Disruptive, Stubborn, Out of Control?

Helping professionals, carers, and educational professionals often struggle with children whose behaviour is confrontational, defiant, challenging or violent. Often such behaviour is attributed to the influence of traumatic experiences from the child’s past, the presence of a contributing developmental concern like Autism or Attention Deficit Disorder, or even innate individual characteristics.

In this practically focused one-day seminar, dynamic Scandvanian neuropsychologist Dr Bo Hejlskov Elvén will present a collection of effective and practical ideas for interpreting, managing and changing challenging behaviour, regardless of its diagnostic origins. Grounded in neuropsychology and affect theory, the Low Arousal Approach emphasises a range of behaviour management strategies based on the notion that a person needs self-control in order to cooperate, and that self-control depends on successful affect regulation. The practical methods discussed are targeted at assisting children and young people to gain and maintain self-control in order to manage and minimise challenging behaviour.

Grouped under the broader themes of evaluation, behaviour management, and behaviour change, some of the specific content Bo will discuss includes:

• The Low Arousal Approach: theoretical underpinnings and practical examples of its application.
• Effective ideas for interviewing or communicating with difficult kids. Important considerations when establishing and maintaining
• therapeutic relationships.
• Key components to consider when setting up an effective behaviour modification plan.
• Challenging behaviours are often triggered by unsuitable surroundings or unrealistic demands. Identifying and adapting the problem
• areas can dramatically improve behaviour.
• Ideas for managing affect regulation and affect contagion. Regaining and keeping self-control.
• Stress factors: the effect of situational stress factors including common warning signs, and ideas for re-establishing calm.
• When conflict happens: effective techniques to use in the heat of the moment.

The workshop contains both theory and practical methods for behaviour change which will be of interest to helping professionals, educational professionals, caregivers from a broad range of professional contexts.

Bo Hejlskov Elvén is a clinical neuropsychologist based in Sweden. He is an independent consultant, lecturer and author and his work centres on managing challenging behaviour’s across diagnostic boundaries. He has published a number of books on low arousal approaches to challenging behaviour, including No Fighting, No Biting, No Screaming: How to make positive behaviour possible in autism and other developmental disabilities and Sulky Rowdy Rude? Why kids really act out and what to do about it. Bo’s engaging presentation style and delightful sense of humour, combined with his focus on sensible, well tested practical interventions mean this training is a must for anybody who encounters challenging behaviours as part of their work.