STAFF STRATEGIES AND EXPLANATIONS FOR INTERVENING WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS

Behavioural models identify the actions of others as an important fact or in the development and maintenance of challenging behaviours. In th e present study, 109 care staff were asked about their immediate and l onger-term intervention strategies for a fictitious young man's challe nging behaviour. Staff descriptions of long-term interventions were la rgely consistent with the aims of psychological interventions. However , their immediate intervention strategies were similar to the counter- habilitative strategies identified in previous observational and self- report research. The implications of these results for models of staff behaviour, staff training, the design of behavioural programmes and f uture research are discussed.