Low Arousal Approach

Within the study of human behavior, the Low Arousal Approach was developed by Professor Andrew McDonnell in the 1990s, and is now an internationally recognized model of behavior support.

The Low Arousal approach emphasises a range of behaviour management strategies that focus on the reduction of stress, fear and frustration and seeks to prevent aggression and crisis situations. The low arousal approach seeks to understand the role of the ‘situation’ by identifying triggers and using low intensity strategies and solutions to avoid punitive consequences for distressed individuals.

The Low Arousal approach enables practitioners to avoid the use of punitive consequences, such as physical restraint, for individuals from a variety of settings through early identification and intervention using low intensity strategies and solutions right the way through to managing meltdowns. The essential core principle is that many people inadvertently trigger behaviours, therefore it is often our behaviour which needs to change.

The Low Arousal approach has evolved from its original definition (McDonnell, McEvoy & Dearden1994) to a cognitive re-conceptualisation (McDonnell, Waters & Jones 2002). In his recent book titled “Managing Aggressive Behaviour In Care Settings: Understanding And Applying Low Arousal Approaches,” the definition has been further redefined (McDonnell 2011).

Given that stress is an ever-present part of the lives of people with autism, how should we manage crisis situations where the individuals we support may be experiencing ‘meltdown’?

McDonnell (2010) identified four key components considered central to Low Arousal approaches, which include both cognitive and behavioural elements:

1. Decreasing staff demands and requests to reduce potential points of conflict around an individual.
2. Avoidance of potentially arousing triggers e.g., avoiding direct eye contact, touch and removing spectators to the incident.
3. Avoidance of non-verbal behaviours that may lead to conflict e.g., aggressive postures and stances.
4. Challenging staff beliefs about the short-term management of challenging behaviours.

These seemingly simple behaviour management strategies are often difficult to apply in practice, as they involve changing and moderating our own levels of arousal. This means that each practitioner must reflect on their own behaviour and how it may contribute towards instances of challenging behaviour in the people they support. If we are part of the solution, we can also be part of the problem.

In essence, the Low Arousal approach is not just a behaviour management strategy, but a holistic philosophy towards caring for vulnerable people which acknowledges that challenging behaviour is not a choice.