Virgin Islands UCEDD Partners with Department of Human Services to Improve Early Childhood Outcomes

April 3, 2017

VIUCEDD is excited to announce the launching of the first class of students studying to be credentialed as Registered Behavioral Technicians (RBT). The RBT initiative is a program of the new Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (ADDRC) at the Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD). The ADDRC is a state of the art research and training center established to improve professional training opportunities related to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other Developmental Disabilities. The work of the ADDRC focuses on best practices related to early intervention and as such, VIUCEDD wanted to bring current international best practices and methodologies related to early childhood learning of language, academic, social and adaptive skills to the forefront of Virgin Islands early childhood service delivery through this RBT training. The courses are being taught by Dr. Kimberly Mills who is a Doctoral level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D).

There are 25 enthusiastic participants participating from various early childhood agencies within the Virgin Islands Department of Human Services as well as agencies that serve older learners. The two month cohort is taking place between March and May of 2017 on the St. Croix District. A cohort of 25 students will begin in the fall of 201 for St. Thomas/St. John district learners.

Carla V. Perkins, the Director of Quality Services for the Department of Human Services commented "We wanted to let our providers know that we valued their work and were invested in their professional growth and development. The results will be better qualified staff and better outcomes for Virgin Islands youth."