Positive behaviour support Getting it right from the start

Positive behaviour support: Getting it right from the start - Facilitators reference manual 73
Some means of communication:
In order to communicate a person needs to have a means of communication. If the person does
not have speech, it is very important to learn the meaning behind the person’s unique methods
of communication and systematically introducing AAC systems.
Someone to communicate with:
Although this appears quite obvious, often people with complex communication needs seldom
have a person who really takes the time to chat. Communication may be slow or the person may
prefer not to communicate rather than experience frustration or failure. It is therefore important
for positive relationships to be established as a means of ensuring the person becomes
confident with their communication attempts.
Make choices:
This should be a routine part of all daily activities. By having constant opportunities for decisionmaking
and choice a person is encouraged to do things for themselves.
Activities:
Not having much to do that is personally enjoyable and based on the person’s strengths, doing
things which are not very functional, not being taught in ways which set the person up to
succeed.
Predictability:
Not being able to predict activities or what is happening next in their day.
Delivery of instructions
Information is conveyed in ways that the person finds hard to understand, e.g. support staff
relying primarily on spoken language.
PowerPoint Some key points to remember about the processing and interpreting of messages:
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• Speech only is very difficult to process and interpret.
• People with a disability have varying levels communicative ability and it important to know
where on the communication continuum the person is.
• Some people may be able to follow simple one stage commands, information in the here
and now, the first or last thing that was said. Others may be processing information at a
conversational level but having difficulty with abstract concepts such as humour, or taking
everything that was said literally—are concrete thinkers.
• Some people are very good at seeming like they understand everything that is being said,
when in fact they are only processing bits of information and relying heavily on your nonspeech
cues and may misinterpret the intent of your message.
• The ability to process and interpret messages can change depending on the person’s health
and wellbeing, emotional state and number of distractions in the environment.
• Some people may have difficulty processing information:
- that is presented in the negative—for example, ‘Don’t run’ or ’You don’t like bananas do you?’
- that is related to time, day or date (temporal relationships)
- about who, what, where, when and why questions.