How do I track Behavior Intensity

Behavior Intensity Tracking

Background

This articles addresses having reported behavior intensities for each behavior, so that a person may have one set of intensities for one behavior and another set for a different behavior.

In theory we could do exactly that, but it is our position that simply providing custom lookup lists for each person for each behavior and each version of the Behavior Support Plan (BSP) will inhibit our ability to provide an evidence-based solution. Some examples of ways we would be inhibited from data analysis if each person has an ad hoc list of intensities are:

1. We cannot compare incidences of intense behavior across a client’s history (because we cannot guarantee that definitions of intensity did not change with every version of the BSP)

2. We cannot associate the prevalence of high or low intensity behaviors for a given client or group of clients with a particular location or facility because the definitions of intensities may not be consistent across one client’s history or any other group of clients.

3. We cannot assess the efficacy of redirection and Supports for commonly occurring incidents within a population of clients facing similar issues.

4. As a result of these concerns, we have built an alternative approach that does approach the problem in a structured way – yet if you really wanted to provide a custom list for each person for each BSP and each behavior, you could. Our hope is that you won’t – but the system will not stop you.

Overview of the Approach We’ve Taken

The implemented approach is straight forward and consists of just a few key components:

1. A user definable “master list” of intensities

2. An ability to link a subset of that list to specific behaviors for specific clients and specific BSPs.

3. The automated display of selected intensities as choices when logging a behavior.

4. The decoupling of logged data for a client with their list of choices, so that if you want to change what is tracked for a client to a “new way”, it won’t disrupt previous data that was logged “the old way”.

Details

Step 1. Setting up the Master List

• Go to Configuration Lookup Lists (menu > Configuration > Lookup Lists) and search for “Intensities”.
  • A lookup list will appear, and any items desired can be added to the list.

Step 2. Linking Intensities to a Client Behavior

• Go to Client Documents (menu > Client Documents) and find the document type “BSP".

• Click the BSP ID Number and locate the Behaviors List.
  • Add behaviors as needed.

Step 3. Creating unique intensities for each person for each plan

• For each behavior, click on the behavior name to fill in details for that behavior.
  • For the selected behavior you will see a selection list for “Behavior Intensities”.
    • Click the “Plus” icon to add items from the “Library” that you set up in Step 1.

Step 4: Log the Data
When you go to log the data, the behavior entry screen has a spot where you select the behavior. When you select a behavior, the intensity dropdown list will update with whatever options you selected in Step 3 for that person, that behavior, and their most recent active BSP.

Unique Intensities for Every Person

Though we recommend against this for the data analysis reasons described previously, you could achieve having reported behavior intensities for each behavior, so that a person may have one set of intensities for one behavior and another set for a different behavior. in the following way.

Approach

• Update the master list with person specific things, such as:
  • “Mary Smith – intense repetition”
  • “Mary Smith – mild mumbling”
  • Etc.
• Go to Mary Smith’s BSP and select those intensities for her.
• Repeat for each person and each behavior.

Making it More Efficient

To reduce the back and forth from screen to screen, you could take advantage of your browser to open both the configuration screen and Mary’s BSP screen at the same time. A two-monitor set up is ideal for this, but one could work if you move things around. Proceed as follows:

1. Open one browser (for example CHROME), launch IMPOWR and Invoke the Configuration screen as described in Step 1 above. (Menu>Configuration>Lookup Lists, then search for “intens”).

2. Open another brand Browser (for example EDGE) and go to IMPOWR and launch Client Documents and the client BSP.

3. Add an item to the master library on one screen – then select it for the client on the other screen.

4. Repeat for each person and each behavior.

The reason it is better with two types of browsers is that if both are the same type, the two “instances” will interact with one another. It won’t hurt anything but sometimes when you click the back button it might go back to the page the other instance was using, and other weird flows like that. Two distinct brands eliminate that issue but is not required.