Build Intensive Supports/Interventions Within Community Programs

What:

For some individuals with developmental disabilities, the nature of the challenging behaviors may result in aggression, destruction or self injury. These behaviors are sometimes expressed to a level where safety for the individual and the community is a concern.  Community teams are always striving to promote positive and therapeutic community life styles that address these issues in a proactive manner.  Yet, despite these efforts teams can predict dangerous behaviors will still occur. Individuals with these issues may challenge teams to develop more intensive supports to the community program in order to assure safety.   The approach, then, for these individuals is to offer “best practice” supported community lifestyles while simultaneously establishing an intensive crisis response for when dangerous behaviors occur.

Why:

When these programs are effective they assure the individuals grow emotionally, keep the community safe and reduce the risk of short or long stays in more restrictive settings.

How:

Some example of intensive crisis response can include:

• Training care providers in crisis intervention strategies
• Developing a “safe space” in the home for the purposes of regaining emotional control
• Use of physical intervention
• Including the police in a coordinated crisis response.

These approaches are called “Restrictive Measures”. The community support team will need to use these approaches carefully and thoughtfully in order to avoid human rights violations. Also when creating more intensive supports, teams are making decisions that may impact client rights. State of Wisconsin Community Integration Specialists should be included on the team to assist with these decisions.