Shelby’s history*

Shelby has a diagnosis of learning disability, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy. She is a caring young lady who is a wheelchair user but very independent, and is able to vocalise her wants and needs. She came to Long Eaton Day Services after her previous day service placement closed down.

When Shelby came to us

When Shelby came to our service, she initially portrayed a few behaviours towards herself and others, particularly when using service transport where she would have destructive behaviours. She also had episodes of random panic attacks that would lead to emergency services having to be called. Shelby also initially refused to access the hydrotherapy pool.

Shelby’s care

To support Shelby in her transition and ongoing care, staff attended her previous service to get to know her and build trust. We also held transition events at our service to help her familiarise herself with the setting. We assigned a key worker to be her point of contact, ensuring she felt comfortable and had a consistent person to turn to. Shelby was fully involved in her transition, communicating her wants and needs directly to staff.

The team became familiar with her triggers and learned to de-escalate situations by redirecting her to activities she enjoys. We worked closely with Shelby to build her confidence to the point that she now enjoys and asks to use the hydrotherapy pool.

In response to her panic episodes, we communicated with her family to coordinate additional support. Our team’s initial work involved identifying her triggers and implementing strategies to de-escalate the behaviours. To continue building on this, our multidisciplinary team is now developing a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) plan that will provide even more tailored support.

Shelby is an active member of our community, enjoying frequent community access. She receives support from our Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) teams and participates in a Social Skills group to engage with her peers.

Shelby today

Today, there has been a significant positive change in Shelby’s behaviour, particularly with her comfort on transport. She is able to make choices about what she would like to engage in daily and enjoys a wide range of activities. Shelby has a positive mood and is making meaningful connections alongside her peers through the Social Skills group.

*Name has been changed to protect her identity