Community Living
Missouri MENTOR’s Group Homes help adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities live as independently as possible and thrive in the communities of their choice.
Behavior Support Services for Adults and Children
At Missouri MENTOR, we know that with the right supports, everyone is capable of thriving in the community they call home. In our Behavior Support Services, our highly trained team members utilize the principles and strategies of evidenced-based practices such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to help adults and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental conditions address behavioral challenges and develop skills for independence. We work with the individuals we serve to build functional, behavioral, communication, and social skills they need to live life to the fullest in the community and avoid hospitalizations or out-of-home placements.
Individualized Supports for Successful Outcomes
Our Behavior Support Services begin with a Skills Assessment or Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), in which our team of licensed professionals—including our Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)—works closely with the individual and support team to pinpoint areas for change. From this assessment our behavior team develops a treatment plan, working with the individual, their family and other members of their support network to increase existing positive behaviors, reduce challenging behaviors, and teach skills to help individuals interact with others and respond to challenging situations and environments in a healthy way. Skill development areas may include:
- Appropriate expression and management of emotions
- Assertiveness and self-advocacy
- Acquisition of socially appropriate behaviors, daily living skills and social skills
- Functional communication
As individuals develop new skills, we help them practice what they’ve learned in real-world settings so they can continue to be successful, both at home and in community settings.
Applied Behavior Analysis
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a proven, evidence-based approach to helping children and adults with autism and other challenges make socially significant improvements in their behavior. ABA services are generally provided on a short-term basis, and each treatment plan is personalized for the individual served and their specific challenges, situation and setting. Specific behavior services include:
- Functional Behavior Assessments to develop each individual’s treatment plan
- Adaptive behavior treatment and exposure adaptive behavior treatment
- Family behavior treatment guidance
- Social skills group behavior treatment
- Evidence based skill assessments specifically selected for each individual
Caregiver Training and Support
Involvement by parents, family members and/or legal guardians is an important part of the treatment process and is essential to the individual’s long-term success, for both children and adults. Therefore, Missouri MENTOR also trains and supports parents, caregivers and family members on how to implement the behavior plan at home or in the community, wherever supports are needed. We provide evidence-based training designed for each person’s behavior plan and each caregiver’s unique learning needs. Caregivers learn how to teach replacement behaviors, document progress and manage challenging behaviors when they arise. In addition, our behavior team is available to support caregivers with ongoing instruction in implementing behavior plans.
Our behavior team regularly communicates with parents and/or caregivers and reviews caregiver documentation to monitor progress and help ensure positive outcomes by replacing problem behaviors and building social, communication, and self-help skills. This enables us to adjust each individual’s behavior plan and help them reach new milestones as their needs change. Our behavioral team also provides regular progress updates to the individual served, caregivers, staff members, and case managers to ensure our behavior support services are as effective as possible.
Ready to Get Started?
Please fill out one of the forms below if you are looking for services. Instructions for how to submit the forms to our team are included in them. Please note that we have separate forms for children and adults.
Children’s services application
If you have questions, please contact us at 314-991-7944 or email our Senior Behavior Analyst Morgan Keence at [email protected].