Every Generation Must Fight the Same Battles Again &...

“EveryGenerationMustFighttheSameBattlesAgain&Again”:RememberingAllTheVariables?WhySubjectiveShouldBeTheNewObjective

TonyOsgood

Abriefpersonalviewpointtoaccompanyakeynote

KeyPoints:

• PositiveBehaviourSupport(PBS)isablendofpersoncentredand

behaviouralapproaches

• Theconstellationoflegitimatedatashouldincludestoriesandsubjective

accounts:‘subjectivedata’canbegivenasmuchauthorityas‘objective

data’[ExplicitlyfavouringoneortheotherwilldamagethePBSproject]

• Technologicalsolutionstohumanproblemsgivesrisetotechnocratswho

holdmorepowerandstatusthanothers:thisisevidentinlanguageused

todescribepeople.Including,asaninherentcomponentofPBS,thevoices

ofstakeholdersmaymoderatetechnocratpowerandimprovedeliveryof

individualsolutionsandstakeholdersatisfaction

• PBSpractitionerscanprovidepracticeleadershipnotonlyinPBSbut

humansystemdesigns

• PBSpractitionerscancontributetotheknowledgeofthoseresponsiblefor

purchasingservices:PBSpractitionersmightthereforeengageinclinical

andpoliticalandsocialjusticework

tonyosgood@protonmail.comAccompanyingpapertoBILDPBSKeynote,May2016

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RememberingWhereWe’veBeen…Somewillrememberhowbehaviouraltechnologyhasbeenmisusedtosubjugate

individuals(Repp&Singh,1990):“Earlyeffortstoreducechallengingbehaviour

typicallyinvolvedarrangingreinforcersfornotengaginginthetargetbehaviour

andpunishersforengaginginthebehaviour.Thesepunisherswereoftenused

indiscriminately.Thatis,theywerenotreservedforthemostseverebehaviour,”

(Wagner,2002,p.284).AppliedBehaviourAnalysis(ABA)isnotunique:ifthere’sa

hammertobehad,someonesomewherewillwielditasifeveryoneisanail,no

mattertheobviousbenefitsofthetechnology-andmakenomistake,thebenefits

ofskilledapplicationofABAareremarkable.

Leavingasidethenotinsignificantalignmentfallacy(LaVigna&Willis,2016)

implicitinWagner’squote,itisusefultoconsiderhowthebehaviourof

interventionistsarose,wascondoned,andcontinued.PractitionersofPBSare

skilledatexpandingthemodeloffour-termcontingenciesbeyondchallenging

behaviourandtostaffororganisations,sometimeseventhemselves,toexplore

whythediscrepancybetweendescriptionofmoreconstructiveorstatus-

enhancingbehaviouralsupport,andtheavailabilityofitinsystemstookeento

adoptaversives,exists.Wemightsuggestnegativereinforcementofdefault

technologiessuchaspunishing.Wemightsuggestthatsurelythebehaviourof

thoseusingdehumanisingtechniquesislesstodowithpractitionerspersonally

failingtoadheretobestpracticebutthatbestpracticesthemselvesarealwaysset

withinaculturalcontext:itwas‘ok’touseaversivesanddehumanisingtechniques

because“theyworked”withpeopleno-oneelsewaskeentoworkwithatatime

whenpunishmentgenerallywascondoned.(PBSpractitionerswouldraiseaweary

pointhere:“worked”inwhatmanner,andforhowlong–foraslongasthestudy

lasted?Foraslongastheinterventionistwasbeingpaidtobepresent?Andif

otherswereabletoadoptconstructive,non-dehumanisingmethodstoenable

learning,whynoteveryone?)

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Manypeoplefoughtagainsttheuseofdehumanisingtechniquesbydeveloping

alternatives;notaninsignificantnumberofothersadvocatedforthecontinued

useofaversives(seeLucyshynetal.,2015forabriefhistory–butremember

historyhasahabitofrepeatingitselfforreasonsRobertPirsigpointsout;never

thinktheseargumentswonforever).Fromthesedebatesarosewhatwasto

becomePBSanditsplethoraofminimallyaversive,constructiveandfunctionally-

basedinterventionsthataimedforsociallyvalidity(Meyer&Park,1999).

FortheeditedbookBehaviouralIntervention:principles,modelsandpractices,

ScottiandMeyerchosetodedicatetheworkasfollows:“ToKevinCloughand

Danny,whosebehaviour,asthesystemfailedthem,ledtotheiruntimelydeaths,

aloneandwithoutfamilyorsupports”.TheythenciteDante:“Nakedtheywere

blownthroughthecirclesofHell”(1999).Whenitcomestotheirpersonal

dedications,botheditorschosethepeoplewholovethem,andthattheylove.

HowmanyinterventiongoalsindaytodayUKPBSpracticeconsiderfriendships,

loveandbelongingasdidtheseeditors?InthesamevolumeEvans,Scottiand

Hawkinsnoted,“Ithasbeenourexperienceindiscussionwithcolleaguesand

conductingworkshopsthat‘traditionalbehaviourmodification’isstillthe

predominantapproachtotreatingbehaviouralexcessesanddeficits”(1999,p.3).

IntheUKtherearemanyKevinsandDannystwentyyearson.Peoplebuyservices

thatinhibitandconstrainlives.Despiteourknowingmoreandmoreeachyear

abouthowbesttosupportpeoplewhosebehaviourchallengesthesystem,in

practiceweencounterlessandlessunderstandingoftheimportanceofvalues.(It

seemsaninverserelationshipexists:themoreverbiage,thelesstheaction.)

ValuesentwinethetechnologywithintheapproachwecallPBS.(Justbecausewe

coulddoesn’tmeanweshoulddosomethingtosomeone.)Andsoweencountera

‘PBSUnit’thatillegallyholdssomeonewithautism.Weencountera‘socialstory’

thattellssomeonetocomplywithstaff.Organisations‘adopt’PBSlikeafadyet

relationshipsandpracticesremainunchanged.TheUKisnotuniqueinespousing

onething,doinganother.TheUKislikethemusclebuilderonthebeach,often

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glisteninglyshowyandimpressivetocasualexamination:butwhenoneknows

thatmuscle-buildersachievetheirphysiquesbyensuringmusclesworkagainst

oneanother,andaren’tasstrongastheywouldhaveusbelieve,themetaphor

hintsatotheragendas.

Skinnersuggestedbehaviouralprinciplesinthemselvesarevalueless–likegravity,

lawsofbehaviourjustare:theycanbeappliedinmannersthatresultin

subjectivelyharmfulorbeneficialoutcomes–butsocananytechnology.

Therefore‘use’and‘misuse’areeasilyconfused–standpointmattershere.Here’s

themoralcrux:whodecides?Whoholdsthereinforcers?Dotheendsjustifythe

means?Andareallvoicestreatedequallywhenweseektoanswerthese

questions?PBSshouldconsidertheeffectofpowerandstatus.Ifan

interventionistisknowntohold‘thekeystogoodthings’isitthatorthereinforcer

thatmodifiesbehaviour?

ItiseasytoassumesuchthingsasoutlinedbyEvans,ScottiandHawkinsare

consignedtodarkcornersandancienthistory,thatsucheventsillustratehowfara

givensocietyhaschanged.Butabusescontinue,andpeoplewithintellectual

disabilities,childrenwithautism,likemanyminoritygroups,continuetobe

excludedandoppressed,andexperiencecontrollingtechnologies.“Whenthereis

abroadsocialacceptanceofagrouphavinglessaccesstotheirrightsandhaving

difficultyinhavingthoserightsupheld,systemsareseeminglyallowedtodevelop

which,mostlyunintentionally,allowabusetothrive”(RobinsonandChenoweth,

2011,p.65).WhatPBScontributesisachallengetocurrentpracticenormsand

valuesorassumptions.(Itseemseachgenerationmustfightthesamebattles

againandagain.)AsJimMansellwaskeentocommunicatetohisstudents,the

priceofsuccessisconstantvigilance.

Intervention(anyintervention–forcommunication,foractivities,fornewskills)

withoutcontextismerelystickyplastertherapy.Learningnewskillsand

competingbehavioursisrelativelystraightforwardbutiftheindividualstilllives

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withouthopeorloveorpeoplewhoarebotheredaboutthem,thenperhapswe’re

focussingonanimportantbutincompletework,aresponse,notan

accomplishment.“[A]ppliedsciencecannotaffordtoretreatbehindthemaskof

disinterestempiricism”(Evans,Scotti,Hawkins,1999,p.3).

Whobettertocontinuethefightfordecentoptionsforpeoplethanthoseoften

erroneouslyidentifiedascontributingtotheproblem?Isnotus,thenwho?Andif

nowisnotthetimetorememberhowPBScameabout,thenwhen?

…InformsWhereWe’reGoingABAisonlyonefoundingcomponentofPBS:apersoncentred,sociallyvalidand

constructivevalues-derivedparadigmwasequallycentral.Indeed,the

rapprochementbetweenvaluesandtechnologyisattheheartofPBS.Atendency

torelyondata(aswecharacterise‘objective’measurementsasproviding)atthe

costofstories(aswethinkofthevoicesofexperienceasbeing)mightprove

counter-productivefortheacceptabilityofPBS.Theinclusionofsubjective

perspectiveswithinPBSisoneofits‘uniquesellingpoints’.(Canweimaginea

scenariowhereaPBSpractitionermightfaceopprobriumfromcolleaguesifshe

forgetstogatherinter-observeragreement(IOA)databutfewerraisedeyebrows

ifshefailedtoconfirmthegoodnessoffitofheradvice?Manyofushave

encounteredplentyofdataminusIOA,plentyofinterventionslackingtheviewsof

thepersonattheheartofwork.Smallhabitsaccrue.)

PBSinpartgrewfromaprofessionaluneasewiththedominationofa

methodologicalbehaviouralparadigm:manyoftheoriginatorsofPBSdiscovered

whatmatteredtofamiliesandpeopleusingserviceswasnotsomuchreliabledata

andreplicabletechnologies,asbeinglistenedtoandinvolved.Theywantedgood

technologyappliedininclusiveways.Itseemsthesamedimensionsand

definitionsofgoodsupportusedbyfamiliesandpeoplewithdisabilitiesremain

unchangedovertheyears(Danforth,2000;Evans&Gore,2016).AsPBSgrows

adherents,practitionersneedtorememberthelessonsofthepastandbalance

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clinicalwithsocialvalidity,valueswithtechnology.PBSisnotanexercisein

rebrandingABA.

PBSisatacusp.Thereisanunderstandabledrivetosetstandardsanddefinitionsof

whatPBSis,howitisdone,andcertificationofcompetencies.Itisnaturaltohave

ourbehaviourandknowledgeaccreditedinordertohelppeoplerecognisetheskills

weclaim.Havingcertificationmeanswe’reconsideredcompetenttopractice.Tobe

certifiedmeanswe’vetakenaparticularprogrammeofstudiesorpassedatest

administeredbyabodyrepresentingtheinterestsofaprofessionalidentity.

Fundamentallycertificationisaboutqualityassurance.Butitisalsoabouta

professionalbodyacquiringcontrolofaskillorprofession.

Thereareconstructivebenefitstothisbutinherentlimitations.AsPBSgrowsin

significanceitwillbecomemoreformalisedandstandardised.Toremainrelevantto

people,PBSmustnotloseitsflexibility,itssystemicapproachtoworkingwith

environmentsandindividuals:asitstrengthensitsbodyitmustnotloseitsheart.To

focusoncollectingreliableandvaliddimensionsofbehaviouratthecostof

measuringsometimesmorenebulousbutneverthelessprizedoutcomes(suchas

qualityoflifeorpersonalgoalsofhumans),PBSrunstheriskofreplicatingtheerrors

ofthepast.Measuringwhatcountstoustoensureaccreditationmustalsoreflect

whatcountstopeopleusingtheknowledge.

TheSubjectiveNatureofObjectivity

StandPointTheory(SPT)seemsthepolaroppositeofpositivism(aguiding

principleofbehaviouralscience).SPTiswhollypost-modernandsuggestsour

individualperspectivesareshapedbyourexperiencesandmostvoiceshavea

relativepositiontoothervoices.Itsoriginscanbetracedtostudiesofslavesand

mastersinthe1800s.Ourbelongingtocertaingroupsorcultures,ourtraining,

accruetomakeusconceiveofwhatweencounterincertainbiasedways.Wesee

throughwhowethinkweare.Someonewhoisnotautisticmightmakea

judgementaboutthevalueofabehaviourshownbyanautisticwoman,for

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example-whois‘right’?Whilstmanyofusmayworkinthefieldofautismor

intellectualdisabilities,wecannotknowautismorintellectualdisabilitiesthrough

anylensotherthantheonewehavelearned.Myunderstandingofautismis

merelyonestandpoint.ThisaccountisbasedonotherstandpointsIcallresearch

orfirsthandaccounts,butalsomyexperienceasafather.Post-modernism*is

perplexingtomanyofusnotschooledinitinpartbecausewehavebeen

indoctrinatedinotherwaysofknowing.

SPTsuggeststheauthorityofpeople’svoicesrestsintheirdirectknowledgeof

dailyexperienceratherthanotherqualifications.Yourpositionimpactsyour

knowledgeandabilitytobeheard.Standpointsarenotfixedbutfluid:aperson

canbeamotherofanautisticchild,aBCBA,andanassociateprofessor.Sucha

personmightholdagreaterwarrantthansomeonewhoisnotofthoseidentities.

Historyhasshownusthatonepointofviewtendstodominate–ascientific

accountofanautisticlife,forexample.Notbecausethescientificstandpointis

right,butbecauseweadherecurrentlytotheideathatscienceholdsmore

warrantthanindividualexperiences.SPTcanbeexpandedtoconcludeone

methodtocounterthedominanceofoneviewistoincludetheexperiencesof

others.Soindescribingautism,anyaccountthatincludestheexperiencesof

autisticindividualsandresearchfindingsmaycarrymorewarrantforaclaimtobe

acomprehensiveaccountofautism.SPTnotesauthorityisoftenvestedinone

groupofviews(say,maleprofessionals)thatdominateanother(say,mothersof

autisticchildren).Subordinategroupsareheardlessthandominantgroups.Tatum

(1997)suggestspeoplemaymaintainbiasesagainstothersinordertostrengthen

theirowngrouporstatus.

*post-modernismisbroadlyskepticalof‘modern’rationalityasitispresented,especiallyinsocialsciences(Doesatriangleexistonlyinourminds?)Someonequestioningsimplisticaccountsofabsolutetruth(allyouneedtoknowabouthumanscanbegraphed)andnon-relativistideologies(thisisalwaysthecase),someonequestionningobjectiverealityormorality,ispost-modern.Theclaimofpost-modernismisthatscienceisnotwhollyobjective–humans‘spin’thedatatoaccordwithaparticularworld-vieworagenda.Truthiscontextualinpost-modernism.Whereveryousitalongthecontinuum,post-modernismdoesofferusefulconceptualtoolswithwhichwecanengagedominanttropes.Suchacriticalstanceisusefulbutsometimesequallyconfounding.

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Positivistsmighthuffatthispointandbemoan‘socialconstructionists’alittletoo

loudly,andbegintoargueitisofcourse‘self-evident’subjectandobjectare

distinctfromoneother-theymight,asDavidSilvermanadvocates,suggestpost-

modernistsdoanythingotherthanscience;butthentherearethepost-positivists

whosuggestourvaluesandtrainingandculture(ourwaysofbehavinginand

outsideourheads)doinfluencewhatweperceiveandseeandreport,regardless

ofthesulkingpositivistsinthecorneraskingoneanotherhowtheyaredoing.

Post-positivistsacknowledgebiasesontheirjourneytowarda‘fairlyobjective

accountofphenomena’.(Whereaspost-modernistsmightquestionwhether

realityexists,postivitstsmighthuffandsay‘ohcourseitdoes!Leapoutabuilding

toseehowwellyoufly’,whilepost-positivistsmightsay‘well,itdependshowhigh

thewindowis’).Positivistsmightargueknowledgeisbasedonabodyof(often)

replicatedfindingsaboutabaserealitywhereaspost-positivistssuggestthebest

wecanworktowardisanimperfectdescriptionofthisbasereality–theyeschew

absolutesinfavourofprobabilities.(KarlPopper’sfalsificationisanexampleof

post-positivistthinking,regardlessofwhatStephenHawkingssays.)

Regardlessofwhereyousitontheconstellationofparadigmsandfictions,we

mightagreeitseemsapparentthatalltoooftenthosedesigningsupportsystems

havenotmadeuseofthesethemselvesorforpeopletheylove.It’sinterestingto

askifadvocatesofcertaininterventionshaveexperiencedthesethemselves.

Peopledesignsystemsandinterventionsbasedontheirstandpoint.Iftheyhada

childusingspecialistsupportsystems,adifferentperspectivemightcontribute

differentdesigns.Evenifthedesignershavenodirectexperienceofusing

provision,involvingthepeoplewhodomaycontributetoasystemmore

responsiveandfitforpurpose.

Onestandpointaboutoldapplicationsofbehaviouralscienceheldconsequence

manipulationstobedominant,non-functionallydeterminedinterventions

legitimate,applicationofelectricshocks,shoutingandhurtingpermissible,allin

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ordertochangewhateverbehaviourtheyviewedasunacceptable–bethatone’s

smoking,self-harmingbehaviourorsexualorientation.(Ahistoricalodyssey

throughJABAisoftensalutary.)

Fromitsinception,PBSsoughttoincludethevoicesofpeoplewithwhomitis

applied:families,childrenandotherswhohadoftenbeenignoredaslacking

sufficientstatustobeheard.**Thepeoplewhoexperienceatechnologyhavea

vestedinterestintheirsubjectiveaccountsbeingheard.Technocratscanbenefit

fromlistening.PBSbalancestheknowledgeofthetechnocratwiththeexperience

oftheindividual.PBScanlegitimatelyconsidersubjectiveviewsasdata:

standpointsmatterinPBS.Thisis,ofcourse,apositionofcontinualtension.The

powerheldbytechnocratsmighteasilyswampothers.Includingthestandpoints

ofchildrenoradultsorfamiliesorstaffcanhelpcounter-balancethepower

practitionerswield.Powerissometimeseasytospotthroughethnographiceyes

thanothermodesofenquiry(Blaug,2010;Levinson,2010).

Oneobviouscontentionagainstincludingsubjectiveaccountsisreliability:butthe

realityseemstobeinter-observeragreementmeasuresdon’tmakeitoutofthe

classroomtoooften,meaningdatapresentedas‘objective’maynotbeanything

ofthekind.Theotherfactorisvalidity:doeswhatwemeasuremeasurewhatwe

say?WhatifQABF,MASetcmeasureindividualstaffopinionsandperceptions,no

more?Whatifourrecordingshowsachild’sbehaviourgainsattention,butour

analysismissesthechildgainsattentioninordertogainescape,too,oratangible

item,orafeelingofconnectednesswithsomebutnotallcarers?Ourstandpoints

informhowwecollectdata,whatdatawecollect,whichbehaviourwelookat,

andimportantly,howweinterpretwhatwe(subjectively)see.

**ThereisasceneinaMontyPythonfilm-TheMeaningofLife-whereawomanisabouttogivebirth.Sheissurroundedbymachinesandthetrappingsoftechnology,andsurroundedbythetrappingsofthepoweroftechnocrats.‘WhatshallIdo?’sheasksthedoctor.Thedoctorishorrifiedandresponds,‘Nothing,dear,you’renotqualified.’

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PracticeLeadership:ACalltoArms

PBSpractitionersoftenfaceacommondilemmainneedingtobeinfourplaces

simultaneously.Knowledgeiscostlytoacquire,expertiseexpensivetohireand

timeismoney:beinginhighdemandtohelpothersunderstandchallenging

behaviourandrespondtoitcoherentlyisbothanindictmentofthelackof

resourcesavailableandreassuringonewillneverbeshortofemployment.SoPBS

practitionersoftenworkthroughothers.

ThismeansoneofthechallengesforPBSpractitionersistobelesshero,more

hosttothelearningofothers.TogeneralisePBStoothers–parents,teachers,

servicestaff,peoplewithdisabilities–weneedtotrain&teachloosely.PBS

pracitionerskeeponeeyeonthetargetbehavioursthey’vebeenaskedtohelp

with,andoneeyeonthecompetenciesoftheecology(what’sreinforcingwhich

mediatorbehaviourthatcompeteswithPBS?)I’mhumblysuggestingwegrowa

thirdeyetokeepinviewouropportunitiestocontributetopracticeleadership.

Practiceleadershipisn’ttrainingasweknowit.Itisteachingbyshowing.(It’sthe

differencebetweentheoldapprenticeshiporlegitimateperipheralparticipation

approachtohelpingpeoplelearnaparticularsetofskills(Lave&Wenger,1991)or

culture,andgoingawaytoUniversity[ordoingstuffonline]fortwoyearstolearn

theoreticalresponsetohypotheticalbehaviours;it’sSkinner’spool-hallhustler

comparedtohisphysicist.)PBSpractitionersshouldthusremembertheverymany

hoursof‘formal’trainingtheyprovidewon’tresultinbetterqualityservice

automatically:“Trainingisonlylikelytobeeffectivewhenitissupportedby

managementleadership”(Mansell,1996,p.57).Trainingisinsufficient.Andhere’s

anissue.

Afteryearsofresearch,myoldbossbegantobefollowedbyalurkingsuspicion:it

followedhimalloverEuropeandAustralia,henoticeditathome,atwork,atplay.

Hesuspected…“Stafffeelthatmanagement’strueobjectivesarenotcongruent

withtheespousedcareobjectivesandthattrainedbehavioursdeterioratequickly

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atwork”(Mansell,1996,p.57).Mansellandcolleaguesbegantosuspectan

inverserelationshipbetweenseniorityandcompetenceregardingdirectworkwith

peopleusingservices:“justashouseleadersbecomelessskilledandlessinvolved

inworkwithclientsbecausetheyspendlesstimewiththem,sotheirmanagersare

evenlessuseasrolemodels”(Mansell,1996,p.57).

Ifmanagersaren’tconsideredlegitimatesourcesofknowledgeorskillsbystaff,if

theyarenotviewedasgoodexamples,leadershipwillcoalescearoundother

practitioners,becausepeoplewillorganisethemselveswhenajobneedsdoing.

Formaltrainingisoftenatoddswithpractice:arecipefordissonanceand

psychologicalcontractssnappingliketwigsinAutumn.IknowGaryLaVigna’s

soundbiteiswittyandoftentrue,thatthosewhodon’tknowhowtomanageare

managingthosewhodon’tknowwhattodo,butweallhaveexperienced

situationswherethosewhodon’tknowhowtomanagearemanagingthosethat

doknowwhattodoifonlytheywereallowed.Thisisthefirstlessonfrom

legitimateperipheralparticipationexperiencenotoftenespousedinthe

literature:toooftenmanagersknowlessthandirectsupportstaff.Oftenitisstaff

notmanagerswhoembodyandenactanenablingculture.

ItturnsoutJim’squalmscouldbetracedbackmanyyearstoothers,including

Gilbert:“Ihavefoundrepeatedlythataculturethatdoesnotworkwell-inwhich

peopleareunhappy,insecure,unproductive,anduncreative-wasdesignedbya

managerwhodidnotbeginwithcarefulanalysisofitsgoalsandvalues.This

analysis,thisteleonomicengineering,pursuesamethodastonishinglydifferent

fromthatofthesciences…Theengineerknowsinthemainwhatthegoalis,and

beginsbymakingadesignofthatendpoint”(Gilbert,1978,p.103).Gilbert,with

hismodel,showshowtoproducecompetentandincompetentecologies.

Gilberthelpfullyprovidedatabletoillustratethetacticsemployedtoengineer

incompetentperformance(Gilbert,1978,p.86);hesuggestsmostpeoplewill

recognisesuchtactics(p.12).

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Sd(Information)

[Antecedents]R(Instrumentation)[Behaviour]

Sr(Motivation)[Consequences]

EnvironmentalSupports

1.Don’tletpeopleknowhowwelltheyaredoing2.Givepeoplemisleadingdataabouthowwelltheyaredoing3.Hideexpectationsfrompeople4.Givepeoplelittleornoguidanceabouthowtoperformwell

1.Designthetoolsofworkwithoutconsultingpeoplewhousethem.2.Keepengineersawayfrompeopleusingthetools

1.Makesurepoorperformersgetpaidaswellasgoodones2.Seethatgoodperformersgetpunished3.Don’tmakeuseofnonmonetaryincentives

Individual’sRepertoireofBehaviour

1.Leavetrainingtochance2.Puttraininginthehandsofsupervisorswhoarenottrained3.Maketrainingunnecessarilydifficult4.Maketrainingirrelevanttothestudents’purposes

1.Scheduleperformancefortimeswhenpeoplearenotattheirsharpest2.Selectpeoplefortaskstheyhaveinstrinsicdifficultyinperforming3.Donotprovideresponseaids

1.Designthejobsoithasnofuture2.Avoidarrangingworkingconditionsthatemployeeswouldfindpleasant3.Givepeptalksratherthanincentivestopromoteperformanceinpunishingsituations

Fig.1Gilbert’sExampleofGrowingIncompetentEcologies(Gilbert,1978,p.86)

PBSpractitioners,becausetheyknowhowtodifferentiatetheirdiscriminative

stimulifromtheirmotivatingoperationwithouttheaidofasafetynet(a

textbook),cancontributetotheworkofleadersbysupportingthemtoactually

organisetheever-populardrinkinthebrewery.Further,becausePBSisablendof

personcentredandmoretechnologicaloptions,PBSpractitionersmaybeunlikely

topropogatetheideaofservicesasmachines;staffmatter(theyarenot

automatons,notyet),andinvolvingstaffisusefulatgainingtacitknowledgeof

what’sreallygoingon.Inpractice,manyPBSadvocatesfindmoreknowledge

amidstthesmokersinthegardenthanfrommanagersinfolder-lined,policy-

riddenoffices.Andallthisknowledgeaccrueswithouttheaidofadegree!(That’s

anothersalutorylesson:ifweonlylistentocertifiedequals,howcanwelistento

peopleusingservices?Ignoringisaslipperyslope,nottakingpeopleseriouslyisa

contagion.)

PBSpractitionersmighthaveinsightsintowhatthereinforcementfor

commissionerandcaremanagerdecisionsis,whatpayoffsoperateforservice

organisations,whatconsequencesariseformanagersgluedtotheirofficechairs.

PBSpractitionershaveanappreciationofthebootlegreinforcmentoperatingfor

staff,andoften,preciselywhatthepunishersandreinforcersareforinnovators

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(Mansell&Elliot,2001).(Innovatorsandwhistleblowersoftenareperceived

equallydoubtfully.)

SkillcomesfromtheAnglo-Saxon,meaningto‘discern’or‘discriminate’.These

daysskillsmeansyouhavebeenobligedtositthroughfourhoursofhealthand

safetytrainingtaughtbythemostboringindividualintheknownuniverseand

receivedacertificateofattendance.Youarepresumedcompetentifyou’ve

passedasimpletest(didthecandidatestayawake?)Itmayalsomeanyou’ve

completedFireTraining,ActiveSupportTraining,De-escalationTechniques

TrainingviatheInternet.Suchprogrammestendnottoresultinpeople

competentatdiscerningordiscriminating,merelyreproducingwhathasbeentold

them.We’velearnedtoteachpeopletocomplywithexpectedanswersmore

economically!(Aswe’velearnedtopassaccountabilityfortheconsequencesof

badteachingtothosetaughtbadly).There’sanarttodesigningtrainingtoensure

peoplepasstheexam,butit’sanartfewpeoplelivinglivesinservicesappreciate.

“Badsystemscreatebadsituationscreatebadapplescreatebadbehaviours,even

ingoodpeople,”(Zimbardo,2007,p.445).

ThirtyyearsagoBlundensuggestedquality-consciousservicesdrawperformance

indicatorsfromtheirvalues.(It’snotthenumberofteachingplansthatcount,but

thequalityoftheminhelpingpeoplelearn.)Blundennotedthatforgood

organisations,theviewsandexperiencesofcustomersarethekeyconcern

(Blunden,1988).Blundenarguedorganisationskeenonmaintainingqualityshould

focusonprocessandoutcomes,andthatthestructureofsuchorganisationsmight

belesshierarchical,moredemocratic,morefluid:“withsmallgroupsandtask

forcesbeingformedaroundthesolutionofparticularproblems.Theformal

structureoftheorganisationwouldnotbeallowedtogetinthewayofachieving

results.Staffwouldbeactivelyencouragedtoinnovateandtochampionnew

ideas.Therewouldberecognitionthatnotallnewideaswouldsucceed.Failure

wouldbetoleratedandlessonslearnedfromtheexperience”(Blunden,1988,

p.109-110).

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Blunden,drawingontheAmericanliteratureconcerningsuccessfulorganisations,

outlinedsomepracticalstepstoachievequality.Hefoundthatallstakeholders

shouldbeinvolvedin“definingandreviewingservicequality”(p.110)andthat

“theiractiveparticipationwillhelpensurethattheirinterestsarerespectedand

thatanydecisionsmadearelikelytobeputintopractice”(p.110).Givingpeople

usingservicesandthosepeopledoingtheworkalegitimatevoiceinhowthings

getdonecanhelpconstructaproductivecultureofpractice,itseems.

Blundenarguedoneofthechallengesforcommunityserviceswasthecreationof

aculturebaseduponsharedvalues;youcouldn’tsimplyemployanyonewithout

activelysupportingtheirlearningthroughtraining,coachingandmanagement.

Thismeantgoodmanagerspaidmindfulattentiontosuchthingsasrecruitment,

supervision,peerevaluation,andtheembodimentbymanagementandleadersof

thevaluestheysoughttoseeputintoaction.Staffandfamiliesandotherother

stakeholders,includingstaff,wouldnothavetosimplylistentotherhetoricofthe

organisation,buttheywouldseetheirmanagersandleadersenactingthevalues

everyday.IntheUKtoday,ifoneisreasonablyuprightandmoreoftenthannot

breathing,you’vegotajob.ArecentNHSleadershipcourseargueddemocraticor

dispersedleadershipwaspointless.It’shardlyencouraging,butsuchistheecology

encountetedbyPBSpractitioners.

BlundenalsocitedGilbert:botharguedhumanorganisationswoulddowellto

focusnotmerelyonbehaviourbutonaccomplishment.O’Brienadoptedthis

modelwhenhewroteoftheFiveServiceAccomplishmentsin1987.Whatpeople

doisthebehaviour.Whatpeopleachieveistheaccomplishment.Thereforewhen

reviewingthequalityofservicesitisimportantnotmerelytoconsiderwhatis

writtenandwhatpeopletellyou,notmerelytomeasurethepresenceofitems

assumedtoindicatequality,butwhatisactuallyachieved.(Doesthepersonhave

acareplan?Yes!Thereforethisisagoodservice!)“Itisunusualtoseeservices

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beingreviewedintermsoftheextenttowhichtheyenableclientstoexpandtheir

socialrelationshipsorlearnandeffectivelyusenewskills,”(Blunden,1988,p.111).

Blundensuggestshelpfulqualityassurancesystemsshouldbegearedtoward

action;alltoooftenthewrongindicatorismeasuredpoorlyandnotmuch

changes.(Ifweeachauditourselves,wetendtocomeoutasprettycoolhuman

beings.)Hierarchiestendtobureacractisesystemsandroutinisethem.Rationales

becomelostveryquickly.Rememberevenadysfunctionalsystemisfunctionalfor

somebody.EvenWinterbourneViewmetsomepeople’sneeds-tocoverup,tonot

bemorallyengaged,toprovideanoutofarea,out-of-sightprovision,tobully.

Blundennotes“theproceduresoutlinedhereseemlittlemorethancommon

sense”(p.114)butcommonsenseassumesalackofpolitics,alackofagendas,and

equitablepowerandfocus.Inthisway,commonsenseisnaive.Whatweknow

aboutpoliticsinorganisations,power-gamesinsystems,isthatresistanceis

fertile.Puttingvaluesintoactionishardanditrequirescompetentmanagement

andvisionaryleadership.“Howoftenismostserviceorganisationsdosenior

managersconcernthemselveswiththedetailsofhowtheserviceisinfluencingthe

livesofitsusers?”(Blunden,1988,p.114).WhatPBSpractitionersknowisthat

whentheyexamineecologies,theyencounterego-cologies.

Itisraretoseeactivepracticeleadership,managementbywanderingabout,

spendingtimeroutinelywithpeopleusingservicesandpeopleatalllevelsofthe

organisations.Thisisrarebecausestaffandpeopleusingservicesarenotreally

viewedasconsumers.Peoplewhobuyservicesareconsumers.Notpeopleusing

them.Notpeopleworkinginthem.

Practiceleadershipisanewnameforanoldskill:showingbydoing,leadingby

example,coaching,teaching,andbeingtheembodimentoftheculturetobe

grown.PBSpractitioners,knowingthefoiblesofhumansystemsaswellasthe

rationalscienceofouroftenseeminglyirrationalspecies,areunqiuelyskilledat

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leadingchangeandmodellingapproacheswithprovenoutcomes.Thereare

differencesbetweenmanagersandleaders:managersfollowthepathsetby

leaders;leadersdotherightthingwhilemanagersdothingsright(Bennis&

Nanus,1985;Shackleton&Wale,2000).

Commissioners:EnemyattheGateorPowerholdingOpportunity?

Ifsomeonedoesn’tknowhowtosingthePolishNationalAnthem,wecanteach

themtosingPolandisNotYetLost.Ifsomeonedoesn’tknowhowtocheckthe

‘facts’spunbypoliticians,wecanteachthemthat,too.Ifpeoplecan’treador

writeorbicycleorswim,that’salearningissuetobesolved.Ifsomeonedoesn’t

knowhowtocommissionaservicethatissuitableforthepersonwhoselifewillbe

livedtherein,canwenotteachthat,also?PBSpractitionersknowsomuchabout

hownottodothings,weshouldpassonknowledgeabouthowtodothingswell

tothoseresponsibleforbuyingsecond-rateprovision.Thisislessaboutresource

thanimagination;lessaboutclinical,moreaboutpoliticalenterprise.

Commissionersareskilledatbuyingthebestvalueprovisionthatturnsoutnotto

bethebestbyanyothermetric.PBSpractitioners,duetotheirknowledgeof

peopleandsystems,cancontributetothemakingofgoodandperson-centred

decisions.Wecanprovidereliableandvaliddataandstoriestohelp

commissionersmakemoreinformedchoices:here’swhyyoushouldfundthis,

here’swhyyoushouldn’tfundthat,andherearetheconsequencesforyouarising

fromboth.PBScanbescientific,person-centred,andpolitical.

BecauseintheUKbeingperson-centredinamanagerialistmilieuisanexercisein

callingbureaucratestomoralaccount-tomakeaccountancymoral-networksof

practiceandsupportarevitalforPBSpractitioners.Beingpartofacommunityof

practicecanprovideaplaceforidentities,aplaceofsanctuary,aplacefromwhich

practitionerscangatherstrengthandshareknowledge.Acommunityofpractice

identitycansupportpractitionerstoremainsaneininsaneplaces.

www.tonyosgood.com

WhentravellingaroundtheUK,inmeetingparentsandpeoplelabelledas

“having”behaviourothersfindchallenging,whenspendingtimeinprivateand

statutoryplacesofwork,PBSpractitionersoftenencounterthedominanceof

managerialismovervalues,theprocessingofpeopleasopposedtolisteningto

them,andoldpracticesthatneverwentaway.Thismustleadustowonderifwe’ll

evergettoValuingPeople.Thisalsoteachesusweneedtosupportoneanother

aswestrivefordoingwhatisrightwell.

PBSpractitionersthencancontributetothedecisionscommissionersmakeby

theirknowledgeoftheneedfor:

• Robust,reliable,validdatatoinformourconceptualisationofchallenging

behaviourandhowtorespondthatincludessubjectiveaccounts(wemight

thenseePBSpractitionersquestionthetropesmaintainingarelianceon

medication,restraintandotherarchaicpracticesto‘manage’challenging

behaviour,suchasaneedfor‘assessmentunits’[assesswhat?Assess

where?);

• Arecognitionofthebenefitsoflisteningandactingupontheexperiences

ofchildrenorpeoplewhohavefirsthandexperienceofPBS;

• Knowledgearisingfromexperienceandresearchinformingwhydangerous

culturescandevelop(wemightthenseePBSpractitionerstakealeadin

helpingorganisationsembedintheirstructuresinformedleadersand

methodsfordetectingearlysignsoforganisationaldysfunction);

• Providingcommissionerswithevidenceandstoriesofwhatworksfor

people(wemightseePBSpractitionersoffercommissionersstandpoints

thatcancontendwithdominatebeliefs.Wecanarmcommissionersto

argueforperson-centreddecisions).

PBSpractitionersmightfindthemselvesaddingtheirvoicestothoseofthepeople

theysupport,tocallforhumanrightstoberespected,forvaluestobeenacted,

andforpeopleineducationandservicestobeviewedasconsumersnotcattle;

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PBSpractitionersareengagedinasocialmovementforsocialjustice,notjust

clinicalexcellence.

ThedevelopmentofPBShasenrichedmainstreamABA;itisnowcommontohear

ofsocialvalidity,toembedcontextualfitproceduresintoclinicalwork,whereas

twentyyearsagothesethingswerenotascommon.Inthesamewayfunctional

assessmentandfunctionalanalysisarenowdefactoexpectationsofPBSwork,we

mustrememberthatestablishingthefunctionofagivenresponseisquitearecent

development.ThisisthegiftPBSbroughttotheparty.Perhapswecaninvite

commissionerstotheparty.

WhatPBSCanBringtotheParty

Engineeredsystemsforpeoplewithareputationforchallengingbehaviourneed

toencourageopen,questioningcultures,wherestaffareencouragedtothinkand

bepartofsolutions.Socialpsychologyisclear:groupsworkbetterwhenmembers

trustoneanotherandwhenthereisaclear,unambiguousgoal.Unclearecologies

canpromoteineptitude(Gilbert,1978).Callingonwhatwemighttermancient

history,“Manystudieshavefoundthattheexistenceofcohesivebondsbetween

co-workersisapre-requisiteforhighmoraleandoptimumperformanceofduties,

butthisdoesnotmeanthatallnormsthatariseincohesiveworkgroupscontribute

totheaccomplishmentofofficialtasks,”(Blau&Meyer,1971,p.49).

Bothfunctionalassessmentandpersoncentredplanningappealtothoseseeking

anunderstandingofapparentreinforcersandpunishersimpactingonan

individual’sbehaviour(Wagner,2002).Wherepersoncentredmethodsareartful

andoftenlookat‘thebigpicture’ofgoalsandaccomplishments,behavioural

approachesareembeddedinscientificculture,andoftenfocusonspecific

responsesthatmaycontributeto‘bigpicture’goalachievement.Personcentred

approachestelluswherewe’reheading,behaviouralapproacheshowtoget

there.GoodPBSpractitionersareskilledinboth.

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Whybothertoconsiderwiderecologocial(orego-cology)contexts?Without

understandingthesourceandpurposeofbootlegreinforcement,withoutknowing

competinginfluences,oursuggestions,evenifco-constructed,won’tamountto

much.That’sapragmaticanswer.There’salsothemoraldimension,aswellas

aligningourselveswiththelessonsfromthepast-ofnotcontributingtothe

powerlessnessofpeopleindistress.“Theliteratureshowsahighdegreeof

consistencyaroundthefeaturesofeffectiveapproachestoaccommodationand

supportforpeoplewithintellectualdisability.Theyarefundamentallylinkedtoa

focusonpositivesupportofpeoplewithdisabilityattheindividuallevel,andto

supportingandfacilitatingtheconnectionofthepersoninarangeofrelationships

andwitharangeofcommunitiesoftheirchoosing…Thesefeatureshavealsobeen

demonstratedtobeprotectiveofpeople’spersonalsafety.Thesefeaturesare

connected,however,toastrongphilosophicalandconceptualframeworkabout

controlandchoicebeingvestedinorclosetotheperson.Thehistoryof

accommodationserviceshasbeenoneinwhichcontrolanddecisionmakinghave

beenvestedinthestaffandmanagementwhoworkintheservices,”(Robinson

andChenoweth,2011,p.66).

Therefore,whenweteachPBS,whenwepractice-leadPBS,dowestressperson

centredecologies,attitudesandinteractions,asequallypowerfullyasbehavioural

methodologies?Whenweteachdoweemphasisecritiquesandlimitationsas

robustlyasweadvocateforfunctionalassessmentandanalysis?Whenweteach

PBS,howdoweteachpractitionerstogaintheviewsoffamiliesandpeople

requiringsupport?Whenweteachphysicalinterventions,doweshowthe

researchfocussedontheviewsandexperiencesofpeopleonthereceivingendof

suchapproaches?CouldweasPBSpractitionersdomoretoenhancethequalityof

lifeofpeopleweserve?Canweinfectthosesupportingthepersondailywiththe

passiontoseetheindividual’sgiftsaswellaschallenges?Supportingsomeoneto

learnhownottoneedtohurtthemselvesisnobleandconstructiveworkbut

leavingthemfriendlessandwithoutvoiceinpoorprovisionisunsupportable.

www.tonyosgood.com

Itisoftenthecasesurvivorsofmentalhealthprovision,parentsofyoungpeople

sentmilesfromhometosocalled‘assessmentandtreatmentunits’,peoplein

servicesgenerally,speakoftheiropinionsnotbeingconsidered,perhapsbecause

thestandpointofprofessionalsissopowerfulcomparedtopeopleusingservices.

Parentsandpeopleusingservicesareoftenlonelyandunheard.

CanPBSasafamilyofapproacheslearnfromtheseunsavouryandgeneration-

longexperiences?InmanywaysIwouldagreethattoprogress“weneedmore

evidenceandlessideology”(Rowe&Rudkin,1999,p.154)butideologyandvalues

informwhatisresearchedandcitedasevidence.

Wehavelearnedaspractitionerstoaskdifficultquestions,becauseourworkis

notsosimpleassayingJane’sbehaviourisunacceptable,here’showtochangeit

forthebenefitofJaneandeveryoneelse.Janemightbequitehappyself-harming

becauseitisabehaviourthatmakesupJane.Theacceptabilityofself-harmisa

subjectivestandpoint.ThepeoplejudgingJanetobeself-harmingmightdoso

throughthefogofcigarettes,alackofexercise,andanevangelicalbeliefinfree-

love.Janemighthaveanequallyvalidargumentthatthereferrershavetheirown

behaviouralissuestodealwith.

Inpersoncentredplanning,asinPBS,webeginwithahypothesis(abestguess)as

towhatourinformationtellsus.InPBSthistendstobedrawnfromdirect

observations,fromrecordsandtheexperiencesofgroupsofpeoplegained

throughinterviewsorquestionnaires.Wemightalsoasktheindividual

themselves.Inpersoncentredplanning,welike-wisediveintoopinionsfrom

thosethatknowtheperson,andifpossible,thepersonthemselves.Inboth

approaches,wethenintervene.“Somepeople’swaysofcommunicatingleavethe

importantpeopleintheirlivesunabletoheartheirviewsaboutalifethatwould

makesense,”O’Brienwrites.“Theseotherpeoplehavelittlechoicebuttocreatea

storywithavaluedandcentralrolefortheperson,whosepreferencesremain

ambiguous.Then,thesepeoplemakeadjustmentsbasedontheperson’s

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responsestotherealsettingsandexperiencesthatresulted”(O’Brien,2002,

p.412).Andwhilsttheseadjustmentsbasedonresponsesmaynotberecognised

asrobustdata,theapproachis.

Datacanalltooeasilybeconceptualisedasprobesintopeoples’lives.Thedatawe

collectbydefault,trainingormandatedbyouremployersmaynotbethedata

meaningfultotheperson.Thedatawecollectmaybepre-determinedbutthey

mightjustaseasilyberesponsivetothepersonandtheirsituation.Animpressive

exampleofthiscanbefoundinHolburn&Vietze’saccountofHal(2002).

DuringarecentteachingtriptoVeronaideologicaloppositiontoanything

remotelyassociatedwithbehaviourismwasencounteredamongsocialworkers,

thirdsectorworkers,academics,mentalhealthpractitionersandpsychologists.

ProbablyeventhegelatosellerhadanopinionhadIbeensufficientlybraveto

inflictmyItalianuponher.IfoundmyselfdefendingPBSrobustlybeforerealising

thatwithallmydefendingandcitingIhadmanagedtonotlistentotheir

legitimateconcerns.(ToparaphraseSeneca-wearebadpeoplelivingamongst

badpeople-weshouldgoeasyononeanother.)PBShasnoexclusiveonpeople

believingtheyareright.(Onesupposesacademicsareoftenpreytobecoming

argumentative(especiallywhenouridentitiesarecraftedaroundagivenposition)

and“apatheticallycontentiouslot”(Irvine,2009,p.255)bynatureandnurture,

perhaps.)Butlisteningtocriticsishelpful.

PBSpractitionersmaywellcontributeasmanyperson-centredinteractionprofiles,

activityschedules,communicationandrapportsupportplans,personcentred

methodologiesto‘assessment’astheydofunctionalassessmentsoranalyses.PBS

practitionersaremulti-skilled:theydon’tjustknowaboutchallengingbehaviour

butaboutpeople.PBSpractitionerscanusetheirskillsinmeasuringoutcomesto

extendthebenchmarksandproductscurrentlyusedtoincludelifestyle

satisfactionandqualityoflife,notmerelychallengingbehaviour;

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AreWeThereYet?DownstreamResponding&UpstreamAntecedents

Asanyinnovationgrowsinpopularitytheunderlyingprinciplesriskchanginginto

somethingnotintended:theirnamescaneasilybecomespiffyeuphemismsfor

businessasusual(Lovett,1996).Astheoriginatorsofpersoncentredplanning

haveoftenruefullyshared,seeingthemethodstheydevelopedlionised,

popularised,changedandbastardisedispainfulbutinevitable.PBSmethodscan

contributetopractitionersmakingsenseoutofseemingchaosandalltoo

apparentconfusionwhenthisclearunderstandingiscommunicatedtoothers-

thatbehaviourislawfulevenwhenawful.Wecanarriveatsharedsolutionsonlyif

wetakeseriouslythestandpointsofthoseweworkwith.Thoseweworkwithare

resourcesnotcases,partnersnotclients.

ThisbriefviewpointarguesforPBSpractitionerstokeepholdoftheirfocuson

broaderinterventions,tonotlimitthemselvestodiscreteresponsesbutto

lifestylesinsystems.PBSwouldloseitssoulifitdidn’tsticktoitsfounding

principles:subjectiveexperiencesareasvaluableasthedatawesocopiously

collect.Butofcourse,PBSisnotacorporealentity,ithasnonervoussystem,no

body,nosoul:PBSiswhateachpractitionerdoesandhowsheconductsherself

andhowvigorouslysheworksincollaborationwithothers.Sheachievesthisby

applyingtechnologytohumanproblemsinhumaneandinclusiveways.Ifour

fictitiouspractitionersimplystrollsin,collectsdata,graphsthefindings,and

makesrecommendation,withoutmeetingthehumanindistressorlisteningtothe

standpointsofmediatorswhodothehands-onwork,herworkismanythings,but

PBSitisn’t.Equallyobviously,thisviewpointisnothingnew.Meyer&Evans

arguedforsimilarconsiderationsin1993(theresponsestotheirpaperwere

telling,too)–nearlyaquarterofacenturyago.

Intheirwell-citedearlysynthesisofPBSresearch,Carretal.suggestedresearchers

“needtoaddressconsumergoals”(1999,p.85).TodayintheUKconsumersareall

toorarelythepeoplereceivingsupport,butrathercommissionersandoften

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distantcaremanagers.Soitislikelythesynthesis’srecommendationtoproviders

to“fixtheproblemcontexts,nottheproblembehaviour.Problemcontexts(i.e.,

environmentaldeficiencesandskilldeficits)arethefertilegroundfromwhich

problembehavioursprings”(ibid,p.85)havefallenondeafearstoomanytimes:

providersstillgetpaidregardlessoftheoutcomesexperiencedbypeopleusing

services.(Andifaplacmentfails,therearealwaysnewpeopletofillthevoids.

SuchisthemarketofchallengingbehaviourintheUK:here,marketandmoney

trumpspeople.)Despiterenamingaberrantbehaviouraschallengingthesame

explanatoryfictionsabound:theproblemistheperson,sofixtheperson.People

makealotofmoneyoutofthisfiction.

ThisviewpointsuggestsPBSpractitionerscanbringlighttoamurkymarketplace

simplybecauseofthedualdisciplinesentwinedwithinPBS:scienceandsubjective

experiences:

“Thestorygoesthatapersonwalkingalongsideariverseessomeone

drowning.Thispersonjumpsin,pullsthevictimout,andbeginsartificial

respiration.Whilethisisgoingon,anotherpersoncallsforhelp;the

rescuerjumpsintothewateragainandpullsthenewvictimout.This

processrepeatsitselfseveraltimesuntiltherescuergetsupandwalks

awayfromthescene.Abystanderapproachesandasksinsurprisewhere

heisgoing,towhichtherescuerreplies‘I’mgoingupstreamtofindout

who’spushingallthesepeopleinandseeifIcanstopit!’”

(Egan&Cowan,1979,p.3/4)

Theseauthorssuggesthumanservicesareinherentlydownstreamsolutionsin

partduetothemedicalmodel(whereevensocialproblemsaretypesofillness)

andthusrequiretreatment.Upstreamsocio-culturalsystemsimpacton

individualshugely-challengingbehaviourisapublichealthissue.AllthetimePBS

practitionersdealwithdownstreamconsequencesofupstreamantecedents,

we’reclosingthestabledoorlongafterthatparticularhorsehasbolted.Ifwe

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earnedadollareverytimewe’veheardacolleaguesigh‘sowhydidtheywaitfor

bloodtohitthewalls?Whynotcallearlier?’we’dhavetheentrancefeefor

Disneylandatleast.PBSpractitioners–byextendingthescienceofhuman

behaviourtosystems–arepotentialalliestothoseseekingupstreamsolutions.

Becauseweknowthevitalimportanceofabolishingoperations,ofearly

intervention,ofeducational,constructiveandsociallyvalidsolutions.Wewould

sellourknowledgeshortbynotconsideringthereachorapplicationpotentialsof

PBSpractitionerscontinuetofightthesamebattlestheirpredessorsdidaquarter

ofacenturybeforethem:tofindthehumanamidstthedata,andtonotonlystop

perpetratingdehumanisingtechniques,butstopperpetuatingthemthrough

offeringevidencedandperson-centredalternatives.

www.tonyosgood.com

References

Blunden,R.(1988),“Safeguardingquality”inD.Towell(Ed.)AnOrdinaryLifeinPractice:developingcomprehensivecommunity-basedservicesforpeoplewithlearningdisabilities,London,King’sFund,pp.106-118.Bennis,W.G.&Nanus,B.(1985),Leaders:thestrategiesfortakingcharge,NewYork,Harper&RowBlau,P.M.&Meyer,M.W.(1971),BureaucracyinModernSociety(SecondEdition),NewYork,RandomHouseBlaug,R.(2010),HowPowerCorrupts:cognitionanddemocracyinorganisations,Basingstoke,PalgraveMacmillanCarr,E.G.,Horner,R.H.,Turnbull,A.P.,Marquis,J.G.,McLaughlin,D.M.,McAtee,M.L.,Smith,C.E.,Ryan,K.A.,Ruef,M.B.,Doolabh,A.,Braddock,D.(1999),PositiveBehaviourSupportforPeoplewithDevelopmentalDisabilities:aresearchsynthesis,Washington,AAMRDanforth,S.(2000),“WhatcanthefieldofdevelopmentaldisabilitieslearnfromMichaelFoucault?”MentalRetardation,Vol38No.4,pp.364-328Egan,G.,Cowan,M.A.(1979),PeopleinSystems:amodelfordevelopmentinthehuman-servicesprofessionsandeducation,Belmont,WadsworthEvans,I.M.,Scotti,J.R.,&Hawkins,R.P.(1999),“Understandingwherewearegoingbylookingatwherewehavebeen”,inJ.R.Scotti&L.H.Meyer(Eds.)BehaviouralInterventions:principles,modelsandpractices,Baltimore:PaulH.Brookes,pp.3-24.Evans,T.andGore,N.(2016),“Staffbehavioursvaluedbyserviceusers:viewsofpeoplewhosebehaviourchallenges”,InternationalJournalofPositiveBehaviouralSupport,Vol6,No2,pp.4-11.Gilbert,T.F.(1978),Humancompetence:Engineeringworthyperformance,NewYork:McGraw-Hill.Holburn,S.andVietze,P.M.(2002),“AbetterlifeforHal:fiveyearsofpersoncentredplanningandappliedbehaviouranalysis”,ininHolburn,S,&Vietze,P,(Eds.),PersonCentredPlanning:research,practiceandfuturedirections,Baltimore,Brookes,pp.291-314.

www.tonyosgood.com

Irving,W.R.(2009),AGuidetotheGoodLife:theancientartofstoicjoy,Oxford,OxfordUniversityPress.Lave,J.andWenger,E.(1991),SituatedLearning:legitimateperipheralparticipation,Cambridge,CambridgeUniversityPressLaVigna,G.W.andWillis,T.J.(2016),“Thealignmentfallacyandhowtoavoidit”,InternationalJournalofPositiveBehaviouralSupport,Vol6,No1,pp.6-16.Levinson,J.(2010),MakingLifeWork:freedomanddisabilityinacommunitygrouphome,Minneapolis:UMPLovett,H.,(1996)LearningtoListen,London,JKPLucyshyn,J.M.,Dunlap,G.,&Freeman,R.(2015),“Ahistoricalperspectiveontheevolutionofpositivebehaviorsupportasascience-baseddiscipline”,inF.Brown,J.Anderson,&R.DePry(Eds.),Individualpositivebehavioursupports:astandards-basedguidetopracticesinschoolandcommunity-basedsettings,Baltimore,PaulH.Brookes,pp.3-25.Mansell,J.(1996),“IssuesincommunityservicesinBritain”,inJ.Mansell&K.Ericsson(Eds.)DeinstitutionalisationandCommunityLiving:intellectualdisabilityservicesinBritain,ScandinaviaandtheUSA,49-64,London,Chapman&HallMansell,J.andElliot,T.(2001),“Staffmembers’predictionofconsequencesfortheirworkinresidentialsettings”,AmericanJournalonMentalRetardation,Vol106No5,pp.434–447Meyer,L.H.,&Evans,I.M.(1989),Non-aversiveinterventionforbehaviourproblems:Amanualforhomeandcommunity,Baltimore,PaulH.Brookes.Meyer,L.H.,&Evans,I.M.(1993),“Scienceandpracticeinbehaviouralintervention:meaningfuloutcomes,researchvalidity,anduseableknowledge”,JournaloftheAssociationforPersonswithSevereHandicaps,Vol18,pp.224-234Meyer,L.H.,&Park,H-S.(1999),“Contemporary,mostpromisingpracticesforpeoplewithdisabilities,inJ.R.Scotti&L.H.Meyer(Eds.)BehaviouralInterventions:principles,modelsandpractices,Baltimore:PaulH.Brookes,pp.25-46.O’Brien,J.(2002),“Theethicsofpersoncentredplanning”,inHolburn,S,andVietze,P,(Eds.),PersonCentredPlanning:research,practiceandfuturedirections,Baltimore,Brookes,pp.399-414.Repp,A.C.,&Singh,N.N.(Eds.)(1990)Currentperspectivesintheuseofnon-aversiveandaversiveinterventionswithdevelopmentallydisabledpersons,Sycamore,IL,SycamorePress.

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Robinson,S.,&Chenoweth,L.(2011),“Preventingabuseinaccommodationservices:Fromproceduralresponsetoprotectivecultures”,JournalofIntellectualDisabilitiesVol15No1,pp.63–74Rowe,D.andRudkin,A.(1999),“Asystematicreviewofthequalitativeevidencefortheuseoflifestyleplanninginpeoplewithlearningdisabilities”,JournalofLearningDisabilitiesforNursing,Health&SocialCare,Vol3,pp.363-372.Scotti,J.R.&Meyer,L.H.(Eds.),BehaviouralInterventions:principles,modelsandpractices,Baltimore,PaulH.BrookesShackleton,V.andWale,P.(2000)Leadership&Managament.InN.Chmiel(ed),IntroductiontoWork&OrganisationalPsychology:AEuropeanPerspective,p.277-301,Oxford:BlackwellTatum,B.D.(1997),WhyAreAllTheBlackKidsSittingTogetherintheCafeteria?NewYork,BasicBooksWagner,G.A.(2002),“Person-centredplanningfromabehaviouralperspective”,inHolburn,S,&Vietze,P,(Eds.),PersonCentredPlanning:research,practiceandfuturedirections,Baltimore,Brookes,pp.273-289.Zimbardo,P.(2007)TheLuciferEffect:howgoodpeopleturnevil,Rider,London

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