As a Behaviour Support Practitioner, William found that establishing a positive therapeutic relationship with young participants, primarily with ASD/ADHD, was crucial, revealing that building rapport and understanding emotional states.
When it comes to starting out in behaviour support, a tremendous amount of self-control is needed. It is very easy to lose your nerve and talk yourself down because of the intricacies that come with undertaking this role.
This was especially prevalent for me, when I first came on board and found that I had 5 participants, all under the age of 10, all primarily presenting with ASD/ADHD.
Without kids of my own, and with minimal experience with other people's children, sessions quickly became about trying to stay calm, as much as helping the participants and learning the ropes of behaviour support!
What I was not prepared for this challenge, it became apparent just how accurate my study at university and learning materials would end up being, in terms of navigating the therapeutic aspects under positive behaviour support. Repeated exposure and a sense of self-preservation born out of stress can be extremely motivating! I am, of course, referring to myself in my first sessions with the new participants:
- Having to suddenly learn what each participant's expectations were and whether they understood my role
- Trying to put them at ease and strike up a positive therapeutic relationship on very short notice!
However, instead of trying to get to behavioural strategies and techniques as fast as possible, I learned, very quickly, that these sessions with my young participants would teach me something much more valuable. Something that not only helped us build a wonderful rapport with my participants, but also something that I have taken into my own daily life:
- Progress does not always need to be forced. In fact, understanding our own emotional states, needs, and wants can reveal far more about ourselves.
- By spending some time nurturing our emotional needs, we can come to understand the things that distress us the most.
- By gaining an understanding of a person's emotional state, we learn more about what we are seeking.
In the case of my participants, it became clear that building rapport was an incredibly essential first step. Due to their young age and great enthusiasm, the concept of ‘targeting behaviours of focus’ was not something they understood or were interested in. Instead, what took place was the building of a great therapeutic relationship, wherein after several sessions, participants were comfortable enough to talk about what was upsetting them, and whether this would be something that I could help them with identifying and managing to the best of their capabilities.
Following the initial rapport building. behaviour support sessions with younger participants became much more conversational. They were willing to share with me things that were distressing them, things that they wanted to achieve, as well as building a sense of structure and expectations. Of course, there is a great deal of discussing hobbies, games, and walking breaks and contributed towards their emerging skills around emotional regulation. It allowed my participants to build an understanding around how our behaviour support sessions were about growth and self-improvement.
For my older participants, I have experienced a broader range of motivations, disability presentations, and understanding of behaviour support. However, what has most surprised me about the younger participants is that by not bringing their expectations to the sessions, I was encouraged to think outside the box and incorporate a far more person-centred and nurturing approach. I have had to learn to be one step ahead, observing the moods and waning attention of the younger participants and shifting the session to accommodate. To muster up enthusiasm, joy and praise when I did not think of myself as capable enough to do so, it becomes much easier when you can see the reaction on someone’s face right away. And of course, the lesson that gets repeated to you again and again, but really doesn’t become clear until the rubber hits the road: don’t take things personally! The first time a very young participant is expressing extreme boredom and frustration at your presence, it can be quite taxing on one’s confidence. Much like the support I have tried to provide to all of them – vulnerability is a strength. And sometimes, a change of scenery and a bit of self-forgiveness is what’s needed to see things a different way.
No one has been more surprised in this whole process than myself! One may think of it as an age-old cliché, but it most certainly remains true as my time working in behaviour support has demonstrated: you may think you are there to support the children, but they end up supporting you in more ways than one.
