Accessibility Tool
Children and young people with SEND may sometimes display behaviours that might be confusing to those around them, as a way of communicating their needs. These behaviours may include:
Please see our parent programmes, workshops and video resources.
Please see information available in our useful resources section of the SEND Local Offer.
Speak to your GP or where relevant the school nurse - if you feel there may be an underlying cause, please visit your GP to support with support and next steps.
Please visit our mental health and wellbeing support hub
If your child or young person is struggling in school, please speak to the class teacher or school SENCo.
Some schools may have accessed our Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) offer.
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Offer to schools
The Milton Keynes SEND Team offer involvement from the Specialist Teaching Teams and Educational Psychologist service where children and young people have a SEND need, this includes CYP with an identified learning need, mental health need and behaviours that challenge. Settings and schools make requests for support by contacting our SEND Support Line. Advice can also be given via the SEND Support Line to settings, schools, professionals and parents/carers.
Support offered can vary according to need but may include a combination of:
Think about a child's behaviour a bit like an iceberg - you can only see the tip but there’s a lot more underneath that you can’t see. There can be underlying reasons for challenging behaviour. So, you need to ask why is the child behaving like this? Not, what is the child doing.
Reasons for challenging behaviour can include:
A solution
Use an ABC chart to find the trigger points for the behaviour:
Behaviours of Concern - Chris White, Specialist Teacher with the Inclusion Specialist Teaching Team, presents these videos looking at behaviours of concern, why you may see them and strategies to support.
The challenging behaviour foundation
We are making a difference to the lives of children, young people and adults with severe learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges, by:
Providing information
We provide practical information for families and professionals about understanding and supporting children, young people and adults whose behaviour challenges.
Providing support
Our Family Support Workers can offer individual support and information over the phone and by email. We also offer peer-to-peer support through our Carers’ Catch-Ups, and email networks for family carers and for professionals.
Running workshops
We offer a range of workshops to families and professionals, co-delivered by a professional trainer and a family carer trainer. Our workshops have been found to reduce challenging behaviour and have positive outcomes for families and professionals who attend.
Speaking up for families on a national level
We listen to the experiences of families and use these to highlight the needs of individuals whose behaviour challenges and their families. We set up and chair the Challenging Behaviour – National Strategy Group working to promote high quality support for people whose behaviour challenges.
NAS have information and advice to support children and young people with autism.
Offer information, advice and support for children and young people with learning disabilities.
The Down's Syndrome Association share information, advice and strategies (including PBS) for parents/carers of children and young people with Down's Syndrome.
Some children experience sensory processing difficulties which impact on participation and function in everyday activities. Many children with Neurodevelopmental difficulties including ASC and ADHD experience these difficulties. If you think your child has sensory processing difficulties, please talk to any healthcare professional already working with your child. They can help you to unpick your child’s behaviours and whether they are sensory or have another cause.
The Milton Keynes Occupational Therapy Service has developed a Universal online sensory processing awareness training and signposting to resources created by other services and agencies. This aims to support parents, carers and teachers to better understand and respond to children’s sensory needs. Our approach is centred on creating a better fit between the child, the activity and the environment. Our aim is to work with Milton Keynes Council education services to support all schools in Milton Keynes at a Universal level to be ‘sensory friendly’. A referral is not required.
Here is some helpful information on the Occupational Therapy website.
Useful resources to support sensory difficulties
Sensory sensitivities
If you think your child may have sensory sensitivities, please use this this checklist to determine the area of need, alongside this you will find a list of strategies to support your child and their sensory sensitivities.
The National Autistic Society teamed up with Don’t Panic London to create ‘Can you make it to the end?’
‘Can you make it to the end?’ is a film that puts the viewer into the shoes of a small boy living with autism and lets them experience the world through his eyes during a visit to the shopping centre.
