What is Forest City Behavior?
FCBD is an organization of mental health and behavioral professionals dedicated to ensuring that people with developmental disabilities (DD) receive the best practice-based and research-proven clinical services they deserve.
FCBD is an organization of mental health and behavioral professionals dedicated to ensuring that people with developmental disabilities (DD) receive the best practice-based and research-proven clinical services they deserve.
What do you mean by “best practice” and “research proven”?
What do you mean by “best practice” and “research proven?
Research proven treatments are those treatments which have been evaluated scientifically and found to be effective. Typically, a treatment has to be shown to be effective under several repeated experimental trials before it can be considered research proven - it's not enough to show that it works only one time.
Best practice standards are the guidelines that ethical clinical professionals follow when deciding which treatment to use in a given case. Generally speaking, this involves using the approach that is research proven for the type of case the professional is dealing with. However, there are also clinical situations for which there is not sufficient research. In these situations the professional must understand what the accepted practice standards are and base his or her treatment on those standards.
Research proven treatments are those treatments which have been evaluated scientifically and found to be effective. Typically, a treatment has to be shown to be effective under several repeated experimental trials before it can be considered research proven - it's not enough to show that it works only one time.
Best practice standards are the guidelines that ethical clinical professionals follow when deciding which treatment to use in a given case. Generally speaking, this involves using the approach that is research proven for the type of case the professional is dealing with. However, there are also clinical situations for which there is not sufficient research. In these situations the professional must understand what the accepted practice standards are and base his or her treatment on those standards.
Why is it important that treatment for people with DD be research proven and/or based on best practice standards?
Why is it important that treatment for people with DD be research proven and/or based on best practice standards?
Modern medicine has provided amazing advances for our health, longevity, and for society in general. The human lifespan has increased, and people are healthier into their old age than ever before. Children born today will have only academic knowledge of diseases like Polio, which affected thousands upon thousands of people less than 100 years ago.
All of these advances became possible only after medicine adopted research proven and/or best practice standard based treatment. Prior to this medical treatment was largely based upon folklore.
We sometimes take modern medicine for granted nowadays. To put this into perspective, imagine that you have a cut on your hand that has become infected. Today you would go to the doctor and she would follow best practice standards by prescribing a research proven treatment - an antibiotic.
Before the adoption of research proven and/or best practice standard based treatment your doctor would likely have prescribed bloodletting - a treatment that not only would have failed to help, but would have weakened you and made you less able to fight off the infection on your own.
Mental health treatment has undergone a similar transformation. 100 years ago if you had gone to your doctor to treat depression he might have given you cocaine - Freud prescribed it to several of his patients (and himself). We know now, through research that cocaine is highly addictive, causes heart problems, and is not an effective treatment for depression - in fact, it can make depression much worse. In Freud's day, however, treatments did not have to be proven before being used.
Today, if your doctor tried to treat your infection with bloodletting, or your depression with cocaine, you would find another doctor.
Modern medicine has provided amazing advances for our health, longevity, and for society in general. The human lifespan has increased, and people are healthier into their old age than ever before. Children born today will have only academic knowledge of diseases like Polio, which affected thousands upon thousands of people less than 100 years ago.
All of these advances became possible only after medicine adopted research proven and/or best practice standard based treatment. Prior to this medical treatment was largely based upon folklore.
We sometimes take modern medicine for granted nowadays. To put this into perspective, imagine that you have a cut on your hand that has become infected. Today you would go to the doctor and she would follow best practice standards by prescribing a research proven treatment - an antibiotic.
Before the adoption of research proven and/or best practice standard based treatment your doctor would likely have prescribed bloodletting - a treatment that not only would have failed to help, but would have weakened you and made you less able to fight off the infection on your own.
Mental health treatment has undergone a similar transformation. 100 years ago if you had gone to your doctor to treat depression he might have given you cocaine - Freud prescribed it to several of his patients (and himself). We know now, through research that cocaine is highly addictive, causes heart problems, and is not an effective treatment for depression - in fact, it can make depression much worse. In Freud's day, however, treatments did not have to be proven before being used.
Today, if your doctor tried to treat your infection with bloodletting, or your depression with cocaine, you would find another doctor.
If modern medicine is research proven and/or based on best practice standards, why is knowing about this important for people with DD?
If modern medicine is research proven and/or based on best practice standards, why is knowing about this important for people with DD?
Unfortunately people with DD have not benefited as much as other populations from the scientific revolution in clinical treatment. There are many reasons for this, but what it means for treatment is that most medical and mental health professionals have little to no experience providing treatment to people with DD. Many will not be familiar with, or perhaps even be aware, that the treatment standards for people with DD are different from the general population.
In addition the scarcity of experienced professionals can cause parents, guardians, and professionals to turn to unproven treatments. There are many of these "fad therapies" out there - many promising miraculous results. Unfortunately these are rarely effective, and often are harmful. Even those fad therapies that do not cause direct personal harm can cause indirect harm in the form of opportunity costs - meaning that they waste time, money, and other resources that could have been dedicated to proven treatments.
Unfortunately people with DD have not benefited as much as other populations from the scientific revolution in clinical treatment. There are many reasons for this, but what it means for treatment is that most medical and mental health professionals have little to no experience providing treatment to people with DD. Many will not be familiar with, or perhaps even be aware, that the treatment standards for people with DD are different from the general population.
In addition the scarcity of experienced professionals can cause parents, guardians, and professionals to turn to unproven treatments. There are many of these "fad therapies" out there - many promising miraculous results. Unfortunately these are rarely effective, and often are harmful. Even those fad therapies that do not cause direct personal harm can cause indirect harm in the form of opportunity costs - meaning that they waste time, money, and other resources that could have been dedicated to proven treatments.
What does Forest City Behavior & Development do to ensure that people with developmental disabilities (DD) receive the best practice-based and research-proven clinical services they deserve?
What does Forest City Behavior do to ensure best practice for people with DD...?
FCBD offers three levels of service to ensure that people with developmental disabilities (DD) receive the best practice-based and research-proven clinical services they deserve:
The first level includes the web-based educational, training, informational, and reference resources offered through the FCBD website. Most of these services are offered free of charge.
The second level includes the direct training services offered by the FCBD staff.
The third level involves direct case consultation by the FCBD staff in the areas of Applied Behavior Analysis, Social Work, Clinical Pharmacy, Psychological Assessment, and Psychiatry.
FCBD offers three levels of service to ensure that people with developmental disabilities (DD) receive the best practice-based and research-proven clinical services they deserve:
The first level includes the web-based educational, training, informational, and reference resources offered through the FCBD website. Most of these services are offered free of charge.
The second level includes the direct training services offered by the FCBD staff.
The third level involves direct case consultation by the FCBD staff in the areas of Applied Behavior Analysis, Social Work, Clinical Pharmacy, Psychological Assessment, and Psychiatry.
What types of training and educational services does Forest City Behavior & Development offer?
What types of training and educational services does Forest City Behavior offer?
FCBD offers online training presentations on a number of topics. In addition we also offer on-site training at your location by special arrangement. Where needed, arrangements can be made to offer certification of contact hours.
We provide information about life from the perspective of a parent of a child with a developmental disability in Pam Vivian's journal in the Parents Grove.
Erin Wade, PhD/BCBA-D, offers discussion about various topics in and surrounding the field of Behavior Analysis in Behaviorally Speaking including discussion of basic behavioral theory and approach, specific techniques, reviews of research articles, books and treatment materials.
FCBD offers online training presentations on a number of topics. In addition we also offer on-site training at your location by special arrangement. Where needed, arrangements can be made to offer certification of contact hours.
We provide information about life from the perspective of a parent of a child with a developmental disability in Pam Vivian's journal in the Parents Grove.
Erin Wade, PhD/BCBA-D, offers discussion about various topics in and surrounding the field of Behavior Analysis in Behaviorally Speaking including discussion of basic behavioral theory and approach, specific techniques, reviews of research articles, books and treatment materials.
What is Applied Behavior Analysis? What services does Forest City Behavior & Development offer in this area?
What is ABA? What services does Forest City Behavior offer in this area?
Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, is sometimes described as the natural science of human behavior. While it grows out of psychology, ABA focuses on observable and measurable patterns to human behavior rather than attempting to understand the thoughts that are behind the behavior.
This detailed, scientific approach to understanding human behavior has important benefits both for teaching new skills and for treating challenging behaviors. By viewing behavior in this way, we begin to understand that nearly all behavior – even challenging or problem behavior - is functional – it serves a purpose for the person engaging in it.
ABA uses a series of research proven assessment strategies, known collectively as Functional Assessment, to determine the function of challenging behaviors. Once the function of challenging behaviors is identified we can then teach the person new, appropriate skills for getting his or her wants and needs known. As new, more appropriate means of getting those needs met is taught, the need to engage in the challenging behavior declines. There is a considerable volume of research that shows that treatment planning based on this process is very effective. For a more complete overview, see our Training Presentation entitled Functional Assessment or How to Get Your Behavior Programs to Work
Even more importantly, the same teaching techniques that we use for behavioral treatment planning can be used to teach skills proactively, preventing the development of problem behaviors and helping people with autism and other developmental disabilities become more independent and effective in their lives. These approaches can be used to teach skills ranging from the very simple - shape and color identification - to very complex skill sets such as complex social and communication skills.
For a more complete overview, see our Training Presentation entitled Functional Assessment or How to Get Your Behavior Programs to Work. Or, more information about this or any service offered by Forest City Behavior & Development please feel free to contact us.
Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, is sometimes described as the natural science of human behavior. While it grows out of psychology, ABA focuses on observable and measurable patterns to human behavior rather than attempting to understand the thoughts that are behind the behavior.
This detailed, scientific approach to understanding human behavior has important benefits both for teaching new skills and for treating challenging behaviors. By viewing behavior in this way, we begin to understand that nearly all behavior – even challenging or problem behavior - is functional – it serves a purpose for the person engaging in it.
ABA uses a series of research proven assessment strategies, known collectively as Functional Assessment, to determine the function of challenging behaviors. Once the function of challenging behaviors is identified we can then teach the person new, appropriate skills for getting his or her wants and needs known. As new, more appropriate means of getting those needs met is taught, the need to engage in the challenging behavior declines. There is a considerable volume of research that shows that treatment planning based on this process is very effective. For a more complete overview, see our Training Presentation entitled Functional Assessment or How to Get Your Behavior Programs to Work
Even more importantly, the same teaching techniques that we use for behavioral treatment planning can be used to teach skills proactively, preventing the development of problem behaviors and helping people with autism and other developmental disabilities become more independent and effective in their lives. These approaches can be used to teach skills ranging from the very simple - shape and color identification - to very complex skill sets such as complex social and communication skills.
For a more complete overview, see our Training Presentation entitled Functional Assessment or How to Get Your Behavior Programs to Work. Or, more information about this or any service offered by Forest City Behavior & Development please feel free to contact us.
In what geographic areas does Forest City Behavior & Development offer its services?
In what geographic areas does Forest City Behavior offer its services?
Forest City Behavior & Development primarily offers direct consultation and assessment services in Northwestern Illinois. Our base is in Rockford, Illinois, (the Forest City) though we do offer services throughout the northwestern corner of the state. In some cases, depending upon distance and travel time, travel time may charged as part of the consultation fee.
In most cases, in order to ensure that sufficient time is available to provide appropriate services, in-person consultation is limited to locations within a four-hour drive of our base. However, Forest City Behavior also uses Telehealth Video Conferencing services, making it possible to make arrangements for consultation in other locations.
We are pleased to offer training and educational services throughout the continental United States, and would be happy to make arrangements to do training at your site.
For more information about this or any service offered by Forest City Behavior & Development please feel free to contact us.
Forest City Behavior & Development primarily offers direct consultation and assessment services in Northwestern Illinois. Our base is in Rockford, Illinois, (the Forest City) though we do offer services throughout the northwestern corner of the state. In some cases, depending upon distance and travel time, travel time may charged as part of the consultation fee.
In most cases, in order to ensure that sufficient time is available to provide appropriate services, in-person consultation is limited to locations within a four-hour drive of our base. However, Forest City Behavior also uses Telehealth Video Conferencing services, making it possible to make arrangements for consultation in other locations.
We are pleased to offer training and educational services throughout the continental United States, and would be happy to make arrangements to do training at your site.
For more information about this or any service offered by Forest City Behavior & Development please feel free to contact us.