Behaviour Helps aims to equip those supporting individuals with emotional and behavioural difficulties with the knowledge, skills, and tools to help the individual learn positive ways of behaving and managing their emotions.  Our resources include a book series, app, coaching, online courses, face to face workshops and consultancy.  They aim to educate-empower-enable you to utlise Positive Behaviour Support at childcare, school, youth centres, employment and disability support services.  

The resources are based on the evidenced based approach of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS).  PBS emphasises the need for an assessment to take place to understand the reason/s for specific challenging behaviours before they can be addressed. Based on the assessment findings, PBS uses multiple approaches to minimise or prevent the occurrence of these behaviours. PBS focuses on teaching, increasing and strengthening helpful behaviours through reinforcement, and anticipating where things may go wrong, rather than just reacting when they do. By changing interactions, activities and altering environments, specific behaviours can be prevented, and we can improve the individual’s quality of life.  

For more information please contact us. We are here to answer any questions, comments or concerns you might have. We can provide with any additional information you might need regarding our consultancy services, books, face to face workshops, and online courses.

These responses are identified as challenging because they:

• Have a duration, frequency and intensity beyond the acceptable norm,
• Are not in accordance with the environment’s values and expectations,
• Interfere with the individual’s own participation and/or the participation of others, can affect or cause harm to the individual, others and the environment, and (Emerson, 1995, 2000).
• Do not respond to the usual range of interventions used to address behaviour

We need to recognise that all behaviour serves a purpose. Simply ignoring the challenging emotional and behaviour responses does not make them disappear and, in many cases, the responses become more extreme and firmly entrenched the longer they remain unaddressed.

Understanding the reason for the behaviour is key to supporting children, adolescents and adults with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Without understanding the reason why the individual is exhibiting challenging behaviour, inaccurate conclusions can then form the basis of inappropriate behaviour interventions. Inappropriate interventions can perpetuate challenging behaviour and have dire consequences.

Consequences in childhood

• Poorer family and peer relationships
• Lower levels of school achievement
• Greater risk of school suspension/expulsion
• Fewer qualifications
• Social exclusion

Consequences in adulthood

• Poorer relationships with partners and own children
• Poorer physical and mental health
• Higher mortality rates
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Links with offending behaviour
• Criminal activity
• Lower wages
• Poorer employment prospects
• Greater financial insecurity

Hence, it is critical that as parents, childcare, educators, youth and disability staff we do everything in our power to positively support individuals with emotional and behavioural difficulties by utilising the evidence based approach of Positive Behaviour Support at childcare, school, youth centres, employment and disability support services.