Direct Support Professional

Direct Support Professional

Course Hours: 
180
Price: 
$1,000.00
Course Type: 
Mentor Supported
  • Description
  • Objectives
  • Outline
  • Materials
  • System Requirements
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People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have existed in all cultures across history. However, it has only been since the mid-1800’s that people began using terms to describe and classify these individuals. Direct Support Professionals provide care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a variety of settings. Our course examines the many components of human development through the life span, etiologies, various conditions and aspects of support and intervention that a Direct Support Professional can provide. 

Prerequisite(s): None

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • Identify components of intellectual and developmental disabilities
  • Recognize etiologies and conditions
  • Recall aspects of human development
  • Describe support and intervention techniques
  • List aspects of health, lifestyles, and advocacy 

Direct Support Professional Module 1    
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

  • Should Disability Terms Be Used?
  • Disability Terms in Today’s Context
  • Historical Overview of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
  • Expansion of Disability as Difference
  • Changing Perspectives
  • Understanding Disabilities
  • Social Model of Disability
  • Trends and Issues

Direct Support Professional Module 2    
Advocacy 

  • International Human Rights and Intellectual Disabilities
  • Advocacy and Legal Considerations
  • Models of Action
  • Development of the Self-Advocacy Movement
  • Self-Advocacy as a Social Movement
  • Strategies to Promote Advocacy and Self-Advocacy
  • Making Services More Effective Through Research and Evaluation

Direct Support Professional Module 3   
Human Development

  • Introduction to Early Development
  • Stages of Development Before Birth
  • Important Processes in Prenatal Development
  • Complications
  • Development After Birth
  • Genetics, Genomics, Epigenetics
  • Nervous System
  • Brain Plasticity

Direct Support Professional Module 4
Etiology and Conditions

  • Factors Causing or Contributing to Intellectual and Development Disabilities
  • Biomedical Risk Factors
  • Down Syndrome
  • Fragile X Syndrome
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome 

Direct Support Professional Module 5    
Etiology and Conditions Part 2

  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Challenges
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Other Syndromes and Conditions
  • Epilepsy
  • Introduction to Behavior and Mental Health

Direct Support Professional Module 6    
Support and Intervention

  • Assessment, Diagnosis, Interventions, and Services
  • Intellectual and Developmental Disability Service Systems and Service Approaches
  • Roles, Skills, and Competencies of Direct Support Professionals
  • Responding to Cultural and Linguistic Differences
  • Defining Culture
  • Behavioral Intervention

Direct Support Professional Module 7   
Support and Intervention Part 2

  • Challenging Families
  • Challenging Service Systems
  • Psychopharmacology
  • History of Psychoactive Medication
  • Speech, Language, and Communication Assessments and Interventions
  • Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Direct Support Professional Module 8    
Disabilities Through the Life Span

  • Typical Milestones Achieved in the First 1,000 Days
  • Factors Important for Development
  • Early Intervention for Young Children
  • Inclusive Early Education
  • Maltreatment of Children with Developmental Disabilities
  • Education for Students
  • Transition from School to Adult Life
  • Work and Employment for People with Disabilities

Direct Support Professional Module 9    
Lifestyles and Support 

  • Lifestyles of Adults with Disabilities
  • Historical Evolution of Policies and Services
  • Providing Support that Enhances a Family’s Quality of Life
  • Families as Dynamic Systems
  • Sexuality
  • Parenting by People with Disabilities
  • Gender Issues
  • Aging

Direct Support Professional Module 10
Health 

  • Ethics of Decision Making and Consent
  • Supporting Moral Agency
  • Physical Health
  • Mental Health Needs
  • Nutritional Considerations
  • Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
  • Future Trends and Advances

**Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**

Ed4Career is committed to being both environmentally conscious and making it easier for you to study! We’re making your education mobile! All of our textbooks are now provided as eTextbooks. You can access them on your laptop, tablet, or mobile device and can study anytime, anywhere.

The move away from physical books to eTextbooks means you get the latest, most up-to-date version available. This also makes your training more accessible, so you can study anywhere you have your phone or tablet. The best part is that all materials are included in your training cost so there are NO extra fees for books!

Internet Connection

  • Broadband or High-Speed - DSL, Cable, and Wireless Connections

*Dial-Up internet connections will result in a diminished online experience. Classroom pages may load slowly and viewing large audio and video files may not be possible.

Hardware Requirements

  • Processor - 2GHz Processor or Higher
  • Memory - 1 GB RAM Minimum Recommended

 

PC Software Requirements

  • Operating Systems - Windows 7 or higher
  • Microsoft Office 2013 or higher. Also, you could use a general Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
  • Internet Browsers - Google Chrome is highly recommended
    • Cookies MUST be enabled
    • Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
  • The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
  • PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)
  • Adobe PDF Reader
  • QuickTime, Windows Media Player &/or Real Player

 

MAC Software Requirements

  • Operating Systems - Mac OS x 10 or higher with Windows
  • Mac office programs or a Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
  • Internet Browsers- Google Chrome is highly recommended
    • Cookies MUST be enabled
    • Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
  • The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
  • PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)
  • Adobe PDF Reader
  • Apple QuickTime Media Player