Review of Direct Care Staff Training Studies: Effects on Staff & Clients Kim M. Michaud George Mason University EDSE 841 December 8, 2008

Importance  Individuals with multiple and cognitive impairments are being placed in community facilities  Multiple factors interfere with effective training of staff responsible for teaching & quality of life enhancement  minimal education/experience of staff  High turnover/minimal training time  Extensive client challenges  What training programs are effective for both staff and client  Review of studies that have shown effectiveness for both staff and client

Literature Search Procedures  Relevant Data-Base Search  Psycho Info, Social Science Citations, Digital Dissertations  Keywords: direct care staff; training direct care staff; staff training and intellectual disabilities  Citations of articles  References listed in articles and dissertations  Ancestry search of reference list

Criteria for Inclusion  Staff training of staff who served residential clients with developmental disabilities  Studies that gave results for both staff as well as client effects  Majority of staff were inexperienced/had less than a 4 year college degree

Final Sample  9 studies  Published from 1982 – 2007  Published in 4 different Journals: Research in Developmental Disabilities; Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities; Behavioral Residential Treatment; Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis Behavioral Residential Treatment; Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis

Training Format/Techinque Format  75% used classroom/coaching on the job or classroom/videotaping self-monitoring feedback.  25% used classroom only Technique 50% used modeling/role play/ feedback 25% used modeling/videotape/self-monitoring 25% used only practice with little feedback

Goals & Components

Frequencies of Staff Position

Frequencies of Majority of Staff Experience

Frequencies of Clients’Primary Disabilities

Non-Codable Data

ES & PND of Staff Proficiencies/Client Behavior Improvement

Effect of Number of Staff Trained on PNDs

Quality of Life/Adaptive Skill ES & PNDs

Results  Practicality of training can possibly be shown to have good effects if more than 10 staff are trained when measured with PNDs  Even if lesser effects are shown, positive advancements are made for clients  Too many conflicting data variables to determine if quality of life training is easier to teach than adaptive skill

Future  Study whether training packages have been utilized by staff /administration of various facilities and what are the results  See if quality of life and adaptive skill trainings have been combined  See if self-management and multi-tiered feedback instruments are being included