Course overview

Take on a rewarding career as a Developmental Services Professional where you can make a difference in the lives of individuals living with physical, developmental, and intellectual disabilities by learning how to effectively support their emotional, mental, physical, and social needs. You’ll first learn about the stages of human development, and the range of community supports available for individuals who live life with a disability. In the following semesters, you will learn intervention techniques, person-centered planning, developmental psychology, how to support people with autism, augmentative forms of communication, and prevention of and effective responses to people who have been abused. Through the program, you’ll learn the importance and power of advocacy and how to use your relationship building and critical thinking skills to help individuals living with a disability or dual diagnosis live a safe, respectful, and quality life. You will come away from this program with many practical skills, including how to:

• Communicate with individual’s supported using sign language and Picture Exchange Communication Systems
• Support individuals to be a part of their communities
• Develop effective plans to teach new skills
• Support individuals living with physical, developmental, and intellectual disabilities
• Learn to support the families of individuals supported and to work within inter-professional collaborative teams