“Developmental disabilities are a variety of conditions that become apparent during childhood and cause mental or physical limitation. These conditions include pervasive developmental disorders such as autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, mental retardation, and other neurological impairments” (New York State Office of Developmental Disabilities, 1999). There are many causes of developmental disabilities that can occur before, during or after birth. Those occurring before birth include genetic problems, poor prenatal care, or exposure of the fetus to toxins including drugs and alcohol. Difficulties during birth, such as restricted oxygen supply to the infant, or accidents after birth can also cause traumatic brain injury resulting in developmental disabilities. Longer-term postnatal causes include malnutrition and social deprivation.
The primary purpose of the Developmental Disabilities elective concentration in the C. W. Post Doctoral Program is to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to provide effective clinical services for people with developmental disabilities, their families, and their caretakers. Throughout the United States there has been a dramatic and exciting shift in the lives of people with developmental disabilities. As institutions have emptied, more community-oriented service systems have developed. Supports are growing for people with disabilities so that they may remain more connected to their families of origin. While these changes generally allow people with developmental disabilities to enjoy more freedom and a wider range of opportunities, they also present challenges, complexities, and stresses of life in the family and the community at large. The impact of early intensive behavioral intervention for children with autism has also dramatically improved the lives of many children and their families, yet there is a severe shortage of competent professionals with sufficient expertise in behavior analysis and developmental disabilities.
People who have developmental disabilities are increasingly seeking help for mental health problems from psychologists in the community. In the past, this would be the domain of behavior specialists and psychologists working within developmental disabilities services systems. What we have found, however, is that many psychologists outside the developmental disabilities service system lack specific knowledge and skills to help people in this population. Conversely, many professionals in the service systems have a specialized knowledge of the population and a limited range of interventions, but do not have the more general skills of a clinical psychologist. Students in the C. W. Post Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program are trained to reconcile these differences and become proficient in both domains; i.e., as clinical psychologists and as experts on the unique strengths and challenges presented by the different disabilities.
The curriculum of the Developmental Disabilities Elective Concentration allows students to fulfill the academic requirements for Certification in Behavior Analysis. Students with particular interests can develop more individualized experiences in related areas of learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Ultimately, we hope to make a broader range of clinical services available to people with developmental disabilities, as well as to their families and caretakers.
The academic objectives for the students are to learn:
- the history of social developments in the treatment of people with developmental disabilities;
- etiologies and classifications and developmental patterns in the different developmental disabilities;
- theories of intelligence;
- assessment of intelligence, adaptive behavior, maladaptive behavior, and educational progress;
- prevention of developmental disabilities;
- research strategies specific to the understanding of developmental disabilities and clinical interventions with people who have developmental disabilities;
- application of behavior analysis in the education of people with developmental disabilities;
- other empirically validated treatment approaches.
The Developmental Disabilities Concentration consists of two content courses, supervised clinical experience with people who have developmental disabilities, and completion of a doctoral research project in an area relevant to this population. The content courses are:
Psy 848: Theory and Research in Developmental Disabilities
This course is designed to provide a solid background in history, theory, assessment, and research in the field of developmental disabilities. Topics include a social history of the treatment of people with mental retardation, the rights of people with disabilities (e.g., Americans with Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), the concept of intelligence as a social construct and the ramifications of various models on the treatment of people with mental retardation, definitions, classifications, etiology, and epidemiology of the various developmental disabilities, diagnostic procedures, strategies for research and research outcome in developmental disabilities. Normal and abnormal development of cognitive abilities, language, attention, emotion, motivation, personality, and social abilities are reviewed. Students are able to focus on a particular area of interest (e.g., autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, Fragile X) for readings and the final paper. The final paper is a literature review on basic research relevant to the each student’s dissertation interest. This task provides an opportunity to begin generating dissertation ideas and formulating research questions. It is also good preparation for the second course which is:
Psy 858: Clinical Applications in Developmental Disabilities
This is a rigorous course focusing on application of behavior analysis in education and intervention strategies with people who have developmental disabilities The emphasis is on the relationship between applied research and treatment. The in depth study of applied behavior analysis is helpful for clinical application with a wide range of people and problems. Students in this course are required to develop are very detailed, single-subject design research proposal in an area of interest. For many students the proposal for this course has become their dissertation proposal.Training also includes a wealth of supervised practical experience in schools, community mental health centers, developmental disabilities specialty clinics and hospitals in the New York metropolitan area. Students have the opportunity to learn while providing needed services such as early behavioral intervention for children with autism, interventions for families and children with ADHD and related disorders, social skills groups and parent training for children with a wide range of difficulties including Asperger’s and other autism spectrum disorder, and individual as well as group therapy for adults and children with developmental disabilities and psychiatric disabilities. Students in the Developmental Disabilities concentration typically select a third year externship such as community mental health centers or the psychiatry departments of medical centers to gain experience with a broad array of client populations and clinical problems. This assures a good foundation for internship training and for later independent practice as a clinical psychologist. It also allows our students to bring what they learn from other settings to services for people with disabilities. The fourth year internship is typically in a setting more focused on serving people with disabilities. A wide variety of other placements have been selected by people in this concentration, often providing the opportunity for work with children who have emotional and psychiatric disorders. Students interested in working with adults who are dually diagnosed with mental illness and developmental disabilities typically seek training in a psychiatric hospital for one of their externships.
Since the ability to learn is a fundamental deficit for most people with developmental disabilities, the science of learning and the application of behavior analysis are ubiquitous in the field. Therefore, clinical application and research are related parts of the same enterprise. Most of the students in this concentration undertake dissertations that are clinical interventions evaluated by single subject experimental designs. Dissertations using this approach and contributing to our understanding of therapeutic interventions for people with disabilities have been completed by students enrolled in all three concentrations.
This is a dynamic field with a wide range of career opportunities for clinical psychologists who have sufficient training in developmental psychology, learning, behavior analysis, and developmental disabilities. Graduates of the program and the concentration are succeeding in clinical and administrative positions and several are building successful private practices. Several graduates from the other concentrations are also happily working in the field of developmental disabilities. Future developments will be influenced strongly by students in the program. New avenues for exploration include enhancing the range of offerings to the community through the Psychological Services Center, increasing efforts in prevention, and enhancing our understanding of and services to the families of people with developmental disabilities.
