Overview

1. Produce a support plan which includes assessment of a behaviour that challenges, hypothesis of function and a evidence-informed support plan. This may take the form of a behaviour support plan or a plan of your own design which includes the required elements (listed below).
2. Reflection on how your understanding of behaviour has changed or developed over the course.

Submit your support plan and reflective piece as one document.

Description

Part A: Support plan (1750 words)

For a case study develop a support plan. This plan should aim to support an individual to reduce the need for a behaviour that challenges to occur. Collect and analyse data on a behaviour and plan changes to the context and environment to reduce the need for the behaviour to occur. Your case study individual can be someone from your own context who is demonstrating a challenging behaviour (they do not have to be autistic). If you do not have someone you know that can act as your case study you can request a fictional case study by emailing your tutor or course convenor.

You need to ensure your document includes the following:

• A one-page plan summary (see examples in the Assessment 2 module) in the form of a table or figure which includes short dot points:
  • A definition of the behaviour of focus
  • Hypothesised function of behaviour
  • Two proactive strategies to manage or reduce the behaviour that challenges (consider at least one change to the environment or context)
  • Reactive and/or long-term strategies if included
  • Review date

A plan elaboration document discussing:

• brief background that is relevant to understanding the behaviours that challenge (this is a good place to use the research literature to address criteria 1 of the marking criteria)
  • Background and very brief profile of the person’s characteristics 
  • Explain how this profile of  characteristics places the case study at increased risk of, or increases the need to, show a challenging behaviour. Use the literature to inform and support your discussion.
• information on the individual’s behaviours that challenge and the function of the behaviour
  • Information around behaviour that challenges, ending with a clear definition of the specific behaviour that this support plan will focus upon
  • Short summary of the data collected around this behaviour and summary of analysis of this data. Consider including perspective of the individual your plan is about in data collection
  • Clear statement of which of the eight functions this behaviour serves
  • Goal for behaviour
• The plan for intervention
  • Detail at least two proactive strategies to manage or reduce the challenging behaviour. Consider including a strategy designed to adapt something in the environment or context. Ensure these strategies clearly link to the hypothesised function of the behaviour. Explain each strategy and describe how it links to the function of the behaviour and describe the literature supporting its use to reduce behaviours that challenge
  • Describe a reactive strategy for managing the behaviour when it occurs
  • Identify any longer-term interventions or procedures to reduce need to show the behaviour
  • Ascribe goals and deadlines for implementing interventions
• Monitoring and evaluation
  • State the criteria for success of interventions and detail the full evaluation procedure

Part B: Reflective piece (500 words)

Provide a reflective critique of your understanding of behaviour that challenges and how it may have changed or developed throughout this course.

Provide examples of how this will impact how you manage behaviours that challenge in the future.

Format

This task requires you to write a support plan to reduce a behaviour that challenges which is present in a case study of your choice (this must be different to the case study used in Assessment One). For a plan to be successful, somebody else needs to be able to pick it up, understand it and implement it, so clarity is very important, as is support from the research evidence.  

• If you do not have access a case study, please contact me and I will provide you with a case study 
• If your case study study does not show any behaviours that challenge, you can ask me for a case study or select another individual you have access to who shows behaviours that challenge.

The essential parts of a support plan to reduce challenging behaviour will be described in topic videos and the readings.  For this assessment the minimum you can recommend is two strategies (consider including one which adapts the environment or context), but if you wish to integrate proactive strategies, replacement behaviours and reactive strategies that are clearly linked to function, then this will make for a stronger plan and piece of work.

Consent form

Depending on who you select for your case study, you may need to gain consent to do so. Please complete this as required within your setting and indicate this on the front page of your assignment by the inclusion of the statement in italics below. We do not need a copy of any consent form or documentation you are required to complete for your setting). Please ensure that your case study is not identifiable through your work, for example, please use a pseudonym and do not include details of their home, school or work placement which means they would be identifiable.

“Permission to describe this individual as a part of a case study was sought and gained. All names and identifiable information has been changed in order to protect the anonymity of the individual, their family and/or those working with them.”

Referencing

You must produce an original piece of work which cites quality-references from peer-reviewed journal articles.

You must cite/reference original work, author(s) etc. Avoid secondary citations and websites and use information from first-hand experiences books with caution as they often reflect personal experience rather than findings from independent research.

Citation and referencing should conform to APA 7 (American Psychological Association) format both in the body of your paper and its attached reference section. (The reference list can be submitted as a standard reference list at the end of your plan).

You are not expected to include references in your reflective piece but if for any reason you do, ensure you continue to use APA 7th edition.