Maximising Choice and Control
Maximising choice and control is the 3rd Essential of Active Support
Everyone has preferences. When a person chooses their preference they have greater control over their life.
Maximising choice and control means staff:
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Offer more than one option to a person
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Ensure the person understands the options
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Know how the person communicates their choice
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Respect and acts on a person’s choice
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Assist the person to have new experiences
This video explains maximising choice and control.
Communication is very important to choice. You can use:
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Words: asking “Do you want dinner now or later?”
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Signs or gestures: gesturing big and small to decide size of a piece of cake
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Objects or pictures: showing different books for the person to choose which one to read
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Videos to see what something is: watching Youtube videos of different places to visit
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A combination of these: such as, showing pictures and asking questions
Always try to offer more than one choice.
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Instead of asking, “Do you want a shower?’
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Try asking, ‘Do you want a shower now or after breakfast?’ or “Do you want a shower or a bath”
Pay attention to how the person communicates choice. They may use:
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Words or sounds
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Touch
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Pointing
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Gestures
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Signs
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Eye gaze
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Facial expression
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Communication aides
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Or a combination of these
You may need to:
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Give the person time to communicate their choice
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Check that you have understood their preference
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Provide more information about the options
In this video, staff put Maximising Choice and Control into practice.
Activity
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How did the support workers provide opportunities to make choice?
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How did each person communicate their choice?
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Did each person have choice and exercise control?
Having options and making choices increases a person’s control over their life. Staff should offer many opportunities for a person to make choices during a day - what to do, when to do it, how to do it, who to do it with.
Communication skills are very important in supporting a person to understand the options they have. We come back to communication in module 6.