Parent or Caregiver participation is one of leading indicators of individual outcomes and success. Parent training or caregiver training is a critical piece in increasing an individual’s positive outcomes. AxIS uses our own One-Size-Fits-All: Behavior Intervention and Management Training Curriculum developed by Will Morris. This curriculum takes the universal principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and teaches caregivers how to apply them to a wide range of behaviors, skills, situations and settings.
At AxIS, parent training comes in many forms.
The trainer-to-trainer program begins with an assessment by a qualified AxIS team. The assessment is conducted in order to identify individual strengths and deficits, as well as set appropriate goals for the individual learner and their family. Following the assessment, AxIS will begin working with the family providing applied behavior analysis principles to daily life tasks. AxIS’ trainer to trainer parent training program involves an AxIS Registered Behavior Technician will use data collected in natural environments to guide families and individuals toward behavior change through behavior management and skill acquisition. The trainer-to-trainer model is supported by an AxIS Behavior Consultant and supervised by an AxIS BCBA.
Parent training may also come in forms of group training. There will be opportunities for parents, caregivers, and individuals to gather with other families. These training sessions are done in a group in order to allow members to learn more about theories and techniques each family has found helpful as well as those they struggle with. The group setting allows families to feel connected to others and to form support groups with those going through similar situations. An AxIS trainer will work with all participants to actively guide then toward a more positive outcome.
What can parents expect from participating in AxIS’ parent training program? Parent who participate in AxIS’ One-Size-Fits-All: Behavior Intervention and Management Training Curriculum will gain the skills necessary to identify the function of a behavior, develop a behavior plan to address problem behaviors according to the identified function, collect data, analyze the data to determine what is working and what is not, and make behaviorally sound decisions on how to revise the behavior plan to best support their learner and their family. These strategies are all important in promoting desired levels of behavior management. Additionally, caregivers who go through AxIS’ One-Size-Fits-All: Behavior Intervention and Management Training Curriculum will learn to identify skill deficits, how to break down a skill into small teachable units, how and when to provide prompting strategies as well as how and when to fade out prompts to promote maximal success, and strategies to reinforce new behaviors to ensure they continue to strengthen and maintain over time. Another important component of AxIS’ parent training curriculum is live, in-person coaching of caregivers through behavior management and or skill teaching. This piece is critical to family success with program implementation. Parents that complete AxIS’ parent training curriculum have the confidence and skills needed to address ongoing behavior management and skill deficits successfully with their learner, lessening the need for ongoing consultation and support.
