Challenging behaviour: a challenge to change.
Seven years of steady, team-based planning let one man with ID and tough behavior fly overseas — proof big life goals stay reachable.
01Research in Context
What this study did
A team followed one 24-year-old man who had an intellectual disability and severe challenging behavior.
For seven years an outside advisory team met with him, his carers, and local services.
The goal was simple: let him fly alone to the United Kingdom for a holiday.
What they found
After steady planning, skill building, and support, the young man made the trip.
The journey happened without major incidents and marked a huge life win.
How this fits with other research
Shawler et al. (2021) later showed the same idea can run on Zoom. Caregivers coached online ran a full FA→FCT plan for another adult with developmental disabilities and cut challenging acts.
Hake et al. (1983) did it first in a ward. Brief staff training lifted purposeful play from 10 % to 70 % and slashed self-harm for institutionalized boys.
Grindle et al. (2012) add a twist. Their review says early head-banging linked to tantrums may need exposure work, not just rewards. The 2002 case did not test this add-on, so future teams could layer in graduated exposure when behavior looks emotional, not just escape-driven.
Why it matters
You can borrow the long-haul advisory model. Pick one meaningful life goal, write tiny steps, meet monthly, and keep every helper on the same page. If travel, dating, or a job is the dream, plot it like the UK trip: passports, waiting practice, and a back-up plan. When progress stalls, add tele-coaching or brief exposure trials as newer papers suggest.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
People with intellectual disability often exhibit severe behavioural problems. Treatment of these problems is frequently very difficult. In The Netherlands, parents, institutes, schools and others can request the services of an independent advisory team with a pool of professionals who have experience with individuals who exhibit challenging behaviour. In this article the methods of the team will be described using a 24-year-old man as an example. The process took almost 7 years. Finally, this man, who had been living full time in one room in total isolation from the rest of the world, fulfilled his heart's desire--visiting the UK by Hovercraft.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2002 · doi:10.1177/1362361302006003004