Positive Behaviour Support Blogs

Dolly Bhargava's blog on positive behaviour support

Strategies for Managing Anxiety

Follow these 10 simple steps to managing anxiety. Use the guide yourself or work through the steps with someone you are with.

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Category: Strategies

A simple guide to managing anxiety in 10 easy to follow steps

Strategies to Manage Anger

Follow these 10 simple steps to managing anger. Use the guide yourself or work through the steps with someone you are with.

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Category: Strategies

A simple guide to managing anger in 10 easy to follow steps

Strategies to Cope With Sadness

Follow these 10 simple steps to coping with sadness. Use the guide yourself or work through the steps with someone you are with.

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Category: Strategies

A simple guide to coping with sadness in 10 easy to follow steps

Learning to Handle Losing Gracefully

Follow these 10 simple steps to learning to handle losing gracefully. Use the guide yourself or work through the steps with someone you are with.

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Category: Strategies

A simple guide to learning to handle losing gracefully in 10 easy to follow steps

Strategies to Make Unstructured Times Enjoyable and Beneficial

Follow these 10 simple steps to learning to making unstructured times enjoyable and beneficial. Use the guide yourself or work through the steps with someone you are with.

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Category: Strategies

A simple guide to learning to making unstructured times enjoyable and beneficial in 10 easy to follow steps

Pathways to Expression: Developing Communication Skills of Pre-Intentional and Intentional Communicators

Uncover effective strategies to enhance communication skills in students with profound intellectual disabilities for enriched learning experiences.

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Category: Positive Behaviour Support Blog

Supporting children in a classroom with a curriculum adapted for students with ADHD

Empowering Learners: Differentiating the curriculum for students with ADHD

Explore effective strategies for differentiating curriculum for students with ADHD. This comprehensive guide covers key techniques such as multisensory instruction, active learning, task chunking, visual organisation, individualised support, and more. Gain insights into creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment for students with ADHD.

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Category: Positive Behaviour Support Blog

Supporting children in a classroom with a curriculum adapted for students with ADHD

An Insight into Non-Verbal Communication: An Interview with Alex Gibbon

Today, we delve into a compelling narrative of resilience, humour, and advocacy, unveiling the life of Alex Gibbon - a non-binary comedian who navigates life using non-verbal communication.

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Category: Positive Behaviour Support Blog

Students in a classroom listening to teacher

Teaching Neurodiverse Children to Reduce Disruptive Behaviour and Promote Positive Learning

This article aims to provide practical tools and knowledge that you can use to best support and nurture neurodiverse students in your classroom. Every student you meet will have unique needs but when the unique needs of a neurodiverse student are not met it can disrupt learning for all and reduce the chances of success for the student.

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Category: Challenging Behaviour

children throwing paper aeroplanes in the classroom - a situation that could easily escalate into challenging behaviour

Which is it: Hyperactivity or ADHD?

Are you uncertain about whether your child is hyperactive (as young children often are), actually has Hyperactivity or has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). This article aims to help parents and educators understand the subtle differences and offers advice for supporting children in the home and at school.

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Category: Challenging Behaviour

Happy hyperactive children bouncing on the sofa

What Are the Effects of Family Conflicts on Children?

Many families have their arguments but when they escalate to cause family conflicts it can have long-term effects on children and their behaviour.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

family reconnecting in the woods

Writing SMARTER Individualised Education Plans to help students best achieve their goals

By creating SMARTER goals, you can ensure your students are set up for success and enable them to reach their potential. This article outlines the strategies you can employ to create SMARTER goals in your student’s IEP.

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Category: Positive Behaviour Support Blog

Individualised education plan with SMARTER goals

Therapies and Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

This article explores the therapy and intervention options for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by looking at the seven types of approaches used at home, clinics, schools, and community.

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Category: Conditions and Disorders

Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Differentiating the Curriculum for Students with ASD

This guide seeks to empower educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to foster an inclusive, engaging, and effective learning environment for all students with ASD.

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Category: Conditions and Disorders

Little boy with ASD being entertained by his dad and a cardboard box

A Guide to Sensory Processing Disorder

Every person on earth receives sensory information through their senses but the way we process that sensory information differs from person to person. When a person has difficulty processing, organising and acting on the information provided by their senses it is defined as Sensory Processing Disorder.

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Category: Conditions and Disorders

Little boy is distressed by loud noise because he has sensory processing disorder so he covers his ears

What is Mental Illness and How Does it Impact Behaviour?

Mental illness impacts how we think, feel and behave in daily life. For some individuals with mental illness may increase the likelihood of challenging behaviour incidents. By understanding mental illness it can give insight into the significant psychological disruption which creates significant challenges which then drives the emotional and behavioural difficulties. This short article looks at the relationship between mental illness, psychosocial disability and behaviour patterns.

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Category: Positive Behaviour Support Blog

a variety  of mental illnesses illustrated

What are the early signs and symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (or ASD for short) is characterised by a difficulty with social communication and repetitive patterns of behaviour. This article explores these two areas in more detail giving a comprehensive guide to the early signs and symptoms of ASD.

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Category: Challenging Behaviour

a woman kissing a young autistic child on the cheek

What do we mean by Neurodiversity, Neurodivergent, and Neurotypical?

Through increased awareness, sensitivity and understanding we can create environments, activities and interactions that enable inclusivity. We need to create a world where everyone is accepted, included and celebrated for who they are.

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Category: Challenging Behaviour

neurodiversity, neurodivergent, neurotypical

Why is Play so Challenging for Children with Disabilities?

Play is an essential part of growing up. The benefits of play influence all physical and emotional aspects of development from growing stronger to learning how to interact with one another. We anticipate that children will simply know how to play or be able to ‘go play’ with only a little encouragement but play can actually be very difficult for some children and in particular those with disabilities.

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Category: Challenging Behaviour

Child with disability finds it hard to engage in play activity with her mother

The Benefits of Play

The benefits of play are many and varied. Giving children, and adults, time to play is an essential part of growing up and life. This blog article discusses what play is and illustrates play’s six key benefits with examples.

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Category: Positive Behaviour Support Blog

Happy playful child is painting (a form of play that can help with fine motor skills and creativity)

Minimising Classroom Distractions for Students with ADHD

Children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can get easily distracted by internal and external stimuli. There are simple strategies we can use to help support students with ADHD.

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Category: Positive Behaviour Support Blog

children in a classroom with reduced distractions to assist children with ADHD

How to Use Visual Aids to Support Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Learn about how visual aids are a really effective way to empower children with Autism Spectrum Disorder communicate, learn and develop independence with examples and resources of various visual systems you can use at home, community or in the classroom.

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Category: Positive Behaviour Support Blog

mother helping child with autism interpret a visual aid

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the growth, development and functioning of the brain. Children with ASD typically find social interaction challenging and will often have restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour. Let’s explore ASD in more detail to learn more about brain development and the behaviours exhibited by children with ASD.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

A child with autism spectrum disorder poses for a photograph

Simple Strategies for Teaching Social Skills to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience challenges acquiring social skills through play and school compared with their neuro-typical peers. Without social skills, children with ASD are faced with situations that outweigh their skills causing frustration. This blog gives, with examples, some simple ways you can help as a parent or caregiver to teach social skills to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder so they can interact with others successfully.

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Category: Challenging Behaviour

group of children playing together in the park demonstrating effective social skills

What is Positive Behaviour Support?

PBS is a framework for developing and delivering person centered interventions that aim to improve quality of life. This blog explores the origins of PBS, what lies at the core of the framework and practical advice on how to use the assess, manage, prevent cycle.

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Category: Positive Behaviour Support Blog

Positive Behaviour Support framework graphic showing the three parts: assess, manage and prevent.

Teaching Strategies for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Teaching children with Autism Spectrum Disorder is enhanced with a few small modifications to your teaching strategies. This blog explores the five most effective teaching strategies for teachers and care givers supporting children with ASD in the classroom as well as examples.

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Category: Positive Behaviour Support Blog

Boy in classroom using a visual aid as a strategy for teaching children with autism spectrum disorder

Communication Strategies for Individuals with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD)

This article discusses a range of strategies that can be used by the communication partner to develop and strengthen potentially communicative signals which is critical in furthering the development of communication skills.

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Category: Challenging Behaviour

Autism Spectrum Disorder Non Verbal Communicator

Why Children with ADHD have difficulties with Emotional Regulation

Ongoing research has shown that individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD are more prone to emotional dysregulation. In this article we explore why.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

Little boy struggling with emotional regulation

12 Ways to Help Students Overcome Challenging Behaviour

Students at school experience all kinds of stresses each day. When it all gets too much the student's behaviour can become challenging. Here are 12 practical and easy-to-use strategies for de-escalating challenging behaviour in the classroom.

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Category: Challenging Behaviour

children throwing paper aeroplanes in the classroom - a situation that could easily escalate into challenging behaviour

Teaching Theory Of Mind Skills in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Theory of mind skills can often be undeveloped in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). With support, theory of mind can be nurtured. This short article discusses simple activities you can do at home or in the classroom to help nurture theory of mind skills in children and adolescents with ASD.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

little boy having a think about theory of mind depicted by question marks floating above his head

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support Plan in 5 Easy Steps

Straight forward guidance on how to create a Positive Behaviour Support Plan in five easy steps. Positive behaviour support plans help children have better classroom behaviour by better communicating a set of consistent and positive expectations they can relate to.

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Category: Positive Behaviour Support Blog

Students in a classroom listening to teacher

Why Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder have difficulties with Emotional Regulation

Exploring the causes of emotional regulation problems and why they occur in children with Autism.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

little girl with autism spectrum disorder using an stress relief toy repetitively

Sensory Stories for Individuals Experiencing PMLD (Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulties)

What makes a story Sensory? What purpose does it serve within the Special Education Classroom? How do you assess a Sensory Story’s value? This article concerns both the theory and practice of Sensory Stories for groups of Learners experiencing PMLD within any establishment. While the article addresses the issue of utilising the Sensory Story approach with groups, it does not preclude its use with an individual Learner although some of the techniques may require a little adjustment.

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Category: Challenging Behaviour

a child and mother having a sensory story together

Choice is a Voice: Choice Techniques for Minimising Behaviours of Concern

Having little or no choice is demeaning and has a negative impact on an Individual's Quality of Life. In this blog, we are going to explore 'Choice as a Voice' to empower the individual with the means to express their preferences across their daily life. 

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Category: Challenging Behaviour

child trying to make a choice

Examining the Build Up of Triggers That Lead to Challenging Behaviour: A Personal Perspective

In this article Tony a person with disability in his late sixties will share his personal perspective specifically on antecedents and the need for further detective work to look beyond the immediate antecedent. Instead to look at a range of setting events that could have contributed to the occurrence of behaviours that challenge others.

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Category: Challenging Behaviour

close up of a carer holding hands of a disabled person

What is Emotional Regulation?

Emotional regulation is the ability to identify, understand, express and manage emotions in a healthy way. Dolly Bhargava explores emotional regulation through definition and example with academic references.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

Small boy contemplating his emotional regulation

Teaching Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation is a skill that is learned.  Some children develop a better sense of regulating and controlling their emotions than others in the natural course of growing up but others do not develop the skill so well. This guide is therefore aimed at helping you as parent, carers, teachers or health professionals, to teach emotional regulation skills.  To do this, we use a toolkit called CHARGE and this is going to help the child, adolescent or adult express and manage their emotions in a healthy way.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

Mother and daughter using exercise as a form of emotional regulation

How to Support Your Child through COVID-19: 10 Helpful Tips.

With news about COVID-19 dominating the media and our daily lives changing significantly and rapidly to combat the pandemic, it’s no surprise that many children are feeling uncertain, anxious or frightened. Now, more than ever, we need to make sure that we’re there for our children to help them through this period of uncertainty.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

supporting your child through covid

Seven ways to create opportunities for choice making

As adults, we constantly make choices of various size and significance throughout each day. The ability to make choices impacts our quality of life, and allows us to be independent and make sure our voice is heard. We begin learning how to make choices from an early age, so it’s important that we provide students of all ages with opportunities to make choices to facilitate the development of this crucial life skill.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

supporting your child through covid

How to Talk to Your Child about COVID-19: 7 Helpful Tips.

With news about COVID-19 dominating the media and our daily lives changing significantly and rapidly to combat the pandemic, it’s no surprise that many children are feeling uncertain, anxious or frightened. Now, more than ever, we need to make sure that we’re there for our children to help them through this period of uncertainty.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

talking about covid 19 with your child

How do I help my child who is compulsively lying?

Although lying isn’t something we want our kids to do, it is a normal part of development. All children lie at different times, and it is, in fact, a sign that children are learning to understand how others think and feel. However, lying should be a concern when it becomes habitual—when a child lies often, and sometimes without obvious reason. This is what we call compulsive lying.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

little boy with his nose growing because he is lying

Hooked on rewards

While rewards can help motivate a student in the short term, students can become hooked on these rewards, making them quite detrimental in the long run. So if we want our students to be motivated, but run the risk of getting them hooked on rewards, how can we motivate good behaviours?

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Category: Emotional Regulation

child smelling a jar of marshmallows

Beyond Winning and Losing: Teaching Students to be Good Sports

The reaction of some students to losing in a competitive situation can be detrimental to themselves and to others. As winning and losing are a normal part of life, it’s important that we foster certain skills and abilities to guide these students to become good sports.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

girl playing a boardgame

Strategies for Students Who Struggle With Unstructured Times

Unstructured times can be a struggle for students with Anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The nature of these periods of time can prompt some students to exhibit emotional and behavioural difficulties that we as teaches would like to minimise. Fortunately, there are many strategies teachers can use to help their students cope with the difficulties of unstructured times.

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Category: Emotional Regulation

child having unstructured time in a paddling pool

Cyberbullying: Empowering Students to be Cyber Smart and Cyber Safe

Bullying is a well-known, age-old societal problem, but our adoption of technology has given rise to new ways of causing harm: cyberbullying. Educating and empowering our students to be cyber smart and cyber safe and deal with painful emotions is vital for keeping them safe in a technological world.

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Category: Cyberbullying

cyber bullying illustration showing negative comments through digital tools