Supporting a young person with a learning disability cont.
Seven key areas You will need to have a clear idea of what is ‘usual’ for the young person. By this we mean their usual characteristics, behaviours, and reactions. The National Association for Special Schools (NASS) suggests looking at seven key areas of a learning-disabled young person’s life when considering what is ‘usual’ for them. These are: 1. Relationships. What do they like doing with others? How do they interact with those around them? Who do they like to spend time with? 2. Behaviour. Are they usually calm and relaxed? 3. Emotions. How do they show that they are happy or sad? 4. Thinking and Learning. What tasks do they enjoy? How long can they concentrate for? 5. Physical Appearance. What is their usual posture? 6. Communication. Do they normally make eye contact, use sign language, or use gestures? 7. Daily activities. What are the activities they enjoy? What are their usual eating and sleeping habits? Context, duration, intensity, and frequency It is also important to consider the context, duration, intensity, and frequency of the changes you might have noticed. Think about: – The context that the changes take place in (the setting/room, the environment such as the temperature or view, the time of day or week). There might be a specific situation which is difficult for the young person – The duration of the occurring changes (length of time of feelings/behaviours, recovery time). This can indicate the level of impact on the young person’s life
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