The goal of most treatments for individuals with mental retardation/ developmental disabilities is to maximize their assets and allow them to live in the least restrictive setting possible. Maladaptive behaviors, however, significantly interfere with these goals by preventing institutionalized individuals from being placed into less restrictive environments. Due to a variety of pressures, staff in these institutions have difficulty treating these individuals and need expert assistance to develop more effective and efficient treatment plans. This proposal describes the development and evaluation of an automated expert consultation system, concerning the effective treatment of maladaptive behaviors, designed to meet the need for efficient treatment planning. The development of this system will be based on the clinical judgments of human experts, as well as, the current scientific literature concerning the treatment of individuals who engage in these maladaptive behaviors. The expert system will offer interactive consultation to a staff member on a particular client and will provide guidance for developing efficacious treatment strategies and plans. This system should promote both decreased levels of maladaptive behaviors and increased efficiency of staff training.
| Hile, M G; Desrochers, M N (1993) The relationship between functional assessment and treatment selection for aggressive behaviors. Res Dev Disabil 14:265-74 |
