A Person-Centered Approach to Supporting
and Developing Appropriate Behaviors
ABILITY, DISABILITY & SUPPORT
While abilities differ with each individual, every individual can be said to possess certain abilities or strengths which allow the individual to interact constructively and productively within the environment. Every individual requires some degree of support in the environment in order to meet basic needs and desires. An individual who is able to meet his or her basic needs and desires with supports that are available in the local community or setting is considered “normal” or non-disabled for that setting. However, when an individual requires special supports which are not readily available in the community or setting, then that individual is considered “disabled”. From this perspective, disabilities reside not in an individual, but in the interaction between the individual and his or her environment.
Many people experience far more disability than they need to, because the environment emphasizes the lack of ability, rather than reduces it. An individual who requires a wheelchair for mobility is only disabled to the degree that the environment does not allow for wheelchair use. In a wheelchair friendly space such a person may be almost entirely independent, but in environment that is not wheelchair friendly that same person may be totally dependent on others for the most basic of activities.
Through the enhancement of native abilities and strengths, and with the provision of needed environmental and social supports, every individual may have the capacity to function as a productive and valued member of the community.
POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL SUPPORTS
The philosophy of positive behavioral supports is rooted in the concept that every behavior an individual exhibits serves a positive function for that individual, even when that behavior is considered unsafe or socially unacceptable. Understanding the function of a given behavior for an individual is therefore of utmost importance if that individual is to develop new behavioral strengths. The process of achieving such an understanding is referred to as functional assessment of behavior. For instance, one person may hit others in order to obtain attention; in such a case it will be necessary to help the individual find a more appropriate way of gaining the attention he or she desires. Another individual may exhibit the exact same behavior in order to communicate physical discomfort; in that case an appropriate method of addressing the physical discomfort would be desired.
While a positive behavioral support approach may use behavioral modification strategies, the behavioral support philosophy is quite different from that of traditional behavior modification. Traditional behavior modification philosophy views the individual as almost irrelevant to the behavior change process, whereas a behavior support philosophy views the individual as central to the process. Underlying the concept of positive behavioral support is the observation that when a person is able to meet his or her basic needs and desires, that person is likely to behave in a generally positive manner. Thus it may be necessary to understand an individual’s needs and desires in order to help that individual develop a safer or more acceptable manner of expressing them.
Behavioral supports can take many different forms, but they may be grouped into three overlapping basic categories:
1) Behavior Crisis Prevention
In general, these are support strategies that focus on preventing or reducing stress factors which lead to behavioral crisis. They target the physical and/or social environment and seek to protect the individual from certain types of environmental hazards, stimuli or stressors. These are sometimes referred to as “proactive” or preventative behavioral interventions, as they focus on preventing behavioral crises from occurring. The development of behavior prevention supports involves identifying the internal or environmental factors that are triggering behavioral crisis or unwanted behaviors. Such factors can include internal stimuli (such as medical or psychiatric issues), external factors (such as loud noise or other stimuli), activity factors (such as boredom or dislike of a particular task), social interaction factors (such as feeling teased, rushed or harassed), and skill factors(such as needing help but being unable to ask for it), etc.
2) Behavioral Crisis Management
Management supports are focused on minimizing both the escalation and the negative impact of unwanted behaviors on the individual and the social and physical environment. While behavior management strategies may be preventative, the concept of crisis management implies that the initial stages of behavioral crisis have already been observed. The focus of effective crisis management support is the safe and speedy resolution of crises with minimal use of intrusive or restrictive approaches.
3) Behavior Development/Skills Training
Behavior development supports are strategies focused on learning or strengthening the learning of behaviors which are safe, effective and appropriate for an individual to use in the effort to meet his or her needs. The focus is on the enhancement and development of an individual’s ability to tolerate, avoid or manage internal or environmental stressors that are difficult to avoid. Thus a person who can not tolerate noise may need help learning how to get away from it before a behavioral crisis occurs, or someone who acts out in order to get help may be taught a an alternative more acceptable way to ask for help.
George Rathbone, NCC, LCPC
No comments:
Post a Comment