- Insurance Resource Center for Autism & Behavioral Health
- Child and Adolescent NeuroDevelopment Initiative (CANDI)
- Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CANDO)
- Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Program
- Center for Developmental Disabilities Evaluation and Research (CDDER)
- Health Surveillance for Adults with Intellectual Disability
- Oral Health Disparities
- MA DDS Prevention Conference
- Preventive Health Screenings for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
- Mortality Review
- Quality Assurance Reports
- Webinars
- Pica
- Constipation and Bowel Obstructions
- Substance Abuse in the Workplace
- Dysphagia, Aspiration, and Choking
- Oral Health Practices
- DDS Safe Transportation of People in Wheelchairs
- Falls Prevention and Intervention Strategies
- Human Rights Training for Self-Advocates
- Human Rights: What Families Need to Know
- Identifying, Healing, and Preventing Pressure Ulcers
- MAP Training Resources
- Adjunct RIA Training Materials
- Clozapine Therapy Training
- DDS MAP Training Resources
- DMH/DCF MAP Training Resources
- Instructions for Virtual Certification Testing
- MAP Curriculum and Adjunct Training Materials
- MedSoft© Version 7.0
- Responsibilities in Action Curriculum and Training Materials
- Semiannual MAP Trainer Webinar Fall 2017
- Semiannual MAP Trainer Webinar Fall 2019
- Semiannual MAP Trainer Webinar Spring 2018
- Spring 2020 MAP Trainer Webinar
- TestMaster Universe
- Warfarin Sodium Therapy Training
- Mandated Reporting of Abuse and Mistreatment
- Recognizing and Reporting Financial Abuse
- Widening the Circle: Expanding Opportunities for Friendship
- Risk Management in Developmental Disabilities
- Aging with Intellectual and Developmental Disability Trainings
- Adapting to Age-Related Changes in the Home, Day Program, and Community
- Aging and Disability Resource Consortia
- General Aging
- Dementia and IDD
- Launching a Memory Café
- Life Sustaining Treatment Policy
- Guardianship and Aging in Intellectual Disabilities Part I
- Guardianship and Aging in Intellectual Disabilities Case Studies Part II
- Massachusetts Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (MOLST)
- End of Life Definitions
- Five Wishes
- Fostering Social Inclusion and Community Engagement
- Presentations & Publications
- Our Team
- Division of Neuroinformatics
- Healthy People/Healthy Communities
- INDEX
- Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND)
- Neurobehavioral Science and Neurogenetics
- Pathways to Inclusive Health Care Program
- Sibling Support
- Laboratory for Equity in Autism Dissemination (LEAD) Lab
MA DDS Prevention Conference

Elin Howe, Commissioner of the MA DDS welcomed the caregivers to the training

Barbara Pilarcik, RN, Executive Director, The Association For Community Living gave the keynote address discussing the importance of the culture of safety and the dignity of risk.

Be Aware – Take Care
Prevention, Risk and Safety at the Front Line of Services to Individuals with Intellectual Disability
On October 24, 2012, over 380 direct support professionals, house managers, provider agency and DDS staff, nurses and other caregivers attended a training titled Be Aware – Take Care Prevention, Risk and Safety at the Front Line of Services to Individuals with Intellectual Disability in Devens, Massachusetts.
Organized by the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and UMMS/CDDER, this workshop brought together experienced professionals encouraging a culture of safety in caring for individuals with intellectual disability.
Topics covered included:
- Using DDS data to improve the care of individuals with intellectual disabilities
- Recognizing pica behaviors and using the most current techniques and medications to address the behavior
- Recognizing behavioral challenges and understanding that changes in behavior may be associated with health related or aging issues; voicing concerns; creating a plan of care as a team
- Fatal Four: learning that common conditions such as dehydration, aspiration, constipation, and seizures in people with intellectual disability may go unnoticed as symptoms are subtle and those with intellectual disability may not be able to communicate discomfort
Additional Speakers included:
Emily Lauer, MPH, Center for Developmental Disability Evaluation and Research, UMMS;Barent (Barry) Walsh, PhD, Executive Director, The Bridge; Chris Fox, PhD, Massachusetts DDS, Springfield-Westfield Area Office Psychologist; Julie Moran, DO, Geriatrician, Director, Aging and Developmental Disabilities Clinic, BIDMC; Lauren Charlot, PhD, Director, ID/MH Clinical Services, UMMC; Robert Baldor, MD, Vice Chairman, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, UMMS; Dafna Krouk Gordon, Founder and President, TILL; Aaron Kaufman, MS, CCC-SLP, TILL; Paige Slein, Training Director, Rehabilitative Resources, Inc.
Participant Feedback
“Training exceeded my expectations. Presenters were all very knowledgeable in their fields and presented info in a concise & coherent manner.”
“Made me look at the issue of safety in a new way.”
“This is probably the best training I’ve been to in years!”
“I learned so much!”
For more information, or to obtain copies of training presentations, please contact us.