Reduce, manage or cope: a review of strategies for training school staff to address challenging behaviours displayed by students with intellectual/developmental disabilities

Abstract

Members of a knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) research team assessed the training needs of the teaching staff at a school for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD).In response to this need, KTE researchers retrieved peer-reviewed articles for training staff working with individuals with IDD who exhibit challenging behaviours. These articles were categorised according to the following training content: (1) interventions designed to reduce the frequency of challenging behaviours; (2) appropriate ways to manage challenging behaviours in the moment to promote safety for all parties and/or to terminate the ongoing behaviour; and/or (3) procedures or perspectives relevant to coping with or ameliorating the negative impacts of challenging behaviours on staff. We then examined the training methods (teaching strategies, training duration) involved in teaching the content and assessed the effectiveness of these programmes. Overall, we found that effective training programmes consisted of workshops, practica and feedback on specific skill performance. Some forms of brief training were effective for increasing staffs' knowledge/skills and reducing the frequency of challenging behaviour.

Stakeholders’ perspectives on how to improve the support for persons with an intellectual disability and challenging behaviors: a concept mapping study

“…Interventions may also focus on the environment of the person with an ID. For example on the skills of direct support workers in trying to reduce, manage, or cope with the challenging behaviors (Cox et al 2015, van Oorsouw et al 2013, Stoesz et al 2016, Zijlmans et al 2015 or focus on the team climate (Knotter et al 2016, Willems et al 2016.…”

Towards a framework in interaction training for staff working with clients with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour

“…Within the field of clients with intellectual disabilities (ID) and challenging behaviour (CB), there is sufficient proof that staff need training in order to support their clients adequately (van Oorsouw, Embregts, Bosman, & Jahoda, ). Recent reviews categorised the content of such training in (1) reducing CB, (2) managing CB, and (3) coping with CB (Cox, Dube, & Temple, ; van Oorsouw, Embregts, & Bosman, ; Stoesz et al, 2014). Regarding the reduction of CB, most research was on the improvement of several staff skills, as in active support, positive behaviour support and, more recently, solution‐focused coaching (Roeden, Maaskant, Bannink, & Curfs, ).…”

The potential role of perceived support for reduction of special education teachers’ burnout

“…Indeed, special education teachers are more likely to face challenging situations than the general teachers, such as custodial and managerial tasks, a perceived lack of job success, programme structure, and work overload (Friedman, 2000;Sari, 2004). Indeed, many diverse challenges and expectations, complex demands, and stress-inducing factors are endemic to this occupation, because students with special education needs often require constant support (Stoesz et al, 2016). Special education teachers tend to experience different challenging students' behaviors, such as being more active and easily distractible than other students, requesting greater attention to achieve educational goals, and expressing an aggressive/hostile conduct (Pepe & Addimando, 2013).…”