Problem Solving with Behavioral Support Services

With decades of experience and a 126-year tradition of person-centered support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families, one of the things we’ve come to specialize in at Laura Baker Services Association (LBSA) is effectively supporting people with challenging behaviors.

In January 2024, we are launching Behavioral Support Services for people with IDD, their families and the service system. These three stories illustrate the broad range of challenges and needs.

  • A 10-year-old boy was stuck in Waconia’s Ridgeview Medical Center for more than seven months. Read his story »
  • A 55-year-old man went to the hospital with a broken leg and was still there eight months later because he no longer had a home to return to. (He’s now living in one of our community houses, almost a year later.)
  • A 23-year-old young man with a developmental disability and obsessive-compulsive disorder whose obsession with machinery caused him to enter a neighbor’s property without permission. When the police responded to the homeowner’s call, the police drew a gun on the homeowner.

These people were caught without adequate support. Unfortunately, many others like them languish without answers. Often, the person with IDD becomes the problem instead of the victim of system failures. The 10- and 55-year-olds were referred to LBSA. At the time, we did not have the capacity to serve them. The 23-year-old is a current LBSA client who needed additional support to get beyond a mental health/behavioral crisis.

Ripple Effects of Inadequate Support

These situations ripple like pebbles dropped in a pond:

  • Families are stretched to the breaking point. Unintended consequences include reduced incomes, job loss, divorce, and mental and physical health complications brought on by stress.
  • Hospital systems are providing support they are not trained to provide. Staff members suffer burnout, receive injuries or quit their jobs.
  • Public resources are used in ways that address a symptom and do nothing to solve the problem. That 10-year-old boy alone likely costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he still did not receive the support he needed.

Behavioral Support Services at LBSA

Using a consultative model, LBSA wants to:

  • Support the individuals without adequate support and the families trying to do this on their own.
  • Support hospitals, schools and other service providers who don’t have the knowledge or tools to support these individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
  • More effectively use public resources to solve problems instead of treating symptoms.

If someone you know could benefit from this kind of support, please schedule an initial conversation with our Behavioral Support team.