School: Education

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Understanding Behaviour and Planning Support for Individuals with Complex Needs
  • Unit Code

    EDU6322
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    Y
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr John O'ROURKE

Description

This unit addresses the understanding and application of contemporary evidenced based practice in assessment, support and prevention of behaviours that can be seen as challenging for students with complex needs who attend regular or education support schools. It will explore the breadth of Behaviour Support frameworks that underpin support practices within schools, establishing a solid foundation of Positive Behaviour Support principles for supporting students with complex needs. Enrolled students will be provided with theoretical and practical skills in developing and implementing support practices to both prevent behaviours of concern as well as to respond to incidences of behaviour demonstrating professional, ethical and values driven decision making and approaches. The unit has a strong focus on the essential role of communication in contemporary positive behavioural support approaches for students with complex needs.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded EDU5320.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Critically analyse contemporary understanding of concepts and principles of behaviour support for individuals with complex communication needs from varying backgrounds including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
  2. Generate solutions to problems associated with the range of factors that contribute to the behavioural challenges experienced by individuals with complex needs.
  3. Evaluate the impact of values, beliefs, attitudes, and ethical principles on the understanding of behaviour support for students with complex needs.
  4. Reflect on strategies to embed contemporary behaviour support principles within documentation, planning and system-wide processes.
  5. Advocate for additional supports and services for education and allied health professionals, families and individuals for issues relating to behaviour support.
  6. Reflect on strategies to embed contemporary behaviour support principles within documentation, planning and system-wide processes.

Unit Content

  1. Defining behaviours of concern and historical approaches to behaviour management.
  2. Factors that influence the presence of behaviours of concern, including individual, environmental and relationship based/social factors.
  3. Critical awareness of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) frameworks and how they are both currently applied in the education system and link in with a contemporary evidenced based framework for supporting individuals with complex needs.
  4. Neurocognitive experiences of individuals who engage in behaviours of concern, including trauma informed practice.
  5. The role of and development of contemporary school wide environments that address the factors that influence the need to engage in behaviour.
  6. Factors that influence the presence of behaviours of concern, including individual, environmental and relationship based/social factors.
  7. National and state guidelines that manage restrictive practices, as well as approaches to work towards eliminating such practice.
  8. Building a needs based behaviour support lens to system level engagement, culture and support approaches.
  9. Influences of PBS principles on school processes, documentation and policies.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 2Not Offered13 x 1 hour lectureNot Offered
Semester 2Not Offered13 x 2 hour tutorialNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Due to the professional competency skill development associated with this Unit, student attendance/participation within listed in-class activities and/or online activities including discussion boards is compulsory. Students failing to meet participation standards as outlined in the unit information may be awarded an I Grade (Fail - incomplete). Students who are unable to meet this requirement for medical or other reasons must seek the approval of the unit coordinator.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
Literature ReviewCritical literature review - 2500 words40%
Reflective PracticeClass demonstration and reflections on contemporary behavior support for students with complex needs.60%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
Literature ReviewCritical literature review - 2500 words40%
Reflective PracticeClass demonstration and reflections on contemporary behavior support for students with complex needs.60%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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