Human behaviour is very complex, even in people with significant learning disabilities. The behavioural approach is based on the ABCs, which stands for Antecedent (what happens before the behaviour), Behaviour and Consequence (what happens after the behaviour). While using this approach can help us identify what is reinforcing the behaviour or making it more likely so we can make changes to reduce it, in the real world is excessively simplistic. This is the reason why their success rate is limited and the results may not be long lasting. What other factors can influence behaviour?
- Physiological factors: diet, sleep, pain, fatigue, etc.
- Emotional wellbeing
- Routine
- Environment, e.g. crowded spaces, noise, etc.
- Missing or lagging skills
- Relationships
- Sensory needs
This list is by no means exhaustive, there are many factors that influence people’s behaviour, sometimes one behaviour can be influenced by more than one factor while the same factor can contribute to more than one behaviour. It’s very important to make a thorough assessment and to continue to monitor how changes in different factors are affecting (or not) the child’s behaviour. When it comes to assessment, my motto is “not leaving any stone unturned”.
What behaviours can I help with?
- Aggression
- Self-harm
- Toileting problems
- Meltdowns
- Defiance
- Socially unacceptable behaviour
Who can I help?
I work with neurodiverse children aged 2-18 years old who are having difficulties with their behaviour and/or their sleep.
Most of my experience has been with children on the autism spectrum and learning disabilities, however I have also worked with people with other disabilities including Down’s syndrome, fragile X, and Prader Willy syndrome among others.
Sorry I’m unable to help children who present significant mental health conditions or whose behavioural problems are mainly linked to trauma. In this case I recommend you reaching out to CAMHS (I know their waiting list is insane!) or local organisations that support children with mental health or trauma. I am also not able to help families whose difficulties are mainly of a social or financial nature. In this case, please reach out to your local council as they will be more able to help.
Structure
- After you submit your contact form, I’ll get back to you via e-mail to arrange a free initial 15 min phone call so I can have an overview on your situation and decide whether I’m a good fit to help you reach your goals.
- If we decide to work together, the next step is doing an assessment. I’ll be sending you some questionnaires to complete and I’ll ask you to record a few videos of what happens before, during and after the behaviour. The forms and the videos need to be sent to me before the next videocall so I can review them.
- We’ll have a videocall where I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the questionnaires and the videos I’ve received and decide whether we need to make further assessments or we are ready to start drafting a behaviour support plan (BSP).
- Once I have all the information I need, I’ll design a personalised BSP and provide other advice to help address the behaviours.
- We’ll have a videocall where I’ll be sharing the plan and the advice, and you’ll tell me what you think of it. After our conversation I’ll make any changes that we agree and e-mail it back to you.
- After this, I strongly recommend reviewing the BSP and the advice, as sometimes we need to make changes or parents need further guidance on the implementation of the plan.
- Once the parents feel confident they can continue to follow the BSP and my advice without guidance, we’ll say each other goodbye.
*Please make sure you can meet the requirements for this service before requesting it.