2 October 2024
Lived experience manager for learning disability and neurodiversity, Debbie Austin, has been honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Positive Behaviour Support Award by the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD).
“It was a complete surprise” said Debbie who was presented at the International Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) Annual Conference in Liverpool.
Debbie was invited to deliver a workshop on working alongside families, to show how PBS can help transform lives, and had delivered their opening keynote presentation on Kindness and Compassion at the 2024 conference.
Speaking about her own experiences, (her daughter, Lucy, has a severe learning disability and is autistic), PBS changed their lives as it showed that challenging or difficult behaviours are a way of telling someone that help and support is needed.
Debbie shared with everyone how changing her parenting style from trying to stop the behaviours, to trying to understand them, really made a difference.
“How do I stop you? Became how do I help you?” she said, “Everything Lucy was asking for through her behaviour was logical and understandable when seen from her perspective, when we changed how we responded to the behaviours, the behaviours reduced dramatically and, in some cases, stopped all together.”
Importantly for Debbie, PBS doesn’t allow punishment or any responses that are aversive or abusive. The message that Debbie wants everyone to hear is “PBS is fundamentally kind, if what we are saying to people and what we are doing is not kind, then we cannot say it is PBS.”
Not once, did Debbie think she would be receiving an award!
“I felt incredibly humbled to be given such an award, especially in a room full of people whose work I admire.
“Ultimately the award is for Lucy, who has taught me more about humanity than I would have imagined possible.”
Well done Debbie, what a great honour to receive.
