Improving lives through evidence-based behavioral interventions.

In behavior analysis, we view all behaviors as a potential form of communication. Sometimes, when words cannot be used to communicate with others, a physical behavior may be used to get a point across. Our patients may engage in these behaviors to communicate if they want something tangible, if they’re seeking attention from others, if they find an environment unpleasant or overwhelming, or if they are responding to sensory input that may not be evident to another individual. During the patient’s journey through the Kramer Davis clinic, our behavior analysts work with the individual’s team to find the “why” behind the behavior that may interfere with the patient’s quality of life. We also try to identify those things that can positively motivate and reinforces behaviors, or teach new skills, that promote independence and maximize an individual’s potential. All this is done in-clinic, through observation, patient and caregiver interviews, and a review of home/community data.

Patients with IDD who find themselves in a challenging situation will often be referred to the Kramer Davis Clinic from multiple sources, including residential facilities, patients’ families, community-based primary care physicians, dentists and specialists, and hospitals and clinics. In these cases, prompt (sometimes crisis) intervention and management is needed. In these situations, the Kramer Davis behavioral and crisis team will often be asked to simply increase the dosage of a behavioral medication in the mistaken belief that this intervention alone will “cure” the problem. This is almost never the case. In fact, the lives of most patients in challenging and crisis situations will improve when a previously undiagnosed medical or dental problem is discovered, or when changes are made in areas such as physical exercise, environmental factors, social activity. In both crisis and non-crisis situations, our behavioral team will collaborate with multiple disciplines both within the clinic and with community-based support sources. This collaborative approach often helps to resolve challenges and to provide the patient with the quality of life they deserve.