Behavioral Intervention
Each individual served has the right to the most humane and effective education and treatment intervention available. Our approach is individualized, and focuses on providing the most effective, person-centered, positive treatment in the least restrictive environment.
We strive to develop effective treatment plans that not only decrease the occurrence of inappropriate behaviors, but more importantly, strengthen and promote adaptive behaviors that lead to increased independence and enhanced quality of life.
For those individuals whose behaviors are injurious and detrimental to themselves and/or others, positive procedures are emphasized to increase appropriate, adaptive responses, prior to using any restrictive procedures.
For some individuals, appropriately selected and implemented behavior reduction programs are crucial to their progress. These programs maximize the effects of skill building programs by decreasing the frequency and/or duration of dysfunctional behaviors.
If restrictive interventions are used under optimal clinical conditions, their use can be appropriate, effective and instrumental in increasing the independence, autonomy, and quality of life of those with severe behavior disorders. Optimal conditions can be defined as:
- 1). The individual is in an enriched environment that promotes healthy, adaptive, and pro-social behaviors;
- 2). Less restrictive interventions have been exhausted, and shown through objective clinical outcome measures to be ineffective in controlling the dangerous behaviors;
- 3). Any use of restrictive interventions is only one part of an overall comprehensive, positive program that is individualized to not only decrease the dangerous behaviors, but also to increase appropriate, adaptive responses;
- 4). Any proposed interventions have undergone active peer review by a behavior management committee, and ethical review by a human rights committee;
- 5). Written informed consent is obtained from guardians, Chief Executive Officer (or designee) and Physician;
- 6). Training of all staff members who will be implementing the procedure is documented, and;
- 7). There is an active ongoing review of clinical outcome measures to justify continuation as long as the procedure is in use.
- 8). All behavior plans with any restrictive procedures have fading criteria as dangerous behaviors decrease.
Our goal is always to reduce, and preferably eliminate, the need for more restrictive interventions, and our track record of success is unsurpassed in the field.
The Lindens Neurobehavioral Stabilization Program