Bianca likes listening to music and being gently tickled on her back. But in her daily life, this hardly ever happens anymore… Bianca has Cornelia de Lange Syndrome as well as Autism Spectrum Disorder. Because of this and the accompanying physical problems, her carers – ‘Team Bianca’ – find it increasingly difficult to meet her social and emotional needs. This results in ever worsening self-injurious behaviour, to the point that it is becoming life-threatening. As she also displays aggressive behaviour, it is hard to keep Team Bianca fully staffed. The team slowly falls apart and they are no longer able to work methodically.
Natascha Albers works at Vanboeijen and is Bianca’s behavioural specialist. She decides to join the CCE project ‘Self-injurious Behaviour Restrained’ in which an interdisciplinary team reassesses Bianca’s situation in order to find new ways to help her. It proved to be a challenging journey for all.
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