Promoting Social Scaffolding Behaviors in Staff Members and Peer-Directed Behaviors Among Persons With Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities: An Intervention Study

© 2018 International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) present limited peer-directed behaviors toward their peers with PIMD. It is not clear how staff can facilitate and promote the mutual peer-directed behaviors between persons with PIMD. In this study, we explored if peer-directed behaviors among persons with PIMD can be increased by an intervention that is focused on training the staff in providing social scaffolding behaviors toward their clients. An A-B-B′-C design was used in this study. A baseline condition was followed by two intervention conditions and a follow-up. Four staff members participated in a training in which they were informed about peer interactions in persons with PIMD and learned how to promote these interactions. They developed a peer interaction supportive activity. This activity was provided to two persons with PIMD for 10 weeks. Social scaffolding behaviors of staff as well as peer-directed behaviors of persons with PIMD were coded during videotaped observations. A significant increase of social scaffolding behaviors of staff members was observed during the intervention with a significant decrease at follow-up. Significantly, more singular and fewer multiple peer-directed behaviors of persons with PIMD were observed during the intervention. Both singular and multiple peer-directed behaviors decreased again at follow-up. A short training of staff members already positively affects their social scaffolding behaviors and increases the amount of peer-directed behaviors of persons with PIMD. However, the amount of both behaviors decreased again at follow-up. This argues to broadly apply this training in services and schools for persons with PIMD and to complement it with continuing staff coaching on this topic.

Publication year:2018

BOF-keylabel:yes

IOF-keylabel:yes

BOF-publication weight:0.1

CSS-citation score:1

Authors:International

Authors from:Higher Education

Accessibility:Open