We have talked a lot recently about the positives of the right school selection for children and the benefits of tutoring but we havent touched on behaviour and how this can have an impact on school life. Positive Behaviour Support is commonly seen as a way of supporting children and adults who have challenging behaviour tendencies. It has been proven to be very effective, and many care and social workers are using this technique and scientific approach that aims to protect a person’s rights, as well as promoting their quality of life for both them and their families.

Before we can understand the benefits of Positive Behaviour Support, it is important to know just what it is. Ultimately, it is a behavioural management system, used to understand an individual’s challenging behaviour. There can be many different reasons as to why this behaviour is apparent; however, it is about learning why they maintain that behaviour that it is important. It can be difficult initially to change their inappropriate behaviours, as they will be doing it or a reason – it serves a purpose for them. Unwittingly, these behaviours are being reinforced by the environment, as the child will often receive attention when they express this certain behaviour. The Positive Behaviour Support management system does just that. Instead of the child receiving attention for inappropriate behaviour, they will praise the positive behaviour, identifies goals that the child can reach, and monitoring their process. The goals that the support worker sets should be manageable, desirable and have an effective force on their positive behaviour.

Positive Behaviour Support is becoming more recognised as an effective coping strategy in schools, and has had a visible impact on the child’s ability to participate in certain activities. However, it is important that everyone involved in the child’s life, from parents, to teachers, to social workers fully understand the strategy, in order for it to be fully effective. For some, it is a complete lifestyle change, and it is important that the child in question is assessed by a professional first to identify why the child expresses the inappropriate behaviours, and the positive goals that they are working towards.

Once you understand exactly what Positive Behaviour Support is, it is so easy to realise the benefits that this will have on the child. In the short term, it can make the child happier, reducing problem behaviours. Their adapted behaviour means that they have a new coping strategy which is more effective, and it also allows the child to identify their strengths. It can help schools, and parents, as they will be displaying less negative and inappropriate behaviours, which will lead to fewer aggressive incidents at home and in school, and ultimately, it can help them in the long run in terms of employment when they are older, as they will completely understand how to deal with certain behaviours in a much more effective way.

Information supplied by Home from Home Care

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