Assessing the impact of challenging behaviours for outcome measures 2: Using a ‘metric for the social consensus’

Abstract

This paper describes an approach to assessing the impact of challenging behaviour with a focus on harm, as indicated by definitions of challenging behaviour. It addresses the problem of how to measure amounts or degrees of harm instead of frequency and intensity of behaviour. Emerson uses a social constructionist approach to defining challenging behaviour, and this approach also indicates a set of methods for assessing degrees of harm. Approaches to calibrating the ‘social consensus’ are discussed and one specific method, ‘direct magnitude estimation’, is further explored.