The Tobosa family is on fire with a burning passion that is leading to innovative changes throughout the organization. We are working to act on this passion and implement a way for this devotion for the individuals under our services to shine through. Anyone working in the industry knows that the Southeast Region (where we are located) is in dire need of Behavioral Support Services. The regional leaders have recognized this as a regional problem and not just a Roswell problem. One way that Tobosa has chosen to use our passion is to start providing Behavior Support/Management Services. In August 2016, Tobosa was named on the Secondary Freedom of Choice as a Service Provider for Behavior Support Services.
Behavior involves everything voluntary and involuntarily that we do. Behavior is the way we act and react to stimuli and/or our environments. Behavior involves our communication, mannerisms, actions, responses, and perceptions. Particularly for the people in our service, behavior can really affect their relationships, social status as a community member, and the way that people perceive them. Considering everything that behavior involves makes it easy to see why having Behavior Support Services is so important to the people we serve. Another reason why behavior management is so important to our clientele is because it affects the way people solve their problems. The people we work with are no exception to this.
A person’s ability to problem solve is often related to their level of cognitive ability. When presented with problem situations, or conflicts, people with intellectual disabilities can have difficulty solving the problem or getting through the conflict. Many times, we do not stop to think about what it takes to solve a problem. One reason for this is because we have learned problem solving skills along our journey. Those skills just come naturally in our day to day processes. They are not skills we have to think about in order to carry them out. They just naturally occur, once they have been learned. When we don’t have to mentally process before acting on this skill set, the steps are taken for granted or forgotten. To fully understand what is needed to solve problems let’s look at the steps included:
- Define the problem
- Identify several potential solutions
- Evaluate each alternative
- Choose a solution
- Implement the solution
- Evaluate results
- Choose a different solution or seek help if results are not satisfactory
The people served by Tobosa have different cognitive abilities, as well as functioning levels, but they too can learn some or all of the mentioned skills/steps on different levels. Learning these skills comes from instruction. Providing that instruction is one primary focus of a Behavior Support Consultant (BSC). The BSC is able to assess the person’s ability and pre-existing knowledge of these skills and then break down strategies on a level that the individual can comprehend and learn. The BSC also helps to teach these skills and to educate the support staff on how to teach the individuals these skills in everyday practice and natural environments.
Other things that the Behavior Support Services are set up to do, according to the current Developmental Disabilities Service Division (DDSD) and the state of NM’s set of standards and regulations, are to support individuals:
- In gaining skills related to forming and sustaining a full range of relationships;
- To engage in meaningful community integration and inclusion;
- To acquire and/or maintain appropriate social skills and engage in routines of daily life;
- To manage and reduce behaviors which interfere with engagement in routines of daily life or that pose a health and safety risk to the individual or others
Once Tobosa was approved to provide the Behavior Support Services, they had to find a Behavior Support Consultant. Tobosa hired Guyla Maples, BSC. Tobosa has a long standing relationship with Guyla. She has worked in this field and with the people in our service since 2007. Guyla now has an office within the Tobosa Administrative building, however, she still works on the go like she has always done. This enables her to be just as available as always. The Tobosa building is just an anchor for her to hold on to when she needs. If you haven’t seen her office, stop by and experience it’s beautiful, inspirational, and calming vibe.
Now that Tobosa has the service, and the consultant to carry out the service, we need people to serve. Many of the people we work with were already receiving Behavior Support Services from Guyla through MECA Therapies. MECA no longer provides services to adults so all adults who were receiving their services must now pick a different provider agency. We want to encourage you to get with your Case Manager and sign a Freedom of Choice for Tobosa. The Freedom of Choice is also open for people who are not satisfied with their current Behavior Support Services or for people who just want all of their services under one organization. If you have questions about this please contact us or your Case Manager. We can’t wait to serve you through the behavioral aspect of your life.
