform.

• Make sure to set

realistic targets and recommendations. For example, SMART goals that others will be able to implement. • Focus on starting small

and building up skills. You can then do further BST with similar but more advanced skills such as using a visual schedule during community access.

Table 1: Steps of Behavioural Skills Training

Alana Michell Behaviour Educator Meg Redway Speech Pathologist

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June 2018 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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