The Steps To Independence Trainer Program is a behavior change program designed for instructors who will be training parents of children who need to develop life skills to successfully function in a family or community setting. Parent trainers who will be working with parents of young children who are physically, emotionally and intellectually challenged are among those for whom this program is especially relevant.

The trainers will learn to carryout parent training programs that can be applied in the home, the school or the community, i.e., wherever a child may be having adjustment problems. Participants will learn to develop prescriptive interventions in which the needs of the child become the foundation of a behavioral plan.

The types of child behaviors that typically become the focus of the program include:

• Self-injurious behaviors,
• Self-stimulation behaviors,
• Frequent and severe tantrums,
• Social withdrawal and isolation,
• Severe speech impairments,
• Hyperactivity,
• Obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and
• Severe aggressive behaviors

The program is carried out in three phases: Assessment, Program Implementation, and Follow-Up.

Assessment: During this phase an initial behavioral assessment is carried out. This assessment is the joint effort of the family, the provider and any other person who might aid in the development of a behavior plan (such as a school teacher, or medical professional). Based upon the information gathered during the initial assessment, a behavior plan is designed and divided into weekly components.

The behavior plan contains goals, behavioral objectives, protocols for reaching the behavioral objectives, and methods for evaluating the progress being achieved. The behavior plan is presented to the family and other significant individuals in the child's life for their review and comments. Prior to implementation, any comments are included in the plan.

Program Implementation: During this phase the goals and behavioral objectives outlined in the behavior plan are demonstrated, discussed and modeled for the participating family members and other significant individuals.

Clients are usually seen three to four hours each week for approximately six to twelve months. Throughout the Implementation Phase data is being collected to evaluate the success of the behavior plan and to provide information as to the need to augment the original plan. Each family is encouraged to incorporate newly learned skills throughout their daily interactions with the child.

Follow-Up: The nature of the Follow-Up phase varies from child to child. Depending upon need, some children require continued weekly sessions, while still others maintain a high level of success with only a monthly telephone contact. It is wise for children to be followed for a period of six months once the formal intervention has been completed, and those responsible for maintaining the behavioral advances are encouraged to look upon the program as an ongoing resource of information and help.
 

The five day workshop provides participants with training in how to implement the program and with an understanding of the issues facing parents who are raising developmentally disabled children. It is focused upon helping parents of children in the age range of birth to five years of life. Included in the workshop is coverage of the practical challenges faced by parents of special needs children.

Workshop Topics

1. Parenting a Special Needs Child: The Parent's Perspective
2. The Details of Developmental Disabilities
3. Identifying Resources to Support the Parenting of a Special Needs Child
4. Educating the Special Needs Child
5. Understanding Children's Behavior and Misbehavior
6. A Primer in Behavior Analysis
7. Carrying Out a Behavior Change Program
8. Life Planning
9. Parent Advocacy
10. Protecting Our Child's Rights

Method of Evaluating Workshop Participants

Each participant will identify a special needs child and develop an individual intervention program that addresses a child and parent's particular developmental and educational needs. The program will include a self- conducted evaluation, a detailed plan of intervention, a collection of community resources, and initial data collected in response to the plan.

Eligibility

Workshop participants must work in settings that serve young children with special needs.

Such settings include:

• Child guidance and child mental health centers or clinics,
• Behavioral health centers,
• Early Start programs,
• Regional Center programs,
• Head Start agencies,
• School district early childhood special education programs,
• Private practices or consulting firms that serve families of young children with special needs,
• Foster parent agencies that support foster parents of young children with special needs,
• Etc.

Workshop participants must have access to a young child with special needs who will become the focus of an intervention plan. Such a child should be characterized by displaying one or more of the following types of behavior:

• Self-injurious behaviors,
• Self-stimulation behaviors,
• Frequent and severe tantrums,
• Social withdrawal and isolation,
• Severe speech impairments,
• Hyperactivity,
• Obsessive compulsive behaviors, and/or
• Severe aggressive behaviors

Continuing Education Credits

CICC is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education credits for psychologists. Thirty-five credits are available for psychologists who complete this workshop. CICC maintains responsibility for the program.

CICC is also approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences to offer continuing education units for Marriage and Family Therapists (M.F.T.), and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (L.C.S.W.). Thirty-five credits are available for M.F.T.s and L.C.S.W.s. The California Board of Registered Nursing has approved CICC to provide 35 contact hours for this course as well, (Provider #14028).