Program Goals

The goals of the TRE-ADD Respite Program are:

For children/youth:

• Improve quality of life
• Reduce maladaptive behaviors
• Increase independence
• Learn daily living skills

For families/caregivers:

• Alleviate stress
• Improve quality of life
• Achieve peace of mind in leaving child/youth for short breaks

Logic Model

View the Logic Model for TRE-ADD Respite Program.

Essential Components

The essential components of the TRE-ADD Respite Program include:

• Serves youth who are unable to be supported at other community respite services due to their complex needs
• Strives for excellence in the delivery of services that foster growth in children and youth with ASD and multiple needs, and their families
• Provides robust clinical supports to enable the management of complex behaviors such as 1:1 ratio of client to staff
• Uses a well-defined and consistent program structure based on:
• Predictable routine for the respite home
• Basic skills acquisition
• Use of an ABA and biopsychosocial approach to:
• Improve social interactions
• Foster independence
• Reduce challenging behaviors
• Build capacity for community integration
• Utilizes behavior-analytic principles such as:
• Visual schedules
• Visual timers
• Modelling
• Naturalistic teaching strategies
• Behavioral momentum
• Graduated guidance
• Reinforcement strategies
• Peer-mediated approaches
• Provides assistance with the following as needed:
• Hygiene routines
• Household tasks
• Food preparation
• Community engagement
• Provides activities such as:
• Use of the Sensory room
• Playing games
• Themed arts & craft
• Puzzles
• Board games
• iPad use for games
• Movies
• Trampoline
• Provides planned community outings to meet the needs of the child and ensuing safety such as:
• Swimming
• Water parks
• Playgrounds
• Amusement parks
• Creates individualized programs and protocols for each child depending on their strengths, needs, and preferences
• Uses an interdisciplinary team, including parents/caregivers and other community-based professional who are involved in the care of the child/youth
• Emphasizes monitoring and evaluating effectiveness of each program and protocol and modifying as needed
• Requires program staff be formally educated and trained in the application of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) prior to employment
• Trains staff on the appropriate necessary skills with close monitoring from a behavior services consultant and program supervisor; these include:
• Implementing behavioral overviews
• Conducting behavior programs
• Following crisis response plans
• Collecting behavior data
• Providing feedback regarding obstacles to successful implementation of behavior programs
• Uses the Behavior Skills Training (BST) Model to train staff which provides:
• Instruction
• Modeling (through video or in-person as appropriate)
• Roleplay (behavioral rehearsal)
• Feedback
• Provides clinical support to staff by the program’s Behavior Services Consultant
• Uses technology (iPads, email, cloud computing, etc.) within program and for communicating with families and TRE-ADD partners to:
• Schedule visits, activities, appointments, drop off and pick up etc.
• Collect preference assessment data
• Share pictures and notes from activities
• Strives to schedule individuals in a consistent manner, so they are able to stay with peers they know and are similar in age and level of functioning
• Provides discussion of discharge plan with family and a summarized report of the respite visits which includes:
• Respite Summary
• Individualized Behavioral Overview
• Behavior and frequency Data
• Preference assessment data
• Measures client performance by collecting detailed data during the individuals stay at respite:
• Collects data on:
• The frequency of target behaviors
• Rapport building
• Preference assessments
• Any program-specific data
• Fills in daily log reports outlining the tasks and activities the individual engaged in during their visit at respite
• Provides a behavioral overview (i.e., a document outlining all the important information staff need to know when working with the client) for each client.
• Provides the data collected for this document during the family Plan of Care meeting, during initial observations, and from all other data collected during the client’s time at respite
• Updates document continuously as needed
• Conducts data in the form of performance checklists in order to measure staff performance on the programs and protocols implemented for the respite clients

Program Delivery

Child/Adolescent Services

TRE-ADD Respite Program directly provides services to children/adolescents and addresses the following:

• Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and has challenging and complex maladaptive behaviors including aggression, severe self-injurious, running, property destruction

Parent/Caregiver Services

TRE-ADD Respite Program directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

• Parents/caregivers of children/youth diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and have challenging and complex maladaptive behaviors

Recommended Intensity:

Respite Coordinator and support staff will have ongoing contact with families ensuring up-to-date information on file, any changes to the child’s care including medication. The number of 24- to 48-hour stays will be determined by each implementing agency’s funding stream.

Recommended Duration:

The length of program availability will be determined by each implementing agency’s funding stream.

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider
• Group or Residential Care

Homework

This program does not include a homework component.

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

• Computers
• iPads
• Behavioral Personal Protective Equipment
• Person-centered activities:
• Toys
• Crafts
• Trampoline
• Sensory room
• Vehicle
• A designated location
• Bedrooms
• Visual schedules
• Picture Exchange Communication system
• Social stories

The environment of the program should be:

• A large residential home with:
• Living rooms
• Activity and playrooms
• Sensory room
• Bathrooms
• Bedrooms
• A fenced in backyard
• Parking on-site
• A maglock system and video monitoring due to the complex needs of the individuals the program serves

The following are also needed to run the program:

• Keeping in contact with the finance department
• Positive rapport with families and other community services
• Maintaining partnerships with community-based professionals
• Maintaining licensing standards outlined by local jurisdictions
• Adhering to any other relevant federal or state legislation

Manuals and Training

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

Staffing team in the respite home would have the following minimum qualifications and experience:

• Degree or diploma in a relevant human services field
• ABA diploma and experience using the approach
• Preference given to candidates with a Behavioral Service Technologist diploma (or similar)
• Experience working in a residential or day program that used an ABA approach to service delivery.

There must be clinical oversight by a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst to ensure ABA programming is being conducted ethically and as designed.

Manual Information

There is not a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact:

• Community Living Toronto
  abennett@cltoronto.ca
  phone: (647) 729-0450

Training Type/Location:

PowerPoint presentation with informal consultation provided

Number of days/hours:

No set length of time.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Currently, there are no published, peer-reviewed research studies for TRE-ADD Respite Program.

Additional References