9 years old: Unified Behaviour Support Across Home & School

Sam (Name changed for privacy) is an affectionate and curious 9-year-old who loves animals and swimming. However, his parents approached daar after noticing a significant regression in his behaviour. While Sam was generally calm at home, his behaviour at school and in community settings (like swimming lessons) was becoming increasingly volatile. He struggled with the different sets of rules and expectations in each environment, leading to confusion and anxiety.

The Challenge

The core challenge was a lack of consistency. Sam was navigating three different environments—home, school, and community activities—each with different reactions to his behaviour.

Behaviour Concerns & Impact:

• At School: Sam frequently refused to complete tasks and would hide under desks when overwhelmed. This led to suspension warnings and academic delays.
• In the Community: During swimming lessons, he would run away from the pool deck, creating safety risks.
• At Home: While generally calmer, Sam began displaying "after-school restraint collapse," where he would have intense meltdowns immediately upon returning home due to holding in his stress all day.
• The Disconnect: His parents felt helpless because the strategies they used at home weren't being applied elsewhere, and the school felt unsupported in managing his needs.

We honestly didn't think we'd ever be able to go out to dinner or have a normal morning routine again. The plan from daar didn't just change Leo's behaviour; it gave us our family life back. We finally understand what he needs.

daar Therapy Approach

At daar, we believe that socialised behaviour therapy is most effective when it is holistic. We developed a multi-environment Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) that aligned strategies across all areas of Sam's life.

Key Methods Implemented:

• Unified Visual Language: We created a single set of visual cue cards for "Break," "Help," and "Stop" that were used identically by his parents, his classroom teacher, and his swimming instructor.
• Consistent Reinforcement Systems: We implemented a "Token Board" system that travelled with Sam. He could earn tokens for positive behaviour support goals (like "staying in the safe zone") at school, which contributed to a reward he could access at home.
• Community Integration: Our therapists attended swimming lessons to model behaviour therapy for children techniques to the instructor, teaching them how to give clear, short instructions that matched what Sam heard at school.
• Teacher Collaboration: We held monthly meetings with Sam’s school support team to review data and adjust the plan, ensuring the school felt equipped and supported.

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Results and Progress

The results of aligning Sam's environments were transformative. Once the "rules of the game" became consistent, Sam's anxiety decreased significantly, and his ability to self-regulate improved.

Measurable Improvements:

• School Engagement: Task refusal dropped by 70% within the first term. Sam began participating in group activities he previously avoided.
• Community Safety: Elopement (running away) at swimming lessons stopped completely after 4 weeks of the new visual support system.
• Emotional Regulation: The post-school meltdowns reduced in duration from 1 hour to less than 10 minutes and eventually became rare occurrences.

Key Outcomes

Sam’s journey illustrates the power of a "wraparound" approach to child behaviour and progress.

• Generalisation of Skills: Sam learned that "asking for a break" works everywhere, not just at home. This is a critical life skill.
• Empowered Community: His swimming instructor and teachers now feel confident supporting neurodiverse children, extending the impact beyond just Sam.
• Parental Confidence: Sam's parents no longer feel like they are fighting a lonely battle; they have a team that speaks the same language.

70 %

reduction in task refusal at school

100 %

success in preventing community elopement

85 %

decrease in post-school meltdown duration

Conclusion

Behaviour doesn't happen in a vacuum. As Sam's story shows, the most effective positive behaviour support considers the whole child and every environment they inhabit. When home, school, and community work together, the confusion clears, and the child can finally thrive.

If you feel like you are managing your child's behaviour in isolation, it’s time to build a team.

Let’s connect the dots.
Contact daar today to discuss how we can build a comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan that works for your child—at home, at school, and everywhere in between.