Positive behaviour support (PBS) is a behaviour management system involving scientific, evidence-based practices. The aim of PBS is to address and prevent challenging or negative behaviour to improve the quality of an individual’s life, as well as their family members’. If you have a child or family member that experiences behavioural challenges, you may be interested in positive behaviour support services. Better understanding positive behaviour support and why challenging behaviour occurs can help you to decide if your child or family member would benefit from a PBS plan.
Keep reading for more information on positive behavioural support.
This article will outline everything you need to know about positive behaviour support, managing challenging behaviours, and working with PBS practitioners.
- Understanding Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
- What is Positive Behaviour Support NDIS?
- Who can write a positive behaviour support plan?
- AHP Disability and Home Care
Understanding Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
Positive behaviour support uses an individualised, person-centred approach to teach and encourage new behaviours. This approach is commonly used amongst children; however it can also be helpful for adolescents or adults experiencing difficult behaviour. PBS works by removing things that may trigger, reward, or encourage negative behaviour, and also provides the strategies required to learn new skills and behaviours to enact positive change.
PBS strongly reinforces patience and positivity – two principles that are essential when helping someone with a disability. Displaying behaviours of concern can be a sign that a person’s communication skills are limited, and they cannot properly express their needs or understand their environment. These challenges are often exacerbated when countered with intervention strategies that are not supportive or are not built around a framework for positive change.
Types of challenging behaviours
All types of behaviours occur for a reason and in an attempt to achieve a specific outcome. However, challenging behaviour can make everyday life more difficult for everyone involved. Challenging behaviour can appear in many different forms, such as aggression, disruptiveness, or appearing withdrawn. Addressing these behaviours with PBS can improve the quality of life for parents and carers, as well as the person experiencing problem behaviour.
Managing challenging behaviour
Whilst some people may attempt short-term solutions to address challenging behaviour, these interventions do not support the underlying issue. PBS provides effective tools and strategies to help manage negative behaviour.
What is Positive Behaviour Support NDIS?
The NDIS supports people with a disability to gain more time with family and friends, greater independence, access to new skills, jobs, or volunteering in their community, and an improved quality of life. Through providing access to positive behaviour support services, the NDIS can ensure all of a person’s needs are met and they are able to live a meaningful life.
For access to positive behaviour support services under a NDIS plan, funding must exist under ‘Improved Relationships’. Positive behaviour support aims to reduce and eliminate restrictive practices through the development and implementation of a behaviour support plan.
What are positive behaviour support plans?
Positive behaviour support plans, or PBS plans, are a tool used by support workers to help reduce difficult behaviour. This is achieved through the development of interventions that focus on strengthening and expanding positive behaviours. All PBS plans are unique and tailored to the specific circumstance of each individual.
Who needs a positive behaviour support plan?
Most behaviours stem from social interactions, imitation, or reinforcement. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may be more likely to engage in challenging behaviours due to these social learning processes, as well as their tendency to hyper-focus on specific environmental factors.
Many forms of intervention focus on using restrictive practice to eliminate negative behaviours; however the aim of PBS is to encourage replacing these behaviours with more positive ones instead. With PBS, one can reduce challenging behaviours and develop positive responses until they are no longer interfering with school, your home environment, or daily routine.
Who can Write a Positive Behaviour Support Plan?
A NDIS registered PBS practitioner works in conjunction with other clinicians to formulate a behaviour support plan. These plans include ongoing training and strategies to support a person with a disability, their family, and carers.
Positive behaviour support practitioners
Positive behaviour support practitioners are experts at using various techniques to promote positive behaviour and manage negative behaviour. PBS practitioners will perform a functional assessment and collect information on a person before creating a behaviour support plan. They work with not only the person themselves, but also their family, support workers, and carers to ensure they have the highest possible understanding of the behaviour.
AHP Disability and Home Care
Australian Health Professionals (AHP) Disability and Home Care is a nationally registered service provider in the NDIS and Aged Care sectors. We are proud to be your partner in care for all allied health needs. The AHP difference gives you the assurance that you will always receive reliable, experienced, and timely service.
AHP DHC offers supports in all states and territories and are proud to work with Australia’s best qualified allied health clinicians. At AHP Disability and Home Care, we have over 500 allied health clinicians working for us across a range of disciplines.
Are you looking for positive behaviour support services?
At AHP Disability and Home Care, our highly qualified positive behaviour support practitioners are well-equipped to assist with any and all of your needs.
Contact our friendly team on 1800 247 342 to learn more about our high-quality, evidence-based PBS services.
