Modeled after the Direct Support Professional Training Resource Guide developed by the California Department of Education and the Regional Occupational Centers and Programs in partnership with the California Department of Developmental Services, the Pre-Service Training Academy will be presented in the form of 12 modules as follows:

1. Introduction and Overview. This module serves as both an introduction to the training and an introduction to developmental disabilities.

2. Communication. This session teaches effective ways to overcome barriers that individuals encounter when they are not being understood.

3. Wellness: Nutrition, Exercise and Safety. This session focuses on health, wellness, and safety. Learners will gain knowledge around safety techniques and healthy practices that will reduce their risk to injury/illness and improve their (and others') overall health.

4. Wellness: Medications. This module concentrates on medical administration.

5. Wellness: Responding to Individual Needs. This Module is an overview of medical and wellness issues as it pertains to records, training of staff, and agency procedure for care, as opposed to strictly med admin procedure.

6. Positive Behavior Support. This session teaches effective means of dealing with challenging behaviors.

7. Teaching Strategies. This module outlines the basic skills needed to begin teaching. It begins with establishing a relationship with the learner and focuses on the key skills of task analysis and prompting as well as important things to do and not to do as you begin to teach.

8. Teaching Strategies: Positive Feedback and Natural Times to Teach. This modules clarifies the tools at disposal of the direct support professional, the skills to use them, and the ability to identify teaching opportunities so that thoughtful, meaningful teaching and learning can occur.

9. Daily Living. This module deals with the importance of daily living skills and developing and maintaining relationships.

10. Individual Rights, Laws and Regulations. This module covers all aspects of the human rights of individuals with developmental disabilities.

11. Leisure/Recreation. This module teaches ways to discover strengths and interests of the individual to determine community recreational and leisure opportunities, and to obtain the skills to promote participation for all.

12. Additional Resources and Preparing for Your Test. This session provides a review of all the learning materials in the Direct Support Professional Training Curriculum. It offers participants a key word dictionary for review and helpful test preparation tips.

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