Unemployment is a problem for individuals with disabilities. Supported employment provides occupational supports for individuals with disabilities to get a job and keep that job once hired. The Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS) is used to address performance problems with employees in human services settings. This study evaluated using the PDC-HS with three adults with intellectual disabilities working in supported employment at a library cleaning shelves. The results of the PDC-HS identified insufficient training and prompting as barriers. The matched intervention package was effective in increasing performance of the shelf-cleaning task for all participants. Participant responses to a social validity questionnaire indicated that all participants thought the study was fair, they liked the way they were taught to clean the shelf, and felt that being in the study helped them improve at their job.

Performance analysis, based on operant analysis of behavior, has been utilized since the 1960s to investigate behavioral skills or deficits in the workplace. One type of analytical tool is Carr et al.'s Performance Diagnostic Checklist- Human Services (PDC-HS). This functional assessment allows investigators to pinpoint causes of performance issues (e.g., a training issue, task clarification/prompting, insufficient resources/materials/processes, or performance consequences/effort/competition). Typically, the PDC-HS is used with clinicians and therapists. The purpose of this study is to extend Carr et al. by evaluating the PDC-HS in assessing the clinical performance of graduate-level research assistants working at a specialized clinic for the assessment and treatment of severe behavior disorders. For each participant, three supervisors, the study investigator and the participants themselves completed the PDC-HS with respect to the performance concern. Results of the PDCH-HS showed variability in congruence across the three groups of respondents. Due to the occurrence of the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic during the study's investigation, the project was modified to assess different clinical performance involving safety procedures. The PDC-HS was re-administered to assess participants' cleanliness behavior and a subsequent targeted intervention was designed. Results showed no improvement of performance for 4/4 participants in the nontargeted intervention for clinic session performance and an increase for 1 participant in the targeted intervention for the cleanliness performance. Implications of PDC-HS results and limitations are discussed.

For agencies in the health and human services field, data reporting is the primary source of information from which progress and organizational outcomes are measured. Often, front-line staff are responsible for collecting these data and yet are often ill-equipped to collect data accurately and consistently leading to a performance deficit affecting the strength and success of the program. Evaluating and addressing performance issues in the human services field has long been a challenge due to limited resources. Finding an effective and efficient method of evaluation that leads to a function-based intervention would improve performance and ultimately improve organizational outcomes. This study evaluated the Performance Diagnostic Checklist – Human Services (PDC-HS) as means of assessing the performance deficit of inaccurate data reporting in a community-based adult autism services program. A multiple-baseline design was used across four participants to evaluate the effects of the interventions indicated by the PDC-HS. Two participants received performance feedback and two received additional training following the behavior skills training model. Results indicated that both interventions were effective in increasing accurate data reporting across participants. Social validity measures also indicated the PDC-HS was easy to use and could be completed in a timely manner. / Applied Behavioral Analysis

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2016-11-01T17:05:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Glauce Gomes da Rocha.pdf: 1474752 bytes, checksum: 6de29d4ece622a916cb4c9a54e390b2c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-01T17:05:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Glauce Gomes da Rocha.pdf: 1474752 bytes, checksum: 6de29d4ece622a916cb4c9a54e390b2c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-16 / Some methods may be used to identify variables that maintain or limit classes of behaviors. The performance diagnostic tool called Performance Diagnostic Checklist - Human Services (PDC-HS), can be a useful tool in identifying functional variables, as well as indicating possible interventions to be implemented when there are performance problems. This research aimed to (1) Translate and adapt this tool that focuses on the verbal report of the leadership and the direct observations of the applicator, (2) create a team version to be answered by the employees, and (3) their respective applications in a business services company. The method consisted of seven steps, as follows: 1º) first check: students of the fifth year of Psychology, 2º) second check: Application in a pilot class of the company's management, 3º) third check: Appraisers experts in behavior analysis, 4º) fourth check: management team and direction of the company researched, 5º) defining and redefining the performance problem, 6º) fifth check: PDC-HS application of the target group and 7º) analysis. The results of the application of the tools in the different audiences are complementary. After the applications of PDC-HS in the researched company, 14 interventions were indicated in which seven are compatible actions between leadership and employees and seven are actions that would be appropriate based on the verbal report of the employees and that were not indicated on the basis of leadership’s verbal report. For future studies there is the need for customization of the tool, depending on the behavioral description of the performance problem, target audience and institution / Alguns métodos podem ser utilizados para a identificação de variáveis que mantêm ou limitam classes de comportamentos. A ferramenta de diagnóstico de desempenho chamada Performance Diagnostic Checklist – Human Services (PDC-HS), pode ser um instrumento útil na identificação de variáveis funcionais, além de indicar intervenções possíveis de serem implementadas, quando há problemas de desempenho. A presente pesquisa visou à (1) tradução e adaptação desta ferramenta que foca no relato verbal da liderança e nas observações diretas do aplicador, a (2) criação da versão equipe para ser respondida pelos liderados, e (3) suas respectivas aplicações em uma empresa do ramo de serviços. O método consistiu em 7 etapas, sendo elas: 1º) primeira verificação: Quintanistas de Psicologia, 2º) segunda verificação: Aplicação em uma turma piloto de gestores da empresa pesquisada, 3º) terceira verificação: Avaliadores especialistas em Análise do Comportamento, 4º) quarta verificação: Equipe administrativa e direção da empresa pesquisada, 5º) definição e redefinição do problema de desempenho, 6º) quinta verificação: Aplicação do PDC-HS no grupo alvo e 7º) análises. Os resultados das aplicações das ferramentas nos diferentes públicos são complementares. Após a aplicação do PDC-HS na empresa pesquisada, 14 intervenções foram indicadas nas quais sete são ações compatíveis entre liderança e liderados e sete são ações que seriam indicadas com base no relato verbal dos liderados e que não foi indicado com base no relato da liderança. Para futuras pesquisas há a necessidade de customização da ferramenta, a depender da descrição comportamental do problema de desempenho, público alvo e instituição