The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff. The BehaviorTools™ program has been reviewed by the CEBC in the area of: Behavioral Management for Adolescents in Child Welfare, but lacks the necessary research evidence to be given a Scientific Rating.

• Types of Maltreatment: Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Physical Neglect, Emotional Abuse, Exposure to Domestic Violence
• Target Population: Foster, adoptive and biological parents; caseworkers; care managers; and direct care staff of residential and group home facilities; and caregivers and teachers of children and adults with disabilities.

The BehaviorTools™ curriculum identifies 12 frequently used forms of coercion, describes the effects of using coercion and provides alternative management strategies that are positive, proactive, and more effective in producing long-term improvements in behavior.

The BehaviorTools™ program was developed from the Behavior Analysis Services Program (BASP), funded by the State of Florida from 1996 to 2008. BASP developed a curriculum entitled Tools for Positive Behavior Change, which was designed to teach caregivers basic principles of behavior. The curriculum was written for caseworkers and caregivers of foster children who were abused (sexually, physically and emotionally) and neglected. In 2008, statewide budget cuts forced DCF to terminate funding BASP. However, the curriculum was revised and rewritten by Professional Crisis Management Association, Inc. and is now called BehaviorTools™. The revised curriculum still pertains to the prior populations but has expanded to include caregivers of children and adults with developmental disabilities (including autism spectrum disorder).

The overall goal of the BehaviorTools™ program is to create positive, proactive learning, living, and working environments by:

• Reducing stress levels of participants.
• Teaching effective behavior management skills.
• Improving interactions between: caregivers and children, providers and clients, supervisors and supervisees and peers.

The essential components of BehaviorTools™ includes teaching the following skills:

• Determining functions of behavior
• Identifying and reducing coercive interactions
• Developing and implementing effective behavior management strategies
• Strengthening behaviors of social significance
• Strengthening relationships
• Using reinforcement, pivot, stop-redirect-reinforce
• Setting expectations
• Using contracts

BehaviorTools™ was designed with a child component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms:

• Nearly all challenging behaviors, from non-compliance and sibling rivalry to severe aggression (e.g., self-injurious behavior) and running away.

Age range: 3 – 17

Developmental Delays:

This program was developed for children with developmental delays; but has not been tested for children with developmental delays.

BehaviorTools™ was designed with a parent/caregiver component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms:

• Managing the behavior of others (students, children, residents)
• Stress
• Anxiety

BehaviorTools™ was not designed to be conducted in a group setting, and has not been tested for use in a group setting.

Recommended Intensity:

Skills taught in training are used by participants on an as needed basis in their home or work environments

Recommended Duration:

Skills taught in training are used by participants on an as needed basis in their home or work environments

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Adoptive Home
• Birth Family Home
• Community Agency
• Foster Home
• Hospital
• Outpatient Clinic
• Residential Care Facility
• School

This program does not include a homework component.

BehaviorTools™ does not have materials available in a language other than English.

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

Manual and training. Techniques taught are used in daily living settings when the situation calls for them.

No minimum educational qualifications for practitioners. To become a certified instructor, one must attend the instructor training, complete the course activities and score an 80% or above on both the final written exam and the role-play competency checklist.

There is a manual that describes how to implement this program, and there is training available for this program.

Training Contacts:

• Stacie Neff
  Stacieneff5@gmail.com
  phone: (813) 277-6869
• Bryon Neff
  Bneff2009@my.fit.edu
  phone: (813) 267-2213

Training is obtained:

Training is provided onsite and a certification process is in place for individuals to become an instructor of the BehaviorTools™ curricula. The BehaviorTools™ program uses Behavior Skills Training (BST) as the teaching method. BST is an approach that includes modeling, instructions, rehearsal and feedback. BST has been used in teaching both adults and children a wide variety of skills. The BehaviorTools™ program focuses on training and certifying BehaviorTools™ instructors via a train-the-trainer model. 

Once trained, instructors disseminate the training to their target audience(s). For example, a group of teachers, foster care supervisors, or group home administrators would attend the BehaviorTools™ program and become certified instructors. These instructors then provide the BehaviorTools™ practitioner training to their (100+) front-line staff, peers, identified caregivers, and/or community providers. Practitioners (those trained by the certified instructors) then implement the strategies with those in their care (e.g., children, families, group home residents).

Number of days/hours:

To become a certified instructor: 12 or 24 hours (2-4 days). Part I is a 12-hour (2-day training). Parts I and II are a 24-hour (4-day training). Part I can be completed as a stand-alone training but it is a prerequisite for Part II. Completion of both Parts I and II is highly recommended, but they do not have to be completed in 4 consecutive days (e.g., Part II could be completed several months after Part I).

This program has been reviewed and it was determined that this program lacks the type of published, peer-reviewed research that meets the CEBC criteria for a scientific rating of 1 – 5. Therefore, the program has been given the classification of "NR - Not able to be Rated." It was reviewed because it was identified by the topic expert as a program being used in the field, or it is being marketed and/or used in California with children receiving services from child welfare or related systems and their parents/caregivers. Some programs that are not rated may have published, peer-reviewed research that does not meet the above stated criteria or may have eligible studies that have not yet been published in the peer-reviewed literature. For more information on the "NR - Not able to be Rated" classification, please see the Scientific Rating Scale.

Child Welfare Outcomes: Not Specified

Currently, there are no published, peer-reviewed research studies for BehaviorTools™.