Presenter: Esther Choe, Psychology, Global Public Health Scholars
For my practicum project, I worked as a behavioral psychology intern at the Inpatient Neurobehavioral Unit. Located at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, the Neurobehavioral Unit provides intensive assessments and behavioral treatments to individuals with developmental disabilities and intellectual disabilities who have treatment-resistant behavioral disorders. During my internship, I collaborated and implemented with behavioral teams individualized treatment plans that aimed to decrease severe problem behaviors for three patients. My specific tasks include collecting behavior patterns of the patients in the assessment and treatment sessions using the BDataPro computer program and graphing data from behavioral assessments using Microsoft Excel. I also prepared materials before each assessment and treatment session to analyze the behaviors of the patients. While interning, I learned about the practice of applied behavior analysis (ABA) for treating patients with severe behavioral problems, which involves using positive reinforcement to encourage appropriate replacement behavior and decrease harmful behaviors. I also developed a growing interest in pursuing a career in behavioral psychology and working with the population of children and adolescents with developmental and intellectual disabilities to improve their quality of life.