Empowering Independence: Positive Behavior Supports in Developing Essential Life Skills
by
Julia Smith and Holly Downs 
Print This Article
Many parents’ dreams for their children include an independent and happy life. For some parents, this is easy achievable. For others, it is hard to even think of a day where we won’t be changing diapers, much less a life empowered by independence. A true reality when parenting children with special needs includes limited independence, and this is a fear many parents report to clinicians. Some of our children will need supports for the rest of their lives, but they can gain independent skills that increase their quality of life and the quality of life for those that continue to support them.
Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) as an Answer
PBS, also known as Positive Behavior Supports, is a powerful and transformative approach to skill development. It reshapes our perspective by emphasizing collaboration among all people in the child’s life and by prioritizing the dignity of every individual. In this article, we delve into the significance of fostering independent skills, leading to enhanced autonomy, heightened self-esteem, and an overall improved sense of well-being for the child and family.
The PBS approach is not confined to specific settings; it extends seamlessly into natural environments such as homes, schools, communities, and even doctor’s offices. The integration of natural routines into PBS makes this method highly adaptable to diverse contexts. In addition, parents can implement it at home with their child and empower them to be independent. Independent skills serve as the key to unlocking a world of possibilities, offering children the tools they need to navigate life with confidence and self-sufficiency. PBS can break down barriers and open new avenues for growth and fulfillment, not only for the child but for parents as well.
Imagine a 12-year-old child who is not toilet trained, lacks communication that others understand, and is unable to use utensils to eat. How many things does this child miss out on? Maybe he is unable to go to a restaurant to eat. Maybe she is not able to go to school without a 1-on-1 aide. How many things do you as a family miss out on? Maybe you don’t get to go to church or a family birthday party due to needing someone with specific training to support your child during these events. With the use of PBS, independent skills such as toileting, eating with utensils, and even communication skills can be taught. We don’t want to give false hope by saying that every child will be able to live independently, but the goal is to open their lives and the family’s lives to more experiences than had previously been attainable.
Now What?
1: Identify the Skills
First, we need to identify skills that are important to your child and family. This can include skills like toileting, communication, dressing, playing with a friend, making choices, knowing safe adults, etc. The list could go on and on. We shouldn’t just pick a goal or skill out of the air. We must consider the child’s preferences, interests, aspirations, and the broader goals of parents, to really pinpoint the skills that will pave the way for less restrictive environments and greater autonomy and empowerment. If a child is not able to communicate well, there are still clues to their preferences, interests, and aspirations. For example, a child that does not communicate that they enjoy sorting but can be observed sorting and lining up fidgets according to color and size and can do it for hours. This shows that the child has a strength of sorting, probably enjoys sorting, and might be good at sorting other items. The parents of this child also want their child to be able to independently take care of their environment. So, based on what appears to be a strength and preference for sorting and a goal of the parents, a clinician might teach the child to sort utensils while unloading them from the dishwasher.
2: Identify Interfering Behaviors
We have now identified the independent skill(s) we want to teach our child. Now, we must understand and address interfering behaviors that are getting in the way of these independent skills. By recognizing challenging behaviors, lack of motivation, reliance on others, and difficulty with transitions, treatments can be tailored to remove the roadblocks to progress. Just because a child struggles with the skill does not mean they are being defiant or refusing to do the skill. They may not know how to do it even though it is something we think they should be able to do.
We must examine the time and place the interfering behaviors occur as well as identify our child’s triggers. This allows us to create effective strategies to support them. When we do this, we can put into place proactive strategies to prevent those interfering behaviors. By arranging the environment to promote success and considering both context and potential triggers, we set the stage for positive outcomes. Visuals and adaptive equipment can further enhance the learning process. For instance, you hope to teach your child to sort and put-up utensils. You ask your child to complete the task and they throw themselves on the floor. After looking at the environment and context of the behavior, you realize they don’t know what is expected of them. So, you put pictures of each utensil into the corresponding section of the tray, so they know where each utensil goes.
3: Teach New Skills
Now that we have identified the goals we have for our child and worked to prevent the interfering behaviors, we get to focus on teaching those independent skills that create meaningful change. This can be done by breaking down skills into manageable parts, and by using rewards to teach the skill. Think of teaching a child to wash their hands. A parent may not be even thinking about it when they say, “turn on the water. Put your hands under the water and get them wet. Put soap on your hands,” and on and on. As parents, we can do this with most new skills by teaching our child each step and slowly combining them all until they can complete the entire skill set independently.
4: Relying on Supports
“It takes a village” is a cliché for a reason. We as parents have to rely on others to learn from and to lean on, especially during the most difficult of times. We always recommend obtaining a support team of family, friends, and professionals (e.g., advocates, behavioral, speech) to help identify the skills, challenges, and strategies parents need to empower our children.
Keep on Swimming
Challenges will arise. Persistence and grace for all will be essential. Overcoming challenges is an integral part of the learning process and as Dory wisely suggests, “just keep on swimming!”
PBS offers a holistic framework for empowering independence. By identifying key skills, addressing interfering behaviors, and relying on others in the community, parents can embark on a journey of empowering independence for their child. Together we can move toward a future of enhanced autonomy, dignity, and well-being for all.
***Special thanks to Meme Hieneman, Ph.D., BCBA and her presentation titled, “Introduction to Positive Behavior Supports (PBS).”
ABOUT AUTHOR:
Holly Downs is the Director of Ethical Compliance at [PBS Corp] (https://www.teampbs.com/). and an instructor at Capella University. She is a certified behavior analyst with over a decade of experience in various populations
Additional Positive Behavior Support Help
- Is a Behavior Support Plan Right for Your Child?
- A Complete Guide on Positive Behavior Support for Children With Special Needs
- Family Chat: Improving Lives with Positive Behavior Support (PBS)
- Bookshelf Essential: Parenting with Positive Behavior Support
- Positive Behavior Support: How to Collaborate
Helpful Life Skills
- The Benefits of Delegating Your to-do List to Your Kids
- Puberty and Hygiene: How to Support Our Children
- Embracing Your Child’s Best Ways of Learning 12 Different Ways to Learn
- A Complete Guide on Dental Care for Children with Special Needs
- Starting Your Day off Right: Making the Most of Morning Routines
- Learning Life Skills: Tech Can Play a Role
- 4 Features of Total Fitness: The Foundations of Better Living
- Making Learning Fun: Teaching Pivotal Skills
This post originally appeared on our September/October 2018 Magazine
