The Disability Support Worker Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Chapter 5 Facilitate Skills Development and Maintenance

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Assessing learning ability and needs  The use of assessment/planning tools should aim to identify an individual’s skills development requirements in the context of person-centred planning  The initial starting point is with the person and not the type of disability  Life skills requirements should be contextualised in order to support the person to plan and maintain a more valued life  The most valued and relevant strategies should be used to meet skills development requirements including referral to generic and mainstream services

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Identifying skills development and/or maintenance opportunities Should be included in an individualised plan which:  Indicates strategies to be used to achieve the person’s life directions or goals  Provides structure for ensuring that clients are engaged  Links to short and long-term learning goals  Includes learning activities and goals appropriate to the person  Should be monitored with agreed dates for review and possible modifications.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Skill development relates to examples including:  Life skills: Practical skills for everyday life  Social skills: Skills involved getting along with other people  Vocational skills: Employability skills  Specialist vocational skills: Required training or required competencies for employment in particular vocations  Personal support skills: Skills which relate to personal needs

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Documentation requirements  Learning objectives to be achieved in terms of required skills and knowledge to be gained  Attitudinal change as it relates to acquiring knowledge and skills  Performance expectations that are sought  Criteria to be used in assessing performance  Training delivery details  Recommended assessment strategies to be used  How progress and steps to independence will be monitored

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Making referrals  An assessment of learning abilities and needs may lead to referrals to other staff or services.  The role of other staff and services may be ongoing and integrated into the skills development/maintenance program.  Examples include educational psychologists and behavioral consultants

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Learning goals  Learning goals should be relevant to clients by maximising independence and opening up further opportunities for inclusion in society  Achievement of the learning goals should close the gap between existing skills and what skills are required in terms of their future

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Learning strategies Respond to learning styles in terms of preference for:  Visual: Pictures, images, and spatial understanding  Aural: Sound and music  Verbal: Spoken and written words  Physical: Use of body, hands and sense of touch  Logical: Logic and reasoning with use of numbers  Social: Learning with other people and group-based learning  Solitary: Working alone and individualised study.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Teaching strategies Includes:  Role modelling  Skills component mastery  Demonstration  Drama and role play  Peer group learning

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Documenting person’s support plan Suggestions on documentation of the support plan include:  Entering regular data on assessments of performance of tasks involving knowledge and skills  Ensuring that the individual and staff involved in the skills development plan have ready access to the plan and are involved in entering data in accordance with their role  Providing comments on achievements and difficulties being experienced

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Documenting person’s support plan Aims to:  Register any information which relates to a review of goals and strategies being used  Involves the client with self-evaluations of performance and subsequent entry of data and input into support plan  Ensure that the documented plan is used at review sessions which should also include parents where client is a child.  Making sure that the documented plan should be central to a regular process involving reflection and feedback by all parties

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Strategies to motivate and empower  Establish rapport by using effective listening skills, by showing interest and by providing positive feedback  Show enthusiasm through your body language and your choice of words with clients  Be positive and show encouragement to build self esteem, which people with a disability often lack  Use a variety of teaching and learning methodologies to achieve learning goals and recognise that individuals learn differently

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Strategies to motivate and empower  Be well organised and create clear expectations  Be flexible and prepared to adjust learning plans if goals are too ambitious  Organise meetings between team members to monitor progress

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Monitoring progress  It is important to regularly monitor the progress of clients in terms of their skills development and maintenance plan and to provide feedback to the person  How the review occurs will depend on the organisation where you work and on the models used  You should ensure that you are familiar with how monitoring occurs

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Identifying informal learning opportunities  You should identify opportunities for informal or incidental learning to enhance skills development  Informal learning does not deliberately occur but takes place incidentally as a result of individual experiences and interaction with others

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Encouraging experiential learning Experiential learning aims to involve learners in critical thinking, problem solving and decision making in contexts that are personally relevant to them. This may include examples such as:  Work places  Group projects  Social outings  Community work  Recreation, sporting and cultural involvement

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Providing feedback and encouragement  Provide feedback straight away as positive reinforcement  Be specific in terms of feedback provided e.g. ‘You did a great job of handling the counter enquiry just now’  If feedback is negative keep it private  Positive feedback can be given publicly to inspire others  Make sure feedback is genuine as shown by your choice of words and body language  Provide feedback whenever appropriate and as much as possible

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) – /Arnott/The Disability Support Worker IM Feedback and encouragement helps to:  Reinforce positive behaviors and actions  Motivate learning  Build self-esteem  Increase confidence  Unblock obstacles to learning  Maximise independence, with less reliance on others