Date of Award
Summer 6-17-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
D.S.W. Social work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Dr. Yoon Mi Kim
Second Advisor
Dr. Juliana Svistova
Third Advisor
Dr. Christopher Harris
Abstract
Technology that is utilized to track and assess behavior is being used more frequently in social work practice. Social Workers frequently participate and lead organizations that provide services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) face significant workforce challenges, but mobile technology may assist with reducing their administrative burden, assist in training needs, and increase the level of support felt by their supervisors. One of those technologies is the use of mobile devices to record behavior. The developmental disabilities field has started to implement the use of such mobile devices. The present research set out to understand the use of mobile devices by these paraprofessionals. Data collected by paraprofessionals can be used to inform assessment and treatment of behavioral health needs. Using qualitative methods, the goal of this dissertation is to understand the experiences of Paraprofessionals who collect behavioral support data via a mobile device. Research aimed to answer the following questions: First, what are paraprofessional's experiences of assessing and managing clients’ behavioral support needs? Secondly, how do paraprofessionals perceive mobile data collection of behavioral support? Next, in what ways does data collection from a mobile device compare to traditional pen and paper tracking? The final question is what the paraprofessionals’ perception of the data collected is used. Paraprofessionals (n = 16) participated in in-depth interviews conducted by the researcher. The researcher interviewed seven DSPs and nine RBTs. With cautions to consider, three main themes emerged. First there were processes that facilitated a greater understanding and treatment of behavioral support needs themselves. Next, there were processes that fostered implementation and continued use of mobile data collection. Lastly, there were processes that assisted both the assessment and treatment of behavioral support needs and mobile data collection. Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Social Work implications will be discussed.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Erreger, Sean, "A Qualitative Exploration of Paraprofesionals' Use of Mobile Technology to Coordinate Behavioral Support" (2025). Social Work Doctoral Dissertations. 43.
https://research.library.kutztown.edu/socialworkdissertations/43
