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| Supporting Successful Medical and Dental Visits: Behavioral Building Blocks, Guidance, and Case Reports |
| Friday, May 22, 2015 |
| 4:00 PM–7:00 PM |
| 206B (CC) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: Kelly L. McConnell, Ph.D. |
| KELLY L. MCCONNELL (The New England Center for Children) |
| Description: Successful medical and dental visits are important to deliver essential health care services and maintain ongoing health. Providing medical and dental care to children with ASD and related developmental disabilities can be challenging due to behavioral hallmarks such as aggression, self-injury, and communication deficits (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2011). One unfortunate outcome of uncooperative behavior during medical and dental visits may be an increased use of invasive procedures (e.g., general anesthesia, physical restraint) to provide routine care. Although necessary in some cases, these procedures can be costly, resource intensive, and intrusive, and may perpetuate problem behavior during future medical and dental treatment. Behavior management strategies to increase successful medical and dental visits, as well as components of health-related curricula to promote success during and in between visits will be discussed. Empirical studies will be reviewed, and tips for collaborative communication between families, caregivers, and medical professionals will be provided. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, participants should be able to: (1) describe the components of empirically validated approaches to solving the problem of challenging behavior in the context of medical and dental appointments; (2) identify the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, including limits to the likely success of particular strategies based on individual patient characteristics and program resources; (3) discuss components of health-related curricula to promote success during and in between medical and dental visits; (4) describe strategies to align curricula with current behavior programming and ensure safety; and (5) describe strategies to promote collaborative communication with all relevant stakeholders (e.g., parents, behavior analysts, special educators, as well as experts in other fields). |
| Activities: Workshop objectives will be met through a combination of lecture on core content and small group activities. Supplemental materials will be provided to support the covered content. |
| Audience: Caregivers of individuals with ASDs and related disabilities. Participants should have a basic knowledge of the behavioral hallmarks of children with ASDs and related disabilities. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
| Keyword(s): autism education, dental appointments, health, medical appointments |