NSTM - Agency Division

Including students with developmental disabilities and severe behavioral challenges in regular educational settings is a problem that all districts face. In light of the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), academic personnel are routinely being asked to provide a level of behavioral support, which potentially exceeds their expertise. As you are aware, IDEA mandates that schools conduct functional behavioral assessments and develop positive behavioral support plans that are steeped in applied behavioral analysis. We can help.

Project: Natural Setting Therapeutic Management (NSTM) is a behavioral training and consultation program that works with individuals with a developmental disability or Autism and a severe behavioral challenge. Project NSTM has provided behavioral consultation to a number of school districts as well as several specialized, out of district programs throughout the State since 1980. NSTM consultants function as trainers who work directly with classroom teachers and aides in the development of behavioral support plans for students with behavioral challenges. Our philosophy is one of developing behavioral competence in the individuals who are already functioning as behavior managers, namely the classroom staff. NSTM consultants typically train staff in the methods of collecting functional assessment data while teaching them how to understand referred behaviors from a comprehensive, learning perspective. Once data is collected, our consultants analyze the data, review it with classroom staff and develop an intervention that meets the specific behavioral needs of both the referred student as well as the needs of the classroom staff. It is imperative that any consultation be "user friendly" and something that classroom staff believes is "do-able." Ownership of intervention is critical to classroom consultation; this can only be accomplished if the staff feel as if they are integral parts of the process. Developing competence and allowing staff to exercise their expertise, rather than giving them "behavioral suggestions" has proven quite effective in past consultations.

All services are provided by a Masters level behavior specialist who has received comprehensive training by the clinical supervisors at Project NSTM.

Dr. Kormann is the administrative overseer who meets with the behavior specialist on a weekly basis to review all consultation work. Moreover, he countersigns all behavioral documents and would be available for any relevant DDD meetings that would be necessary to support the interventions utilized.