A family ’s battle to understand ‘challenging behaviour’

Tizard Learning Disability Review,Volume 22, Issue 2, April 2017. Purpose This is about our son James ’ life. It is a story of misfortune and a battle to find answers in which the greatest enemy was ignorance. Such experiences are not uncommon. It is our hope that sharing this will make some small contribution to bringing about change. Design/methodology/approach We discuss our experiences of ca re placements, and our battle to understand "challenging behaviour". Findings Reflecting upon James’ experiences of the care system it is clear that the system is fragmented and operates in silos that do not work together. Decision makers were all too often individuals not qualified to assess Ja mes’ needs and therefore implement appropriate solutions. The outcome was repeated failure which resulted in the view that he was a lost cause. Originality/value Such cruelty as James has experienced should be recognised and banished forever.
Source: Tizard Learning Disability Review - Category: Disability Source Type: research