Summary
This case study outlines how a collaborative approach using the Fagus materials helped an adolescent boy with attachment needs
- Fagus Developmental Guides were used to decide which primary emotional and social domain Sam was experiencing difficulties in.
- Fagus Developmental Checklist was used to understand if Sam was functioning in an age-appropriate way in the primary area of concern.
- Fagus Developmental Guide was used to set a specific goal, objective and plan which concentrated on the behaviours that they would like Sam to develop.
- Goals reviewed and progress tracked.
- Outcome - Fagus changed the whole school’s approach to behaviour management.
This case study illustrates how the Fagus resources have provided a collaborative approach with a 16 year old boy and a PAC-UK (support adoption agency) educational advisor and his teachers and parents. Using the Fagus resource toolkit they have been able to identify his specific developmental barriers to learning, then implement age-appropriate objectives and strategies to develop his emotional and social attainment and record concrete data regarding his progress.
1. The Fagus Developmental Guides were used to decide which primary emotional and social domain Sam was experiencing difficulties in.
During the meeting, they used the Fagus Developmental Guides to discuss Sam’s current concerns in relation to the Fagus 13 developmental areas. It was agreed that coping was Sam’s primary area of concern. Sam was not coping with difficult situations and was engaging in risky behaviour to manage his stress. Using the Coping Developmental Guide the group had an understanding of the developmental progress for each age range.
2. The Fagus Developmental Checklist was used to understand if Sam was functioning in an age appropriate way in the primary area of concern.
The Coping checklist was completed for Sam and it revealed that he was demonstrating coping
behaviours characteristic of Early Childhood.
It was noted that Sam did not seek help from others when he was finding things stressful, a coping strategy which emerges during Early Childhood. The team felt that by enabling him to use his support network, they might see a reduction in his risky behaviour.
3. The Fagus Developmental Guide was used to set a specific goal, objective and plan which concentrated on the behaviours that they would like Sam to develop.
Using the reference in the Coping Developmental Guide in Middle Childhood: ‘Seeks information from adults to help deal with the stressor’ and the ‘No’ statement from the Coping checklist ‘Seeks social support outside of family, as well as from family members’ the group were able to create the following objective, goal and plan for Sam:
Objective: “Sam to tell staff to ask his support network for help”.
SMART Goal set (What specifically do you want them to do?): “Sam recognises and utilises his support network to reduce negative behaviours 50% of the time”.
Plan (How will you get them there?): Their plan to achieve this goal was that Sam’s key worker would work with him to map out his circle of support (a ‘care map’) with him at the centre, surrounded by the people closest to him and those less close further out. When this task was completed, Sam and his key worker worked together to identify people he could go to at school when he was finding things difficult. It was agreed that he would have a laminated card to communicate that
he needed to leave class and have time with an adult. The care map also considered negative influences on his behaviour and inappropriate people to go to in times of need.
4. Goals reviewed and progress observed
Sam’s goal was reviewed after 6 weeks. The team were amazed to discover that the number of behavioural incidents on the school’s recording system had halved for Sam. They reflected that he was utilising people within his support network, particularly his key worker who he was spending more time with and seeking out in times of need. Sam felt it had helped him recognise who cared for him and who he could turn to, which had made him feel safer. As a result he had made fewer dangerous choices.
5. Outcome - The Fagus resource changed the whole school’s approach to behaviour management.
Following this, the school reflected upon their approach to behaviour management and considered what pupils might need in times of stress and how this might differ depending upon their developmental age. Within their behaviour policy they changed ‘time out’ to ‘time in’ with key adults. The class teacher expressed the potential to use the materials with other students to identify their needs and put appropriate support in place for them.
You can download this case study here
