The Williamson Method: Behaviour as Communication, Quality of Life and Practical Support
Updated: Oct 11
Looking Glass Care uses a practical, person-centred framework developed from more than 15 years of work across SEND, adult social care, behaviour support, compliance and custodial settings. We call this the Williamson Method.
It is not a clinical model, diagnostic tool or replacement for legal, medical or statutory decision-making. It is a way of organising questions, evidence and practical actions so support remains focused on the person rather than only on paperwork, labels or incidents.
The starting point: behaviour is communication
When behaviour, distress, refusal, shutdown, escalation or repeated incidents occur, the first question is not simply “How do we stop this?” The starting question is “What might this be communicating?”
Communication may relate to pain, fear, sensory overload, uncertainty, loss of control, unmet need, difficulty understanding expectations, an inaccessible environment, trauma, communication differences or a support plan that is not working in practice.
Six practice areas
1. Understand — gather the person’s perspective, context, patterns, strengths, communication and what happens before, during and after the difficulty.
2. Identify — look for barriers, unmet needs, triggers, environmental pressures, gaps in support and missing evidence rather than assuming the behaviour itself is the whole problem.
3. Improve quality of life — ask what would make daily life safer, more predictable, meaningful, accessible and less distressing.
4. Reduce unnecessary restriction — consider whether rules, responses or restrictions are proportionate, necessary and the least restrictive option available.
5. Turn findings into practical action — translate the evidence into clear adjustments, support strategies, responsibilities and records that people can actually use.
6. Review — check whether the plan is improving outcomes. If it is not, revisit the assumptions and evidence rather than simply repeating the same response.
For repeated use, the paid learner guide groups these areas into five actions: Understand, Identify, Improve, Evidence and Review. Improving quality of life, reducing unnecessary restriction and assigning practical actions sit together within Improve; Evidence checks whether the change works before Review.
How this applies to SEND and EHCP work
In SEND work, the same framework can help organise evidence around what a child or young person is communicating through attendance difficulties, distress, school refusal, incidents or changes in behaviour. The aim is to connect observed difficulties with needs, barriers, reasonable adjustments, provision and measurable outcomes.
How this applies to Positive Behaviour Support
In PBS-related work, the emphasis is on understanding function and context, improving quality of life, increasing choice and communication, preventing distress where possible, and reducing reliance on restrictive or reactive responses.
How this applies to care providers and CQC compliance
Compliance should not sit separately from person-centred care. Policies, audits, care plans, risk assessments, incident reviews and governance records should help people receive safer and more effective support. The method therefore asks both whether the evidence is compliant and whether it reflects what happens for the person in real life.
How the Williamson Method connects with PBS and SEAT
The Williamson Method is Looking Glass Care’s practical framework for applying person-centred support, behaviour as communication and quality-of-life principles. Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) informs this approach. During the Understand and Identify stages, SEAT can help organise hypotheses about what a person may be communicating: sensory needs, escape, attention or access to something tangible. These hypotheses need to be considered alongside health, communication, trauma, relationships and the environment.
The method in practice: look, listen, meet the need
The visible incident may be the end of a communication process, not its beginning. Notice quieter signals first: a change in expression, pacing, withdrawal, repeated approaches, a gesture, looking towards an item, or disengagement from something the person normally enjoys. Ask whether a need was already expressed, missed, misunderstood or refused. Reflect in the moment, then reflect again afterwards with the person wherever possible.
SEAT is a lens, not an answer
SEAT offers four possible functions: Sensory input or relief; Escape from something difficult or uncomfortable; Attention, connection, reassurance or help; and Tangible access to an item, activity, place, food or preferred experience. More than one may apply. A person may need sensory relief and therefore try to leave, or seek interaction that also provides stimulating sound and movement. Test possibilities against the person's account, patterns and circumstances. Do not label a person or assume intention from a single incident.
Check the whole situation and the body
Start with what is happening now, but look further back. Check recent notes, changes in routine, sleep, food and drink, bowel and urine patterns, pain, illness, medication, activity, temperature and any other relevant health concern. Consider dental or mouth pain and when a review last took place; where urinary concerns recur, review the history and seek appropriate health advice. Menstruation, cycle-related pain or changes in sensory tolerance may matter for a person who menstruates. Sudden or unexplained change deserves appropriate clinical assessment rather than an unsupported behavioural assumption.
Ask what has changed: the people present, transport, expectations, promised plans, family contact, demands, communication, environment or what happened earlier in the day. The immediate event can be the final trigger rather than the underlying cause. Someone may seem settled when family leaves, then process the loss or uncertainty hours later. Quietness and disengagement deserve the same curiosity as shouting or pacing.
See and hear the environment through their experience
Sensory difference may involve noise, silence, wind, heat, cold, lighting, shadows, reflections, patterned carpet, a doorway, smell, touch or an unfamiliar place. Too little stimulation can matter as much as too much. Ask what the person actually perceives before calling a refusal or withdrawal non-compliance. A doorway or floor that looks ordinary to us may be confusing or distressing to someone else.
Look at what is missing as well as what is present. Long periods of boredom, waiting or little meaningful activity can create a need for movement, noise, pressure, novelty, vestibular input, proprioceptive input or social connection. If an incident reliably brings people, voices and activity into an otherwise empty day, build chosen activities and interaction into ordinary support. Help the person communicate and access the input safely without first having to escalate.
Ordinary choice belongs to the person
Living in care should not turn staff convenience into a rule about food, drinks or bedtime. If someone wants a coffee at 11pm, ask whether there is a genuine individual concern and what would meet their preference; decaf may be an option if they want it. If they prefer to stay up, explore their choice and any real risks with them. Do not simply impose an institutional routine. Necessary boundaries should be individual, proportionate and explained in accessible language.
I have seen a person told they could not eat or drink after 11pm; the situation escalated and a staff member was injured. We cannot infer a whole incident's cause from that single detail, but it prompts a useful question: how would I feel if someone stopped me from having food or water when I needed it? I might display what a care record calls ‘behaviour that challenges’ too. Start by asking whether the person is hungry or thirsty and how the need can be met.
Three moments that changed the question
Transport: sensory overload and escape
A child I know got out of a taxi at traffic lights and ran. Later, he described music that felt too loud and windows that were too far down, bringing wind and noise. When overwhelmed, he could not explain that to the driver in the moment. The running was dangerous and required a safety response, but prevention also means agreeing a manageable music volume, window position, an easy ‘too loud’ signal and a clear transport plan. This does not depend on attributing fault to the driver.
Read the fuller anonymised account of the school taxi journey and the individual safety questions it raised. School taxi, sensory overload and a safer plan
Supported living: the bathroom was the message
When a person moved from hospital into supported living, they focused on the bathroom. A carer encouraged a tour of the other rooms; an incident followed. The person wanted a shower. Their focus was already meaningful communication. A better first response could have been: ‘Would you like a shower first?’ The planned tour could wait until the person was comfortable.
A visit may be processed later
A person might appear settled when family leave, then become quiet, restless or distressed later. Review the whole day rather than only the last few seconds. Ask what the visit and departure meant to them, whether they know what happens next, and whether they need comfort, contact, predictability or time.
De-escalate with support still available
Offer to meet the need, change the environment or reduce the demand. Use fewer words, allow processing time, make space and avoid crowding or repeated instructions. Sometimes a calm response is: ‘I’m going out of the door to give you space. I’m here when you need me.’ Withdraw pressure while remaining available and following the person's risk and support plan. Maintain essential safety boundaries without turning them into an argument.
The priority is to prevent the need for physical intervention. Where there is immediate risk, follow the person's lawful, agreed safety procedures and seek appropriately trained help; a general blog cannot replace an individual plan or emergency response. Review any restrictive response afterwards and ask what could reduce the chance of needing it again.
Reflect while it happens and after it ends
In the moment ask: What is the person communicating? Have I missed a request? Could they be in pain? What has changed? Is my voice, distance, expectation or pace making this easier or harder? Can I meet the need and give space now? Avoid forcing a discussion or immediately restarting the original demand while the person is recovering.
Afterwards, include the person's perspective where possible. Review earlier events, records, health and sensory factors, what staff said and did, what helped, what worsened distress, and whether a routine or restriction needs changing. An ABC record is evidence to analyse, not the end of the task. Update communication and support plans, assign actions and check whether the person's life actually improves.
The test of success is not simply fewer recorded incidents. Look for needs met sooner, meaningful choice and activity, stronger communication, safer support, less distress, greater autonomy and reduced unnecessary restriction. Open your eyes to the early communication, and change support before a person has to say it more intensely.
What the method is not
The Williamson Method does not diagnose conditions, determine clinical treatment, provide legal representation, replace safeguarding procedures or override professional and statutory responsibilities. Where specialist assessment, emergency support, legal advice or regulated professional input is needed, those routes remain essential.
The aim
The aim is simple: understand before reacting, improve quality of life before adding restriction, make support practical, and use evidence to keep reviewing whether what we are doing is actually helping.
If you are unsure how this approach could apply to an EHCP, behaviour-support concern, care plan, compliance issue or service review, Looking Glass Care offers a free 30-minute consultation to help identify the most useful next step.
Apply the method with the learner guide
The 11-page paid PDF includes three worked examples, three reusable worksheets, a knowledge check and a seven-day action plan. It is self-paced awareness training for families, carers, education staff and service teams.
Useful resources for this topic
If you would like a practical record to use alongside this article, the resources below explain their scope, format and price. Choose only the material that fits your circumstances; a completed template is a starting point for action and review.
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