Explain Challenging Behaviour In People With Learning Disabilities

A behaviourist perspective suggests that all behaviour is observable, objective and learnt from experience. It is believed that behaviour can be learnt and reinforced through operant conditioning and unconscious physical response can be learnt through classical conditioning.

The Behaviourist approach believe that human beings are able to learn all types of behaviours through the environment they grow up in, its believes that we learn these behaviours through using theories, such as, Ivan Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning and Burrhus Frederic Skinner’s Operant Conditioning.

Behaviors can be shaped by using three methods: 1. Reward appropriate behavior, 2. Strengthen the reward if the behavior is not learned yet, and 3. Punish problem behaviors (p. 4). Rewarding appropriate behavior is one of the most commonly used methods in our preschool. One specific child catches my attention instantly at my first day of service learning. She is a six-year-old girl who has been diagnosed with moderate Intellectual Disability. When I first enter the classroom, she seems to be a sweet girl who likes to approach new people and invites me to do assignments with her. Everything went smoothly

One in five American students has a learning disability this is according to the documentary “Misunderstood Minds’’ produced by WGBH. Children with learning disabilities are more likely to become outcasts in school and in society. The documentary follows five families dealing with a differently abled child; Nathan V, Lauren, Sarah Lee, Adam, and Nathan S. The film focuses on difficulties the families go through, professionalism or lack of it by school officials and demystification.

One of the main strengths of the behaviourist approach is that it focuses only on behaviour that can be observed and manipulated. Therefore, this approach has proved very useful in experiments under laboratory conditions. On the other hand this has been criticized for suggesting that most human behaviour is mechanical, and that human behaviour is simply the product of stimulus-response behaviours.

Sanson (2005, p. 3) believes that when it comes to accommodating students with disabilities, scientists, practitioners, and politicians are necessary to the process as a whole and communication between these individuals is essentia.

In the past most of the people with learning disabilities suffered regularly from discrimination. All to often people with learning disabilities aren't considered worth living and they are the subject of

Behaviourists regard behaviour as a response to a stimulus; pioneering the belief that internal cognitive processes are unnecessary when explaining behaviour. This view is supported by the behaviourist John Locke who proposed that children are born as ‘blank slates’ (‘tabula rasa’) whereby children are shaped by experience (Neaum, 2010). The behaviourist approach assumes that the process of learning is the same in all species; therefore concluding that human and animals learn in similar ways. Early behaviourists include Edward Thorndike, Edward Tolman and Edwin Guthrie conducted experiments on animals, under carefully observed conditions (Collin, 2011). However the three theorists, most associated with behaviourism are: Ivan Pavlov, John Watson and B.F. Skinner. These theorists identified two types of associative learning: classical and operant conditioning; these methods underpin the behaviourist perspective.

     When a child doesn’t seem to be learning, some teachers and parents in his/her life might criticize the child and think of them as stupid, or maybe just too lazy to want to learn. What they don’t realize is that the child might have a learning disability. But how are these children being helped? There are many programs, special schools and facilities, home teaching methods and many other ways in which children with Learning Disabilities are being helped.

The day to day experiences of individuals with learning disabilities and their families are affected by the policies and legislations in place because it provides rights and entitlements for the individuals and their families. Furthermore, these rights are upheld and protected from discrimination which is very important as it gives them more opportunities. In addition to this, by offering as person-centred care it gives the individual the choice of their care and how they receive it which gives them the freedom of how they would like to live. Moreover, the policies gives the individuals an equal opportunity to access public services, employment and health care which also relates to them being able to live within their community. This is because

In Psychology learning is seen as a change in behaviour caused by an experience. Behaviorism, is seen as a learning theory; an attempt to explain how people or animals learn by studying their behaviour. The Behaviourists Approach has two theories to help explain how we learn, Classical conditioning and operant conditioning. In this task I will attempt to describe and evaluate this approach.

Whilst there has been an emphasis in recent years on enhancing independence and choice for people with learning disabilities, there has also been considerable development made in relation to the protection of vulnerable adults. For example, No Secrets (Department of Health, 2000b) established the first national framework for the development of adult protection protocols. Also, Speaking Up for Justice (Home Office, 1998) has led to improved access to criminal justice for people with learning disabilities following many cases of abuse. However, though there has been some progress, there remains an alarming number of abuse cases in where the necessary balance has not yet been found between safeguarding the vulnerable adult, independence and choice.

Safeguarding is a key role for social workers working with people with learning disabilities. This assignment will consider models of human development and critically analyse factors that impact upon the vulnerability of adults. It will further explore how adults with learning disabilities are oppressed and discriminated against at various levels. Using a practical example I demonstrate how I use theory to critically reflect on the consequences and dilemmas for practice with vulnerable adults and investigate issues that may affect safeguarding in the present day.

To make sure that people with learning difficulties are able to live in their flats independently and not go through any abuse, there are various strategies to help them such as:

This essay will discuss the term - learning disability or (learning difficulties – a term sometimes used interchangeably) and some possible causes. The nature and role of advocacy as a part of the empowerment process will also be considered. All these will be done in relation to Kelly – a person with Down’s syndrome as a case study. It will explain the progress made with Kelly by her support workers and how these can be further developed to ensure a more independent and meaningful life.