DSP Certified Direct Support Professional Training 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A person you support refuses to take their prescribed medication. What is the FIRST action a DSP should take?
- Crush the medication and hide it in food
- Document the refusal and notify the supervisor or nurse (Correct answer)
- Physically assist the person in taking the medication
- Skip the dose without recording anything
Correct answer: Document the refusal and notify the supervisor or nurse
Medication refusal must always be documented and reported to a supervisor or healthcare professional immediately.
Question 2: Which principle is MOST central to person-centered planning?
- The agency sets goals based on funding availability
- Goals and supports are driven by the individual's own preferences and dreams (Correct answer)
- The DSP decides what is best for the person based on their disability
- Family members have final authority over all decisions
Correct answer: Goals and supports are driven by the individual's own preferences and dreams
Person-centered planning puts the individual at the center, ensuring their own preferences, strengths, and goals guide all support decisions.
Question 3: A DSP notices a coworker verbally demeaning a person with an intellectual disability. What should the DSP do?
- Ignore it to avoid workplace conflict
- Join in to maintain team cohesion
- Intervene to stop the behavior and report it to a supervisor (Correct answer)
- Wait to see if it happens again before acting
Correct answer: Intervene to stop the behavior and report it to a supervisor
DSPs are mandatory reporters and have an ethical obligation to intervene and report any form of abuse or mistreatment immediately.
Question 4: What does the term 'normalization' mean in the context of disability services?
- Making people with disabilities appear to have no disability
- Providing individuals access to typical life patterns and conditions available to the general public (Correct answer)
- Placing people in large institutional settings for safety
- Ensuring everyone follows the same daily schedule
Correct answer: Providing individuals access to typical life patterns and conditions available to the general public
Normalization means supporting individuals to have access to the same daily rhythms, experiences, and life patterns enjoyed by people without disabilities.
Question 5: When supporting someone in the community, a DSP should primarily focus on:
- Completing tasks quickly and returning home
- Promoting the person's independence and natural inclusion (Correct answer)
- Staying close to prevent any possible risk
- Directing the person's interactions with community members
Correct answer: Promoting the person's independence and natural inclusion
Community support should promote the individual's independence, choice-making, and natural relationships within the community.
Question 6: A support plan indicates a person requires a 'modified texture diet.' This means the DSP should:
- Offer all food items and let the person choose
- Follow the specific food texture guidelines outlined by the speech therapist or dietitian (Correct answer)
- Only provide liquid meals for safety
- Document the diet preference but serve regular foods
Correct answer: Follow the specific food texture guidelines outlined by the speech therapist or dietitian
A modified texture diet is a medical order prescribed to prevent choking or aspiration and must be followed exactly as directed.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes 'self-determination' for people with disabilities?
- The ability to live without any professional support
- The right to make choices and have control over one's own life (Correct answer)
- Having a guardian make all major life decisions
- Following a schedule set by the residential program
Correct answer: The right to make choices and have control over one's own life
Self-determination means individuals have the right to make decisions about their own lives, including where they live, who supports them, and how they spend their time.
DSP Certified Direct Support Professional Training 2
A person you support refuses to take their prescribed medication.
What is the FIRST action a DSP should take?