Behavioral Training and Performance Management of Human Services Organization Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
A two-hour blended BST package pushed residential-school staff to perfect COVID-19 protocol fidelity that lasted a month.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Maguire and team trained 25 care providers in a residential school. The goal was a large share use of COVID-19 safety steps.
They used a mix of Zoom lessons, in-person practice, and feedback. The whole package took about two hours.
What they found
Right after training, every staff member scored a large share on a 50-step checklist. One month later, they still hit a large share.
Supervisors later said the school felt safe and calm during the pandemic.
How this fits with other research
Gray et al. (2026) tried a web-only BST course for students learning to run BST. One student hit a large share fidelity with no extra help; two needed a quick feedback call. This extends Maguire’s model: remote BST works, but a few learners still need a live touch-up.
Geurts et al. (2008) showed that one 30-minute BST session with role-play pushed staff to a large share accuracy on preference assessments. Maguire’s longer, blended format pushed COVID steps to a large share, showing how the field has refined brief BST into a tighter package.
Chovet Santa Cruz et al. (2024) used remote BST to teach two kids to leave online games when strangers approach. Both studies hit mastery and kept the skill, showing remote BST keeps its punch across ages and safety topics.
Why it matters
You can copy this plan when you need staff to master any health or safety routine. Record a short video demo, run a quick Zoom quiz, then meet in person for practice and feedback. Checklists keep scores clear. One month later, spot-check a few steps to keep the skill alive.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This report describes a model of training and performance management that was designed for and implemented with care providers at a residential school for children with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disabilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The model focused on health and safety concerns, risk mitigation, and intervention integrity. Procedures followed an applied behavior analysis (ABA) and organizational behavior management (OBM) framework. Action plans addressed (a) critical COVID-19 protocols, (b) behavior-specific implementation guidelines, (c) remote and in-person training formats, (d) in vivo supervision, and (e) knowledge and performance assessments. A competency evaluation (field study) revealed that participant care providers (N = 25) acquired and maintained COVID-19 protocols at near 100% proficiency immediately following and 1-month post-training. Supervisors had uniformly positive approval and acceptance ratings of school responsiveness to the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrated and evidence-based care provider training and supervisory practices can promote risk mitigation and performance effectiveness during health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. More controlled research that includes multiple dependent measures is needed to replicate and extend our findings to similar human services settings.
Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 2022 · doi:10.1007/s41252-021-00234-6