Managing Challenging Behaviours with Positive Behaviour Support
26th February 2020
By Demi Perkins
Positive Behaviour Support
Positive behaviour support (PBS) is an evidence based approach which successfully reduces challenging behaviour. It aims to determine what, where, when, why and how challenging behaviour occurs.
Often people present with challenging behaviour due to their needs not being met and their quality of life being low. PBS argues that to manage challenging behaviour, first we must understand why the person exhibits these behaviours initially. Triggers in the environment that lead to challenging behaviour should be established. The individual should be taught new skills in order to develop personally and increase their quality of life. In addition, clear strategies should be identified in order to manage these challenging behaviours in the long term.
Positive Behaviour Support Plan
A positive behaviour support plan is a type of care plan created in order to help children, young people, adults and those with a learning disability, who display challenging behaviour. The plan is specifically tailored to an individual based on their needs. The plan is formed from functional assessments of the individual and works best with input from the person themselves and their families or people close to them.
The plan typically comprises of proactive strategies created to improve an individual’s quality of life and removing conditions in which challenging behaviour is likely to occur. The plan identifies environmental triggers and thus creates environmental adaptations and strategies to encourage the development of new skills. Furthermore, the plan exhibits preventative strategies in order to reduce challenging behaviour before it occurs, and reactive strategies to be used to manage behaviours that could not be prevented.
Positive Behaviour Support in the Classroom
Some children exhibit challenging behaviour in a classroom setting; this could be disruptive for other students and for teachers. Some reasons as to why challenging behaviour may occur in the classroom include behavioural difficulties (i.e. ADHD, autism), learned behaviour, boredom, difficulties in their home environment, lack of a structured routine and even health issues.
PBS strategies favoured by teachers include:
- Altering the classroom environment
By modifying the environment, teachers can remove or change the conditions of the classroom, thus reducing identified triggers which are influencing the presentation of challenging behaviour.
- Structured routines and predictability
Unpredictability could lead to challenging behaviours in the classroom. Research shows that a consistent routine can be used as a preventative measure of challenging behaviour. An effective way of implementing a routine is by issuing a weekly planner and making sure students are aware of any planned changes well in advance.
- Appreciate positive behaviours
The use of positive reinforcement teaches students to act in a particular way by rewarding that person for exhibiting correct behaviour for a particular situation.
- Teach new skills
Students often present with challenging behaviour as an initial response as they lack an alternative more appropriate way to meet their needs. By teaching more appropriate responses that achieve the same goal as using challenging behaviour, students can increase their skills and decrease their need to express challenging behaviours.
Psychology Chartered are running a training course:
‘Working with Clients who Display Challenging Behaviour’
This one-day course aims to improve support workers’ ability to identify and address the emotional impacts of working with clients who express challenging behaviour, to establish ways of developing resilience and much more.
The event will be taking place on Tuesday 14th April 2020 at 10.00am – 15.00pm.
To find out more click here.
References
https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/challenging-behaviour-in-the-classroom/