2) Focused Interventions
In all focused interventions, specific and measurable criteria for success are negotiated with the client (or the client’s guardians) and described in a contract prior to any intervention. Principles of ABA are then applied to produce the desired behaviour change and to prove that it was our intervention that was responsible for that change.
The specific behaviour-change techniques used in all our focused interventions have been empirically validated in research that has been published in international and peer-reviewed scientific journals. Nevertheless, we seek informed consent from any and all persons directly involved with, and/or affected by, our interventions.
In accordance with principles of best-practice in ABA, we always assume that some problem behaviour has a history of reinforcement and so has, in some sense, been functional for the individual displaying it. Consequently, we routinely undertake a thorough functional assessment of the problem behaviour before trialing an intervention aimed at eliminating it. More often than not, a socially acceptable behaviour is taught as a functionally equivalent replacement for the problem behaviour, and the individual is taught to tolerate delays until the desired consequence (i.e., that maintaining the problem behaviour) is provided.
The cost of our focused interventions vary according to the number of hours that staff at the 3 levels (Behaviour Technicians, Case Managers & the Clinical Director) spend on the project. However, an estimate of costs can be prepared for those considering purchase.
Examples of focused interventions include:
- Challenging-behaviour programmes for problems such as self-injury, aggression, pica, property destruction & eloping
- Eating & feeding programmes (e.g., selective eating)
- Fear & phobia programmes
- School-transition programmes
- Sleep-disturbance programmes
- Social-skills programmes
- Toilet-training programmes
Note: Those funding a comprehensive intervention will be asked to purchase separately a focused intervention if the problem behaviour being displayed does NOT pose an obstacle to effective teaching in sessions of the comprehensive intervention.
