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Reframe

Recognise. Reframe. Respond.

Reframe Training is an evidence-based program developed by researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia which aims to educate frontline professionals to recognise and understand neurodisability in young people, reframe their behaviours, and respond appropriately to their needs.

Individuals living with neurodisabilities can experience lifelong difficulties across a number of areas including cognition, emotion, communication, motor skills, behaviour and learning. These conditions can sometimes lead to problems at school, socially unacceptable behaviour, alcohol and other drug use, and early interactions with the justice system. Neurodisabilities include intellectual disability, autism, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, however some individuals with a neurodisability will not have been given a specific diagnosis.

Reframe Training is delivered as a 4-hour face-to-face workshop facilitated by an expert presenter. The workshop format involves a combination of lectures, group discussions, peer-to-peer learning and the viewing of nine short, educational videos. Topics covered incluce an introduction to neurodisabilities including FASD; understanding the behavioural presentations in those living with neurodisabilities;  and strategies to assist managing behaviours that are appropriate for use in a variety of sectors.

Specifically, the areas of neurodevelopment discussed are:

  1. memory and learning,
  2. language and communication,
  3. adaptive function,
  4. attention and sensory processing,
  5. executive function,
  6. motor skills,
  7. academic function, and
  8. cognition.

Reframe Training was developed following an extensive two-year consultation process with young people in detention and professionals in the Western Australian justice and health sectors. This program was initially tailored for the youth justice workforce but has been identified as having great relevance to a variety of other workforces that interact with individuals with complex needs and behaviours. These include the child protection, education, police, adult corrections and community justice, community services and disability sectors.

Learning Objectives

After attending the Training, participants will be able to:

  1. Understand the effects of prenatal alcohol use, and provide an overview of FASD and how it can present
  2. Understand common behavioural presentations associated with neurodisabilities
  3. Identify situations relating to their workplace where young people with neurodisabilities are likely to need additional support or adapted expectations
  4. Identify and utilise strategies relevant to their workplace when engaging with young people who may have neurodisabilities

To find out more about our Training workshops, click here.

Evaluation

In 2018, REFRAME Training was piloted and evaluated with over 100 justice professionals in WA, with results identifying;

  • improvements in FASD knowledge and attitudes
  • increases in staff confidence to engage with youth with neurodisabilities
  • increases in staff intent to use recommended practices (e.g. listening, repetition)
  • decreases in staff intent to use undesirable practices (e.g. aggression, ignoring)

Additionally, over 90% of participants reported:

  • the presentation of information was easy to understand (95%)  
  • the Training was relevant to their needs (94%)
  • the Training format was helpful (93%)
  • they would recommend the Training to others (93%)

Read the paper here.

Background Research

A landmark study conducted by The Kids at Banksia Hill Detention Centre (the only youth detention centre in Western Australia) recorded the highest known prevalence of FASD in a justice setting anywhere in the world. 36% of young people detained at Banksia Hill were diagnosed with FASD. Only two of these young people had been diagnosed prior to the study. Alarmingly, 9 in 10 young people had at least one severe neurodevelopmental impairment.

The types of impairments identified in the Banksia Hill study suggest many of these young people do not have critical cognitive abilities that allow them to discern right from wrong, and to learn from experience. Without understanding this, staff interacting with these young people may misinterpret their behaviours as wilful noncompliance, rather than as symptoms of permanent, organic brain damage. As such, it is vitally important that all frontline professionals engaging with vulnerable populations of children and young people are aware of neurodisabilities and related behaviours, and are equipped with strategies to help them support and engage with affected young people.

The Team

The Kids Research Institute Australia’s Alcohol and Pregnancy & FASD Research Team is a diverse team of researchers and clinicians with extensive expertise in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of neurodevelopmental conditions. Specifically, the team’s goals are to develop effective and culturally safe FASD prevention strategies, build the capacity of health, justice and other professionals regarding identifying and managing FASD and other neurodisabilities, and implement and evaluate programs for children and young people with neurodisabilities and their families.

Find out more about the Alcohol and Pregnancy & FASD team 🡢

The Presenter

Dr Hayley Passmore has qualifications in child health, criminology and psychology. She has previous experience working with adult offenders and their families, and with vulnerable children and families across Western Australia. In 2019, Hayley completed her PhD at The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia Medical School (Paediatrics), focusing on the workforce development component of the Banksia Hill study. Hayley was a Finalist in the 2019 WA Premier’s Science Awards Student Scientist of the Year category. Hayley currently works in the Alcohol, Pregnancy and FASD research group at The Kids Research Institute Australia and the FASD Research Australia Centre of Research Excellence. Most recently, Hayley was awarded a 2020 Churchill Fellowship to explore international approaches to managing and supporting young people with neurodisability in justice and secure care settings