About Functional Behaviour Assessments
- What is a Behaviour of Concern?
A behaviour of concern is anything that a person does which can place them or others at risk of significant harm or may seriously impact on their quality of life. Behaviours of concern may also lead care-givers to take actions which are aversive or which may lead to the person being excluded from the wider community. These types of behaviour normally happen more often than other patterns of behaviour, or they can happen for longer periods or be more intense.
- What is a Functional Behaviour Assessment?
All behaviour happens for a reason and this is also true for behaviours of concern. The person could be in pain or they may be trying to gain access to an item or an activity. Alternatively, they may be wanting to start an interaction with someone, need to escape from high levels or demand or they may simply be looking to get some sensory stimulation. A functional behaviour assessment helps us to understand why a person is behaving in a particular way and what environmental factors are likely to start the behaviour happening. We can then look to modify the environment to make unwanted behaviours less likely to happen, but also help the person to develop better skills so they do not have to rely on behaviours of concern to get their needs met.
- What is a Specific Behaviour Support Plan?
Sometimes referred to as a behavioural intervention plan, a specific behaviour support plan looks to guide those people providing care to an individual on how to reduce an unwanted behaviour or increase new skills. Normally written following a functional assessment, the plan outlines the environmental changes needed to reduce unwanted patterns of behaviour, alongside the best way to communicate with the person. The plan will also indicate how care-givers should respond should behaviours of concern occur, or how to reinforce alternative patterns of behaviour. It will also contain a way to monitor progress to see if the intervention is successful.
If you would like to know more about Functional Behaviour Assessments or Specific Behaviour Support Plans, please contact us here, call us on 07976 041391 or email us direct at info@cheshire-autism.com