Positive Behaviour Support in Chermside, QLD: Meet PBS practitioner Louise Mammoliti
We’re creating freedom and social connection in Queensland through Positive Behaviour Support in Chermside and surrounds. Get started by making a referral, click this link to get started.
Today we are pleased to introduce Louise Mammoliti, who supports NDIS participants with Positive Behaviour Support in North Brisbane, Inner Brisbane, Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast.
Louise brings extensive teaching and special education experience and qualifications to her role as a behaviour support practitioner. With a special interest in autism, intellectual impairment and trauma-based behaviour, Louise has dedicated her life’s work to embedding inclusive practices within the education sector by leading others in the field to understand the supports and adjustments needed to create access for students to succeed in education and beyond.
Meet Louise Mammoliti, Behaviour Support Practitioner in Chermside, QLD
Hi Louise, it’s great to have you on our team in Brisbane! Tell us about you!
In 1999 I ventured across the ocean from New Zealand and began a life in this amazing city of Brisbane. I came with a teaching degree and immediately began working in schools around Brisbane North.
It was at this time that my love for helping children who had high support needs and learning difficulties started to flourish. I began my Masters of Special Education so I could grow my knowledge and understanding around how to address the barriers to learning that these students had and help them thrive within the school system.
After earning my Masters and specialising in autism, I have spent the last 25 years working in schools as an Inclusive Education Teacher and supporting teams to build the capacity of students with high needs to have an amazing school journey that is successful for them.
I am a mother of two great children and I juggle parenting with not only my teaching role, but my behaviour support practitioner role at Ability Consultants. Since joining this supportive and skilled team, I have not only supported young clients needing help in their life journey, but also taken on wonderful adult clients who have many and varied diagnoses. I am passionate about helping them all to be heard and valued, and I take pride in the relationships I develop with each and every client I work with.
You completed a Bachelor of Education and Master of Special Education with a major in autism. Why did you focus on autism? How does this influence your work as a Positive Behaviour Support practitioner?
Autism is an incredibly complex diagnosis and I always wanted to be a strong advocate for those who might be struggling to understand how this was impacting their life choices and achievements.
As a behaviour support practitioner I have found that my knowledge of autism and my experience working in schools with many children and their families who have this diagnosis, has given me the confidence to provide a high level of support and successful outcomes for all my clients.
I am able to navigate the school system and help parents connect with the school support teams to gain the greatest outcomes for their child. It can be very overwhelming for families at times and I get my greatest rewards when I see them starting to see their child thriving and happy.
About Positive Behaviour Support and its impact
You have extensive experience supporting children and young people with autism. Can you share an example of how Positive Behaviour Support can improve the quality of life of a child diagnosed with autism?
When I join a team which is supporting a young person with autism, I often find everyone is in crisis and just need to be heard and supported in a kind and gentle way. The young person is often in burn out and is using very high level behaviours to communicate their needs.
It is at this point that as a Behaviour Support Practitioner I spend time with the child determining their unmet needs and then am able to work one on one with the parents to explain the “why” behind these often distressing behaviours they are seeing.
For example, a parent may be asking a child to unpack their bag as soon as they get home from school, at a time when the child has been subject to the demands of school all day. Their child may then be having a meltdown to avoid the demand. A change I would recommend trialling would be to have an afternoon routine which allows for food, regulating activities (exercise, music, drawing etc.) and some downtime to allow their nervous system to regulate.
We could try a visual chart on the wall and remind them that "it's okay to leave our bag unpacked until we are ready to do it later this afternoon. I will check in with you later to see if you are ready then". Later on, re-address the unpacking of the bag by saying, "It’s great that you are so relaxed now. I wonder if now is a good time to unpack our bag as we need to be organised for tomorrow. I'll go and check the chart to see what the jobs are to unpack our bag and it would be great if you can help me by being in charge of this job and showing me how we do it".
Once the parents understand the child is communicating their unmet needs and that their current ways of managing the child may not be meeting these, I start to be able to make the magic happen where I can build up the parent and support team’s skill set around powerful proactive strategies as well as reactive strategies that support and strengthen the child’s nervous system.
What about adults who have been diagnosed with autism — how can Positive Behaviour Support benefit them?
At times people will be diagnosed at a later age with autism and this can be very confronting and scary for them. A knowledgeable and caring behaviour support practitioner can help close the gap for these clients and immediately allay their fears of what the future will look like. This can be achieved through a structured and supportive approach to goal progression, as well as a focus on what is required for the person to experience understanding of their diagnoses, to enable skill development and increased independence.
When clients and their families or support teams gain the knowledge and understanding of how autism impacts how they think, feel and act, they begin to feel empowered and learn to self-advocate for their needs by communicating more effectively with the people and environments around them.
You’ve also supported children and young people with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and ADHD. Can you share an example of a behaviour of concern and how you could provide support as a behaviour support practitioner?
Often clients will have a diagnosis that includes being defiant, demand avoidant or hyperactive. These add a complexity to the way that the client will need to be communicated with, what demands can be placed on them and how well they can regulate their emotions.
In many cases I have met the supporting team/family of an individual with autism and they are at a loss as to what else to do to help the individual. They report feeling “stuck” and “out of strategies” to support them and the behaviour cycle is repeating over and over again.
There can often be more to their autism diagnosis that may not have been determined yet e.g. Pathological Demand Avoidance or a dual diagnosis of Oppositional Defiance Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Often, the lens through which the behaviour has been looked at is the belief that “the client is using the defiant/oppositional/distracted behaviours with intent and because they lack the will to do the right thing”. When I introduce changing that lens to viewing the behaviour as more of a “nervous system response” not as “intentional bad behaviour” I ask the team to focus on the belief that “the client is using the defiant/oppositional/distracted behaviours because they lack the skill to communicate their needs in any other way”.
Through this new lens, the team's understanding of the client’s behaviour increases and their confidence grows in choosing new and more effective strategies to support the individual. It is heartwarming and hugely rewarding to see families and teams have positive interactions and successful exchanges with the individual.
What other diagnoses have you worked with where Positive Behaviour Support has created an effective outcome?
I have worked with clients who have challenges with their emotional regulation, social interaction, communication or anger management. Individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, dementia or bipolar can be helped by the great relationships that are developed under the Positive Behaviour Support model.
Positive Behaviour Support in Chermside, QLD
Where do you provide Positive Behaviour Support in Brisbane?
My current area extends into North Brisbane including Chermside, Aspley, Zillmere, Banyo, Northgate, Wavell Heights and Nundah.
I can also travel to Inner Brisbane, including Highgate Hill, Kangaroo Point, New Farm, Newstead, Paddington, Red Hill, South Brisbane, Spring Hill, Teneriffe, West End, Woolloongabba, Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley.
I also support NDIS participants in Moreton Bay including Strathpine, Lawnton, Brendale, Albany Creek, Arana Hills, Kallangur, North Lakes, Joyner, Mango Hill and also sometimes up to the Sunshine Coast.
I work alongside the individual and their support team to identify goals and develop strategies to achieve greater wellbeing and quality of life. I take a holistic perspective, and a strengths-based, person-centred approach to Positive Behaviour Support.
As a behaviour support practitioner in North Brisbane, do you support NDIS participants with specific diagnoses or of specific age groups?
I support NDIS participants of all ages, with a focus on children and young adolescents diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, ODD, OCD and PDA. I also support participants of any age who have anxiety and mood related disorders, trauma, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. I take an open, creative and compassionate approach in my clinical practice which is person- centred and caring.
How to get started with Positive Behaviour Support in Chermside
How can NDIS participants in Chermside get started with Positive Behaviour Support?
If you live in Chermside, North Brisbane or surrounds, please make a referral for Positive Behaviour Support on our website. You can make a referral anytime or or a member of your support team can make a referral on your behalf.
If you have any questions about Positive Behaviour Support in Brisbane, please feel welcome to call our team on 1300 694 625 or send a message using our contact form.
Life in Chermside, Queensland
What do you love most about living in Brisbane’s northern suburbs?
The northern suburbs of Brisbane are a great place to live as you can get into Brisbane city in 15 minutes or jump on the motorway and be up in the Sunshine Coast in an hour. Chermside is a real hub of its own with a huge two storey shopping centre, movie theatres, and lots of pubs and restaurants to choose from. There is a real community feel with many local parks that you can walk through.
Can you tell us about accessible recreational activities or locations in or around Chermside?
If you are fearless and a real thrill seeker, you could come to Chermside to try Indoor Skydiving at the special centre set up just beside the Westfield Chermside shops. Maybe for less of an adrenaline rush, you may want to do Ten Pin Bowling for a fun morning out. For the kids there is a wonderful games arcade and sometimes there are indoor trampolines to try the latest tricks on. If you are a coffee lover or a real foodie, the upstairs at Westfield Chermside hosts a variety of cuisine, with a whole laneway of restaurants to wander down and try. Oh and don’t forget to have a gelati or ice cream at the famous Gelatissimo.
About Ability Consultants
Ability Consultants is a Registered NDIS Provider in Chermside, Queensland. We deliver Positive Behaviour Support throughout the Brisbane metropolitan area and regional Queensland including the Gold Coast, Ipswich, Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast, Central Queensland and Cairns.
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