Behaviours of concern (often referred to as challenging behaviour) represent a serious challenge to the quality of life, equality, and inclusion. There are many parallels with other countries, particularly the UK and the USA, in that individuals and families are frequently excluded from all forms of participation in their communities and often experience mental health treatments that are inappropriate and often harmful.
They frequently endure severely restricted and traumatic lives, on occasion sustaining severe injury or worse. This situation applies at home, at school, and across a range of health and social care settings. We argue that applying evidence-supported, trauma-informed and empathic approaches, that reflect more up-to-date theory, reduces stress in workers and greatly improves well-being. We have evidence of this, which will be presented at the event.
Agenda
Time | Registration | |
9:00 am – 9:15 am | Opening Keynotes | Mr Antonello Gauci – CEO of Inspire Foundation; Hon. Julia Ferrugia Portelli – Minister for Inclusion, Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights; Prof. Richard Mills – Associate Consultant, Chairperson of the Research & Innovation Committee of Inspire |
9:15 am – 10:00 am | Dr. Bernadette Grosjean | Behaviours’ do not define us but, if you know how to listen, they can tell you who we are. |
10:00 am – 10:45 am | Charlene Borg, + Olga & Neville Cassar Bonavia | A Narrative of Wellbeing – Why hope matters. |
10:45 am – 11:15 am | Coffee Break | |
11:15 am – 12:00 pm | Prof. Richard Mills, Dr. Ruth Moyse & Dr. Georgia Pavlopoulou | Changing frames – changing stories – changing outcomes – the role of emotions and perception in our understanding and responding to behaviours of concern |
12:00 pm – 12:10 pm | Comfort break | Short Break. |
12:15 pm – 12:45 pm | Alexis Quinn | Understanding and responding to behaviours of concern. Personal reflections. |
12:45 pm – 1:15 pm | Nicci Paine | Sensory Processing – Highlighting the importance of awareness and the provision of support strategies to promote quality of life and wellbeing. |
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm | Lunch Break | |
2:15 pm – 2:45 pm | Dr. Elena Giouroukou | The Synergy programme in elementary school: enhancing teachers’ skills to support autistic students with behaviours of concern. |
2:45 pm – 3:30 pm | Prof. George Bagakis and Dr Thanos Koulis | Support of teachers in classes with students of behaviors of concern. The independent evaluation of the Programme Synergy of Laskaridis Foundation. |
3:30 pm – 3:40 pm | Comfort break | Short Break. |
3:40 pm – 4:10 pm | Dr. Ian Davidson | Moving from concern to success – can we do it? |
4:10 pm – 4:55 pm | Open to all speakers | Panel Questions. |
4:55 pm – 5:00 pm | Closure |