Decision support in designing behavior treatments: The mental retardation expert

摘要

The Mental Retardation Expert (MRE) is a microcomputer-based decision support system (DSS) that provides practitioners with state-of-the-art assistance in the treatment of aggressive, self-injurious, and destructive behaviors displayed by individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities. This system, based on human experts and the current scientific literature, leads the practitioner through a functional assessment of the specific behavior problems. Based on that assessment, the clinician is offered a variety of treatment suggestions, emphasizing the development of adaptive skills, which may be incorporated into an individualized treatment protocol. Beyond this expert consultation, MRE provides on-line problem-focused reviews of the behavioral treatment literature, detailed descriptions of research articles examining treatment strategies, a comprehensive behavioral glossary, and a set of exemplary behavioral treatment programs. MRE furnishes a knowledge environment that facilitates the development of clinician skills and expands the potential variety of behavioral interventions available to treat individual clients.