An institutional staff training and self-management program for developing multiple self-care skills in severely/profoundly retarded individuals.
BST plus a self-score card keeps staff teaching self-care skills long after you leave.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Gillberg et al. (1983) built a staff-training package for workers in a large state facility. The package blended Behavioral Skills Training with a simple self-monitoring sheet.
Workers first watched a demo, then practiced with feedback, then scored their own teaching steps each shift. The study tracked whether staff kept using the steps and whether residents gained self-care skills like tooth-brushing.
What they found
Staff kept the new teaching steps even when supervisors stopped watching. Residents with severe or profound intellectual disability started doing more steps on their own.
In short, the training stuck and the clients learned.
How this fits with other research
Preas et al. (2021) ran the same BST logic with parents of autistic children and got the same good result. This shows the 1983 recipe still works across settings and diagnoses.
Qian et al. (2019) seems to disagree. Their large RCT of Active Support training found no gain in staff help or resident engagement. The gap is real: C et al. added self-monitoring and one-to-one coaching, while Xueqin relied on workshop-only training. Method difference, not a true clash.
Singh et al. (2016) kept the self-monitoring idea but layered mindfulness on top. Staff stress, restraints, and turnover all dropped. The 1983 seed grew into a fuller tree.
Why it matters
If you train staff, give them a pocket checklist and let them score themselves each shift. This tiny add-on turns a one-time workshop into lasting staff skill and client progress. Try it next week: after you model and role-play, hand the staff a 5-step card and ask them to tally yes/no for each client trial. You will see the same carry-over C et al. saw four decades ago.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although considerable attention has been given to the development of institutional staff training and management programs, the generalized effects of such programs on staff and resident behavior have seldom been examined. This study evaluated a program for teaching institutional staff behavioral training and self-management skills during self-care teaching sessions with severely and profoundly retarded residents. Following baseline observations in three self-care situations (toothbrushing, haircombing, handwashing), four direct care staff were sequentially taught to use verbal instruction, physical guidance, and contingent reinforcement in the toothbrushing program. During maintenance, staff were simultaneously taught to record, graph, and evaluate resident and their own behavior in the toothbrushing sessions. Staff were taught use of the training and self-management skills through a sequence of written instructions, videotaped and live modeling, rehearsal, and videotaped feedback. Observer presence and experimenter supervision were gradually decreased during the maintenance condition. Results indicated that during training and maintenance staff: (a) learned to use the training skills appropriately and consistently in the example situation (toothbrushing); (b) applied the skills in the generalization situations (haircombing and handwashing); and thereafter (c) maintained consistent and appropriate use of the skills with infrequent supervision. In addition, important changes in retarded residents' independent self-care responding occurred as staff training skills developed. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and continued development of effective staff training and management programs.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1983 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1983.16-395