It is unacceptable that disabled people with challenging behaviour often end up at Mount Carmel Hospital rather than remaining within the community, according to the Parliamentary Secretary for Rights of Persons with Disability.

“Unfortunately, there is not enough expertise in our country. Challenging behaviour still tends to be treated by psychiatrists, as opposed to psychologists,” Justyne Caruana said.

“I disagree with sending people with challenging behaviour to institutions – they deserve to be within society.”

Challenging behaviour must be viewed as a primitive form of communication

Dr Caruana was addressing the closing conference for the project ‘Promoting social inclusion of disabled persons with challenging behaviour’, which was implemented by the National Commission Persons with Disability (KNPD) over the past three years.

Under the project, which was funded by the EU’s European Social Fund, about 60 staff working with disabled people with challenging behaviour were trained to train other staff within their respective organisations.

About 1,000 disabled people with challenging behaviour are receiving a service. Three-quarters of them are autistic.

The government was looking into building a residential home for disabled people in Siġġiewi in the coming months, Dr Caruana said. She added that last week, the government applied for EU funds to train all employees of the departments that fell under the Secretariat’s remit and related to the elderly and disabled sectors.

Carers often faced a number of ethical questions, especially in terms of restraint.

“We need health and safety rules to protect the carers, as well as a code of ethics,” Dr Caruana continued.

The Child Development Assessment Unit was weighed down by a number of problems which urgently needed attention.

The government was considering centralising all services under a “one-stop shop” to assist parents. It had also entered into an agreement with the Salesians to run a programme for independent living to take disabled people out of institutions and into the community.

Behaviour specialist and keynote speaker Anthony Osgood emphasised the importance of listening to disabled people with challenging behaviour.

“What if challenging behaviour isn’t a disorder? What if it’s complaining? The only way you listen to me? The only way I can guarantee you do something?

“Challenging behaviour must be viewed as a primitive form of communication.”

Dr Osgood often found that when the person did not have a good relationship with their parents or carers, the challenging behaviour increased.

He stressed the importance of involving parents and providing them with adequate support, as they could not be expected to automatically know how to deal with things.

What is the best way of dealing with a child with challenging behaviour? He said punishment was not the answer.

“Catch the kid being good. Reinforce the behaviour you want and don’t punish what you don’t want.”

Children with challenging behaviour needed to be taught other ways to have their needs met, Dr Osgood continued.

So if a child had a habit of banging his head against a wall when asked to complete his homework, he needed to be taught how to ask for help with it.

“It’s a Mo Farah, not a Usain Bolt. The process is a marathon and not a sprint. Changes happen over time.”

‘It helped me a lot’

Interview with Brian Micallef, a disabled person who benefited from his carers’ training:

“My name is Brian and I live at Id-Dar tal-Providenza. I was taught how to behave properly, how to interact with my friends and what to do when I’m not doing well in the Ability Centre.

“I was taught to speak calmly and without shouting, to try and understand others, to ask for help and to give a chance to others.

“It helped me a lot and now I am being taught to use the computer.”