Staff Training and Advanced Study
We recognize that it is our dedicated and well-trained staff who assure the quality of our services to those we support. We place a high priority on staff development and on maintaining connections with training resources, including universities and colleges, in order to stay current with new and effective treatments, educational techniques, and service delivery models.
.jpg)
As a result of this commitment, The Institute offers its employees a variety of opportunities to receive training. Direct support professionals participate in preservice and inservice training in topics such as:
- Applied behavior analysis
- Total communication
- Defensive driving
- CPR
- First aid
- Seizure identification and management
- Health monitoring
- Teaching adaptive skills
- Medication administration
- Nonviolent safe intervention in emergencies.
Management training is available for those who wish to move into supervision and program administration. Staff are provided with strong encouragement to pursue post-high school and graduate training in areas that are relevant to their work; tuition remission is provided as well to support them in their studies. The Institute collaborates with local colleges and universities to offer individualized internships and practica as well as paid work experiences.
The Institute provides opportunities for its employees to receive advanced training in applied behavioral analysis. Of all the approaches to education and treatment of people with learning and behavioral problems, none has been as well researched or documented as the skill building approaches encompassed by behavior analysis. This methodology has been widely adopted in a variety of educational and residential settings and forms the basis of intervention with children on the autism spectrum. Given the overwhelming evidence supporting its effectiveness, The Institute maintains a behavioral orientation in teaching and an evidence-based model to evaluate the effectiveness of our educational and intervention strategies.
Educational opportunities offered those with college degrees to pursue training in applied behavioral analysis include:
Tuition remission for core courses required to sit for the national exam to become a board certified behavior analyst or associate;
Supervision by an Institute BCBA clinician to meet the requirements to sit for the exam;
Continuing education credits to qualify for recertification;
Tuition assistance for completed course work leading to a degree in a work-related field;
Opportunities to attend advanced educational seminars with leading experts in the field of applied behavior analysis, intellectual disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders.
For specific information about The Institute’s support for employees seeking advanced training, please send an information request noting the state of interest (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, or Maryland-Mid Atlantic Human Services Corporation).