Behavioral and psychiatric consultation services for children with visual impairments and multiple disabilities in an educational setting: A program description

As the population of children and adolescents with multiple disabilities increases, special educators have responded with new curricula and teaching strategies to meet the needs of these students. In particular, many children with multiple disabilities exhibit severe behavior problems and/or psychiatric disturbances requiring multidisciplinary interventions. This paper describes a behavioral and psychiatric consultation service available to special educators at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children. Important features of this program include: (a) an emphasis on behavioral assessment, data collection, and careful evaluation of treatment effectiveness; (b) use of a multidisciplinary team consisting of psychologists, a psychiatrist, a behavior specialist, and special educators; (c) employment of an extensive support system and follow-up strategy for teachers carrying out behavioral programs; and (d) utilization of a Human Rights Committee to review the use of particular interventions and ensure that the least restrictive intervention is implemented. Finally, specific aspects of the program are outlined and two illustrative case examples are presented.