Addressing Effectiveness and Contextual/Cultural Fit in Behavior Support to Families of Children with Developmental Disabilities

Behavior analysts providing positive behavior support services to families of children with developmental disabilities face challenges as they seek to achieve a central aim of applied behavior analysis: Promoting socially significant improvements in child behavior and child and family quality of life that maintain over time and generalize across family settings.

The diversity of families in regard to family systems and cultural and linguistic backgrounds can make achievement of these aims daunting.  Dr. Lucyshyn will describe efforts to address these challenges through the empirical development of family centered positive behavior support (FCPBS). Within this effort, a core scientific question addressed has been, ‘What are necessary and sufficient conditions for the design of survivable interventions in family contexts; that is, interventions that are effective, acceptable, meaningful, feasible, durable and sustainable?’

Key features of the approach that have been associated with survivable interventions across a diversity of families will be described and illustrated. Key insights related to promoting effectiveness and contextual/cultural fit will be discussed.  Brief online activities will provide opportunities to integrate these insights into one’s practice. Assessment tools designed to nurture parent-professional partnership, enhance functional assessment results, and contribute to the design of contextually and culturally appropriate behavior support plans will be shared.

Learning Objectives - Part 1

1. Define survivable interventions and understand the importance of collaborating with families to design behavior support plans that are survivable in family contexts
2. Define three theories that form the foundation of family centered positive behavior support (FCPBS), and that contribute to the design of survivable interventions.
3. Describe six qualities that characterize a collaborative partnership between families and professionals

Learning Objectives - Part 2

1. Understand and describe the value of adding to a functional assessment an assessment of parent-child interaction patterns that hinder or promote child development.
2. Understand the importance of using a cultural assessment tool to design a culturally responsive process of positive behavior support
3. Understand the difference between an empowerment approach to parent education and training and an expert model parent education and training.
   

About the Presenter

Joe Lucyshyn

Joseph Lucyshyn is an Associate Professor and BCBA-D in the Faculty of Education at University of British Columbia. Dr. Lucyshyn has extensive experience working in collaboration with families and professionals to develop and implement positive behavior support plans in home and community settings for children with developmental disabilities who engage in severe problem behavior. He has authored publications in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Child and Family Studies, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, and is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Positive Behavioural Support. From 2004 and 2010, he served as Principal Investigator of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded longitudinal study entitled Transforming Coercive Processes in Family Routines. From 2011 to 2017, Dr. Lucyshyn was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS) and served as Co-Chair of the Dissemination Committee and the International Workgroup. His current research focuses on a secondary prevention, group parent training approach to family centered positive behavior support (FCPBS), and on culturally responsive, FCPBS services with families of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.