Best Practices

Providing quality services to adults with developmental disabilities can be enhanced by use of best practices. Best practices are based on the experience and expertise of those who involved in providing community disability services and the research from the field.

Sharing best practice information with front line staff, families, and others involved in supporting adults with developmental disabilities is important in creating the best possible services for individuals.

Below are a number of resources and links that you are invited to look through and use.

Resources

Risk Assessment for Individuals with Complex Needs

• Risk Assessment User Guide
• Risk Analysis Recorder Form (on line version)
• Risk Analysis Participant Handout

Restrictive Practices

• Guidelines for the Use of Restrictive Practices
• Restrictive Practice Screening Tool

Transition Planning Scale

Assistance for managing the stress associated with major life changes such as moving from home to independent living.

• Introduction to the Transition Planning Scale
• Guide to Using the Transition Planning Scale
• The Transition Planning Scale
• Parent's Guide to Transition Planning (Child to Adult)

Reference Behaviour Monitoring

When an individual is receiving treatment for a mental health disorder, it is necessary to monitor effectiveness of treatment. This is best done by identifying and monitoring a reference behaviour.

• Guidelines
• Data Collection Tools

Functional Assessment

Resources for assessing behaviour of concern.

• Functional Assessment Form

Sensory Integration Dysfunction

Useful information on this common but little understood disorder.

• Sensory Integration Dysfunction

Person Centered Planning (PCP)

• PDD Central Region PCP Resources

Portfolio Builder

Form for tracking training courses taken.

• Portfolio Builder

Positive Approaches

My Life Matters was written for Michener services employees, but could serve as a guide for all support workers in the disability services field. It discusses a wide range of positive approaches to supporting adults with developmental disabilities and responding to unanticipated situations and behaviours of concern.

• My Life Matters

Links

Autism National Committee

Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc.

Prader Willi Syndrome (Alberta)

Inclusion.Com

Medical/Medication RX List
A great site for finding information about prescription drugs. You can search for both generic and trade names.

Internet Mental Health
A Canadian site (BC) with tons of information on mental health, mental health disorders, treatment and medications.

Dr. Chandler's Paediatric Psychiatry Pamphlets
Another great Canadian site (NS). Geared towards childhood mental health disorders but contains excellent easy to understand information with lots of examples.

Mental Health Aspects of Developmental Disabilities
U.S. website for the Journal of the same name.

The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding
Information on social stories by Carol Gray - the pioneer in this teaching technique.