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Autism
A substantial part of our training courses involve working with the carers of people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The staff at Studio 3 adopt a radical stance to the diagnoses of Autistic Spectrum Disorders. With regard to the 'Triad of Impairments', we accept that a person may have difficulties in imagination, social interaction and communication. We do not accept the term 'impairment' as we feel this reinforces a 'deficit' model. It is not simply a matter of semantics as many difficulties can be overcome given time and support. We also supprt the notion that sensory difficulties and movement differences are important issues in the lifes of people with autism.
We have extensive experience of working with people with autism and much of our work involves getting staff to work in a person centred manner. Many people with ASD display a range of rituals and compulsions. It is our view that we are there to support these individuals rather than modifying their behaviours per se and thus support the notion of behaviour management rather than behaviour change. When working with individuals with autism we have noticed that often their behaviours may actually get worse before improving. The management of these challenging behaviours is a small but significant part of the response as parents and carers can encounter very difficult behaviours when working with children and adults with autism. Our course therefore teaches carers how challenging situations can be managed safely, humanely and effectively.
The ideals of Studio 3 are to promote the management of challenging behaviour in a gentle and dignified way, by providing a better understanding and insight into autistic spectrum disorders and challenging behaviour and by use of low arousal approaches and gentle physical skills.
Studio 3 trainers have been running courses in the management of challenging behaviour for many years and our courses are based on applied academic research carried out in residential homes, day centres, respite care and institutional settings. We aim to give carers the skills they need to manage challenging behaviour so that the environment for the clients improves and the carers begin to develop more positive relationships with their clients. We also find that after the course, carers feel more confident in the work place and enjoy their jobs more, hopefully with less stress.
As part of the course package we provide a template policy on the management of violence and aggression. Our trainers will then work with you to develop this basic policy to suit the needs of your service. The policy is written in straightforward language so that it can be easily understood by all staff. This policy clears up the grey areas, especially around physical interventions and restraint. On the course we explain how this policy is meant to give a clear framework for carers and also the service.
The first day of the course is focussed on legal issues in relation to clients with autism and possibly also a learning disabililty, causes of challenging behaviour, carers" own reactions and tolerances, an introduction to low arousal approaches, an introduction to debriefing and finally a section on managing versus changing behaviours. The second day of the course then combines gentle physical skills with the skills learnt on the first day. The third day of the course allows plenty of time for practising the low arousal approaches and physical skills together. The last element of the course is learning the restraint procedure and practising all the above in role play situations. The course allows plenty of time for critical discussions of all the issues encountered.
