A presentation has multiple possible contributors
Use an integrated formulation frame to organise hypotheses without prematurely privileging one domain.
Healthcare & allied health professionals
From presenting behaviour to integrated formulation.
Explore behaviour through the interaction of neurobiology, physiology, development, experience, relationships and context without collapsing complexity into a single explanation.
Start with the question or situation that brought you here. You can explore without having to know the explanation first.
Start with what is happening
What brought you here?
Behaviour changes substantially across contexts
Examine state, environment, relationships, demands and predictive context.
Regulation appears central to participation
Explore autonomic state, interoception, sensory processing and access to higher-order functions.
Standard strategies are not generalising
Revisit formulation, context and whether intervention assumptions match the person's current needs.
Different disciplines hold different pieces
Use a shared whole-person model while retaining profession-specific expertise.
I want deeper scientific material
Move from accessible synthesis into advanced neurobiological and developmental resources.
A way through
Understanding before intervention.
- 01
Understand
Look beneath what you can see and begin with the whole person.
- 02
Explore
Consider the systems, experiences and conditions that may matter.
- 03
Consider
Bring the pieces together without assuming one explanation is the answer.
- 04
Find a way forward
Use understanding to guide supportive next steps and useful resources.
Explore
What might be relevant?
Different domains can interact. These are places to explore, not conclusions about the person.
Neurobiology
Explore nervous-system organisation and mechanisms relevant to behaviour.
Body & physiology
Consider interoception, autonomic state, energy, sleep and other physiological contributors.
Development
Integrate developmental trajectories with current presentation and context.
Executive function
Examine access to inhibition, flexibility, planning and working memory.
Predictive experience
Consider prior experience, expectation, uncertainty and learning.
Contextual formulation
Bring domains together as revisable hypotheses rather than diagnostic conclusions.
The person
Consider
No single piece necessarily explains behaviour.
Understanding develops when we consider how different conditions may interact for this person, in this context, at this time.
Possible contributors are hypotheses to explore, not conclusions about the person.
Find a way forward
Resources to help you understand more.
Educational information
These resources can help deepen understanding of what may be worth considering. They do not determine why a particular person is behaving in a particular way and do not replace individual clinical assessment, diagnosis, medical advice, safeguarding or other appropriately qualified professional support.