Direct Support Professional

Overview

Direct Support Professionals provide care for individuals with developmental and or physical disabilities in a number of settings including group homes, day programs, home & community based services, and vocational rehabilitation. Students will learn methods for providing assistance with living skills development, health maintenance, medication administration, personal care, and behavioral development. This course will teach current and future Direct Support Professionals methods for developing individuals basic living and social skills with the primary goal of integrating them into the community to the best of their ability. This course is designed for entry-level Direct Support Professionals.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Identify the role of the Direct Support Professional
• Identify methods for supporting activities of daily living
• Identify methods for empowering clients and providing the care they prefer
• Comprehend the importance of supporting community inclusion as much as possible
• Identify methods for providing care to support clients physical and mental health

Languages

English

Course Access Time

We offer open enrollment in which students can sign up at any time. Students can proceed as fast or slow as they want, but must complete the program in a maximum of 12 months. If you need more time, extensions are available for a small fee.

Instructor

This class supported by an Educational Mentor. Our educational mentors have worked or are working in the subject they mentor. Educational Mentors reviews student work, student progress, and interacts with students as needed. They respond to any questions or concerns you might have, as well as encouraging and motivating you to succeed.

Requirements

Materials Included:

All materials are included in the course.

System Requirements:

Internet Access

• Broadband or high-speed internet access is required. Broadband includes DSL, cable, and wireless connections.
• Dial-Up internet connections will result in a diminished online experience. Moodle pages may load slowly and viewing large audio and video files may not be possible.

Hardware

• Windows hardware configurations and processors are acceptable
• Mac computers MUST have Microsoft Window Operating Systems over Bootcamp (Bootcamp is a free download from Apple''s website)
• 1 GB RAM minimum recommended
• Operating Systems
  • Windows XP, Vista or 7 and Mac OS X 10 or higher with Windows
• Web Browsers
  • Google Chrome is highly recommended
  • Internet Explorer is not recommended as it may not display certain menus and links
  • Cookies MUST be enabled
  • Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
    • Kindle Reader App is needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded onto your computer.)
    • Adobe PDF Reader
    • Media Plug-ins (These may be required depending on your course media.)
    • Adobe Flash Player (Required for many of our career courses and ALL of our IT courses.)
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple Quicktime, Windows Media Player, &/or Real Player
    • PowerPoint Viewer (Use this if you don''t have PowerPoint)