Trauma‑Informed Care (TIC) of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Pilot Survey of Board Certified Behavior Analysts at a Human Services Organization
Trauma‑Informed Care (TIC) of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities:
A Pilot Survey of Board Certified Behavior Analysts at a Human Services Organization
James K. Luiselli, Ed.D., ABPP, BCBA-D
Frank L. Bird, M.Ed., LABA , BCBA, CDE®
Jill M. Harper, Ph.D., LABA, BCBA, CDE®
Jennifer Ruane, Ph.D., LABA, BCBA, CDE®
Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Abstract
We conducted an online survey of board certified behavior analysts (n = 67) at a human services organization to assess their attitudes and opinions about trauma-informed care (TIC) of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and compatibility with behavior analytic practice. Survey respondents indicated they had no to minimal college level/graduate school coursework, training, supervision, and implementation experience in TIC. They largely agreed that TIC should be considered for persons with IDD, provides knowledge that can improve behavior analytic services, should be emphasized in training, and is within the scope of behavior analyst practice. However, there was strong agreement that TIC is not defined or practiced consistently and is not well-researched by behavior analysts. We discuss the implications of these findings and present survey informed recommendations for advancing TIC within the behavior analytic professional community.
