Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 26, 2025

Involving Individuals with Developmental Language Disorder and Their Parents/Carers in Research Priority Setting
Published on: June 6, 2020
Use of behaviour change techniques by direct support professionals to support healthy lifestyle behaviour for people
Annelies Overwijk1,2, Annette A J van der Putten3, Cees P van der Schans1,2,4
1Research Group Healthy Ageing, Allied Health Care and Nursing, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Background:
Behaviour change techniques (BCTs) can be employed to support a healthy lifestyle for people with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this study is to determine whether and which BCTs are used by direct support professionals (DSPs) for supporting healthy lifestyle behaviour of people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities.
Method:
Direct support professionals (n = 18) were observed in their daily work using audio-visual recordings. To code BCTs, the Coventry Aberdeen London Refined (CALO-RE-NL) taxonomy was employed.
Results:
Direct support professionals used 33 BCTs out of 42. The most used BCTs were as follows: 'feedback on performance', 'instructions on how to perform the behaviour', 'doing together', 'rewards on successful behaviour', 'reward effort towards behaviour', 'DSP changes environment', 'graded tasks', 'prompt practice' and 'model/demonstrate behaviour'.
Conclusions:
Although a variety of BCTs is used by DSPs in their support of people with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities when facilitating healthy lifestyle behaviour, they rely on nine of them.
Related Concept Videos
Behavior Modification
A real-world application of operant conditioning principles is applied...
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques VI
Motivation and Self-Determination
Motivation, the driving force behind behavior, plays a pivotal role at every stage of the change process. The research...
Operant Conditioning Intervention
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
Modeling in Therapy
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in...
Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
Intellectual Disability

