Behavior skills training for family caregivers of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities: a systematic review of literature

People with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDDs) face lifelong challenges in areas such as self-care, learning and socializing abilities. Having such individuals at home brings family caregivers extra stress, especially when support is insufficient. Because of the inadequacy of professional support available globally, the need to increase the ability of the caregivers to provide effective support is evident. Behavior skills training (BST), an approach consisting of instruction, modelling, rehearsal, and feedback, has been used in numerous studies to train caregivers in necessary skills to help their family members with IDDs. This study conducted a systematic review of past literatures, wherein BST was used to train family caregivers of individuals with IDDs. Seventeen relevant studies were summarized according to their countries, participant characteristics, training focus, intervention details, and outcomes. Outcomes revealed that BST had been used to train caregivers of varying demographics, various target skills (e.g. discrete trial training, incidental training, etc.), order of delivery, and sometimes the introduction of novel components. Most studies showed an improvement for both caregivers and the individuals with IDDs. However, some studies did not present desired outcomes in relation to the individuals. Possible reasons and future measures were also discussed in this review.