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Supporting a parent to manage a child’s behaviour

Actions and outcomes

I met with C who is a parent of four children. C’s eldest child has a diagnosis of autism. Behaviour at home from C’s daughter is escalating beyond control and having a negative impact on family life. C’s daughter’s school are reporting no behavioural problems. C felt that the school were not supportive and she struggled to communicate with them. I suggested C contact S.N.A.P. Cymru for support and guidance with this issue.

 

C’s daughter’s behaviours have included shouting and using very abusive language towards C and C’s younger children. C’s daughter also has sensory issues which have made washing difficult leading to poor hygiene and a general neglect of her self-care. C shared with me that she feels she cannot cope anymore and is receiving support from a doctor for depression. C said that she sometimes feels she cannot be in the same room as her daughter and that her family relationships are at breaking point. C is unsure who to turn to or where to access support.

 

I talked C through some support options and gave C the details of S.P.O.A. (Single Point of Access) I explained that as the family are on the verge of crisis, S.P.O.A. would be able to offer specialist support to the family. I suggested that C may request a carers assessment and/or a social worker assessment. I directed C to contact her family GP to support this.

 

I also discussed strategies that C could use to support her daughter’s sensory difficulties. I explained the sensory washing strategies provided by the integrated autism support service.

 

I also suggested using the Autism Wales ABC chart to monitor behaviours and to observe any behavioural patterns occurring. C is going to set up a communication book just for herself and her daughter to promote communications between the two of them. I also suggested that C could use a reward jar with her daughter to promote positive behaviours.

Feedback

After my meeting with C, she contacted me again to inform me of the progress that she had made with her daughter. She had used all the strategies that we spoke about and they have significantly improved her relationship with her daughter and made family life much better. C said she cannot thank us enough.

 

C has also contacted S.N.A.P. to support her in school. C is also receiving a social worker and carers assessment.

 

Communication between C and her daughter has improved dramatically. C and her daughter are both using the communication book to help ease any tensions in family life.

 

C feels less frustrated and more supported. C seemed a lot calmer in the follow up phone call and her attitude seemed much more positive.  C now feels supported and knows she has the support which she values so highly from the Integrated Autism Service.

Lessons Learned

To evaluate sometimes very complex situations so that we can find the correct pathway forward. It is important to listen to the client and signpost them to other services where necessary, but also to provide strategies and support to understand the difficulties that can occur when living with autism. It is so important that each individual client feels that they have been listened to. Moving forward we will do this by reflecting back to the client in our meetings.

Information

Health Board:
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Local Authority:
Unknown
Integrated Autism Service:
North Wales IAS
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