Tuning in

Key to building a deep insight to a person is to tune into the person's story, as told on the person's own terms. This is particularly important if the person has been assigned a 'reputation' based on what has happened in services previously.

Instead of seeing a person's 'challenging behaviours' as evidence of the person's character, it is of central importance to see such behaviours as the person's attempt to communicate something that is not being heard.

Pat Fratangelo's short piece illustrates this: Listening Differently

Marc Gold and Associates talk about the importance of Discovery. Michael Callaghan's paper on this is an important primer for any disability service agency wanting to build truly person-centred supports. Discovery Is...