Intensive behavioral support (IBS) provides structured, individualized assistance to individuals with complex behavioral needs and developmental disabilities. IBS focuses on building functional skills, reducing challenging behavior and promoting increased independence across daily activities. These services also offer temporary relief to primary caregivers by supporting individuals in the home or community when family members are unavailable.
Our program is designed to support a wide range of developmental, behavioral and adaptive needs. We understand that navigating complex behavioral needs can feel overwhelming for individuals and the people who support them. Our services emphasize increasing independence, enhancing quality of life and promoting meaningful participation in home, school and community settings.
Who is eligible?
Individuals eligible for IBS services may have had trouble accessing other supports, such as care homes, day programs or traditional respite services due to a history of significant behavioral needs. We know this can be discouraging for families who are trying to find meaningful support.
- A diagnosed developmental disability or delay
- A record of challenging behaviors that interfere with daily living or pose a safety risk
- A history of unsuccessful progress with less intensive services
Challenging behavior
Challenging behavior often occurs when an individual is unable to effectively communicate their needs, has trouble regulating emotions or encounters environmental demands that exceed their coping skills. These behaviors may impact the individual and those supporting them.
Challenging behavior may include:
- Physical aggression
- Property destruction
- Self-injurious behavior
- Elopement
- Pica (eating or attempting to eat non-food items)
- History of 5150 holds
- Threats to self or others
Common triggers for challenging behavior may include:
- Changes in routine or unexpected transitions
- Engagement in non‑preferred or difficult tasks
- Internal stress or emotional discomfort
- Sensory overload or crowded environments
- Overwhelming emotions (e.g., anxiety, embarrassment, boredom)
- Poor sleep or fatigue
- Unable to effectively communicate wants and needs
ABA for IBS
In IBS, the strategies and principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) form the foundation of treatment. ABA utilizes trauma‑informed care and focuses on understanding why behaviors occur and targets behavior reduction while teaching communication, socialization and adaptive skills. ABA‑based strategies, such as prompting, modeling, instruction and reinforcement, are utilized during sessions to support progress toward individualized treatment goals and to respond appropriately to challenging behavior.
What goes on during sessions
Prior to the start of services, one of our Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) will evaluate each client’s needs during an initial assessment and then provide a recommendation of service hours. They will then create an individualized behavior care plan specific to each client’s needs and behaviors. These plans focus on reducing challenging behavior while supporting clients to participate more successfully in activities across their day and environment.
Our BCBAs continuously work with families to teach and model the implementation of effective behavior change procedures, including:
- Functional communication training (FCT)
- Differential reinforcement
- Trauma-informed de-escalation techniques
- Visual or augmentative supports
Our staff are supervised, trained and overseen by our BCBAs. During IBS sessions, our direct care staff will attend to their clients’ basic self-help needs, such as appropriate interaction, socialization and daily routines usually provided by family members. We often facilitate sessions in the comfort of the home, where our direct care staff can better understand their client’s daily routine, challenges and goals. We approach this process with care, recognizing that every family’s experience and each individual’s strengths are unique. Our staff also focus on keeping their clients safe and responding to crises.
Only those services or assistance outlined in the client’s care plan can be provided by our direct care staff. Such services may include but are not limited to:
- Provide support with activities of daily living (ADLs)
- Engage in appropriate conversations and leisure activities
- Take client on community outings to approved locations
- Support with light housekeeping responsibilities that are directly related to the client
- Remind client about taking their medication
- Assist client in taking care of animals or fulfilling their other chores
Maxim Behavioral
We offer IBS services in the state of California. Service funding comes from partnerships with local regional centers to support individuals across all ages and disabilities eligible for regional center services.
By collaborating closely with families, caregivers, interdisciplinary teams and regional center professionals, we strive to make each service plan individualized, evidence‑based and responsive to the unique strengths, needs and cultural context of the individuals we serve.
To learn more about IBS services available near you, contact your local Maxim office to speak with one of our dedicated team members.
