Applying Low Arousal in Social Education

The Low Arousal Approach to managing distressed behaviours has evolved over the last 30 years. It focuses on the management of difficult behaviours without resorting to the use of restrictions and controls.

The Low Arousal Approach has become popular in services which support autistic people, as well as people with intellectual disabilities, ADHD, and other related mental health conditions. The approach is transdiagnostic in nature, and it draws heavily from research on stress reduction.

In educational and care settings, staff and supporters need to provide a sense of safety and structure, whilst balancing the stress that this creates for people. To avoid ‘meltdowns,’ the Low Arousal Approach applies practical strategies that focus on arousal regulation, and - most importantly - coregulation. Key to this is an understanding that arousal regulation leads to improved learning for individuals. In this talk, Professor Andrew McDonnell will demonstrate how focusing on arousal reduction in the environment is key to managing stress and encouraging coping.