Behavioural Specialist

Behavioural Support

What is a Behavioural Specialist?

A behaviour specialist is able to work intuitively picking up the signals the child is presenting, reading the messages behind the child’s behaviour.

To work cognitively to identify the links between the underlying feelings and its associated sensation leading to the child’s behaviour, recognising and addressing the gaps in young people’s emotional, relational development and learning.

A behaviour specialist will implement practices that will support the parent/key worker in building positive, joyful relationships that build resilience to be able to meet the child’s needs effectively and help them to regulate/self-regulate enabling them to reach their greatest potential.

Behavioral therapy can assist with:

Anxiety

Teaching children to manage their anxiety and name the level of anxiety they are feeling. To recognise how it impacts their lives by identifying the triggers and regulating their thoughts, increasing control by implementing strategies to support them.

Trauma

To implement a sensitive approach to meeting the social, emotional and cognitive needs of the child using a range of models according to the needs of the child, their behaviour profile and the family dynamics.

Oppositional Behaviour

teaching children that have experienced difficult interactions to adapt new ways of behaviour. Then overcoming fear and increasing trust creating positive change in the child’s sense of self. To see beneath the behaviours that may be causing concern and identify any underlying emotional developmental needs.

Emotional Regulation

encouraging and helping children to put words to their feelings and body sensations to help them make sense of what they are feeling in their body and interpret what the underlying emotion might be.

Positive Attachment

promoting children’s’ and young peoples’ mental health by helping adults know how to be and what to do in response to their differing and sometimes distressed behaviour. Building enhanced attachment, self-esteem, trust in others and joyful engagement.

Growth Mindset

by using the latest brain science to encourage children to persevere and build resilience to improve and understand that their abilities can be developed and improved. Modelling and teaching healthy, positive language looking at the power of language and thoughts.

Common Developmental Areas to refer a child/ student to a behavioural specialist:

We are all biologically encrypted with the drive to have our emotional needs met, if they are not met in the conventional way we will seek other ways to get our needs met. Each one of us will have our own individual way of presenting this. Below are some of the areas that may manifest:

A change in or challenging behaviours that may be a concern at home or school
Interferences with the child’s learning and relationships with others
Childs behaviour is inappropriate to the child’s age, developmental strand or background
Low sustained attention, easily distracted, withdrawal or refusal to engage with others
Refusal to follow set boundaries, rules or structure, a need for control
Interruptions in the social, emotional, mental health or well-being. Outbursts or problems with emotional regulation, difficulties describing emotions and communicating needs
Persistent worries or fears expressed, sleep disturbances, fearfulness/shyness or struggles with change
Low self-esteem, lack of eye contact or decreased self-care and independent skills
Delays in play and social interaction
Trauma/traumatic experiences

Common Diagnosis:

ADD, ADHD, Autism, Attachment difficulties, PDA, ODD, Trauma, Anxiety, Gender Identity Disorder, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Executive functioning disorder, specific language impairment, working memory difficulties, dyspraxia, tics and Tourette’s, FASD, OCD, PTSD, Selective mutism, Eating disorder, Depression.

Child Development Costa del Sol