When Developmentally Disabled People Act Violent in Group Homes: Ways to Provide Assistance to Them

I’m glad I thought to include the word “assistance” in my description about what to do when developmentally disabled people act violent in group homes. This is because I realize that these people are not really trying to hurt anyone. People with developmental disabilities want to accomplish useful things, and yet they struggle with the manifestations of their disability. People with such a disability are a victim of it, and their violence is one way of acting out their frustrations over what they can’t do. They need assistance.

The Focus on Prevention

As a community living instructor in a group home, I always felt that it was better to prevent the violent acts of the developmentally disabled than to try to explain what happened later. I was able to do this in different ways. I had training, for example, to administer psychoactive drugs. These drugs can generally be defined as those which affect mental process, and they are used for a variety of reasons, including aggressive behavior. While I admit I’m not a big fan of trying to solve a problem by medicating it, I still saw that the mere act of giving drugs on a regular daily basis was in itself a way of preventing the violent behaviors of the developmentally disabled because it offered a routine that was familiar and comforting.

Techniques of Physical Restraint

Another way to provide assistance to developmentally disabled people who act violent in group homes is through physical restraint. This sounds worse than it is because the techniques of physical restraint are meant to keep the violent person from harming his or herself and others. As a community living instructor, I learned that these methods of physical restraint are legal and are endorsed by company policy. They are acceptable and approved ways to intervene when developmentally disabled people act violent in group homes.

Operant Conditioning and Violence

Before I started working in a group home, I knew that operant conditioning is a form of learning where a behavior can be changed by the consequences of that behavior. As a community living instructor, I saw this operant conditioning put to good use as a way of providing assistance to developmentally disabled people who act violent in group homes. A morning cup of coffee, for example, was given to the most violent of the residents as long as he didn’t act violent. He came to associate the cup of coffee with his effort to stay peaceful. This is such a good way to provide assistance to developmentally disabled people who act violent in group homes because they don’t necessarily understand the implications of violence. As I said, they are only acting out of frustration.

In sum, there are ways to provide assistance to developmentally disabled people who act violent in group homes. These ways focus on both the prevention and the consequences of violent behavior and are ultimately meant to help the person.

Source: personal experience