What is Positive Behaviour Support?
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is a person-centred, evidence-informed framework for understanding why behaviour occurs and developing supports that improve quality of life. Rather than focusing only on stopping a behaviour, PBS considers the person’s needs, communication, environment, relationships, strengths and circumstances, and uses this understanding to develop meaningful and practical support.
At the heart of PBS is a simple but important question: What is this behaviour telling us, and what can we change or teach so the person is better supported?
Positive Behaviour Support commonly brings together Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA), environmental and preventative strategies, communication and skill development, safe response strategies, and ongoing evaluation of whether the support is actually helping the person.
The Behaviour Help approach organises this process into three practical stages: Assess, Manage and Prevent.
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is a framework which has arisen from the field of behavioural science. Since its emergence, it has become a basis for providing individualised, evidence-based strategies to reduce behaviours of concern and increase socially relevant behaviours (Allen, 2009).
At the core of PBS is support that is person-centred, goal-focused and evidence-informed. The aim is broader than reducing behaviours of concern: PBS seeks to improve quality of life, increase meaningful participation, strengthen communication and skills, and address the factors contributing to behaviour.
PBS is the practical application of developing and delivering intervention which can demonstrate behavioural change in a data-driven manner; allowing for a real-time measurement of whether the chosen intervention is effective.
The impact of this is that ineffective interventions can be altered early in the intervention process and that it is clear when the intervention has been effective as targeted behavioural goals are reached.
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Although there can be differences between implementation of PBS, it is generally regarded that PBS approaches include a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA), environmental change, active teaching of new skills and ongoing evaluation of intervention effectiveness.
Effective PBS also considers communication, sensory experiences, health and wellbeing, relationships, routines, demands, autonomy, opportunities for choice and access to meaningful activities. Support should be based on the individual rather than a predetermined set of behavioural techniques.
Core Principles of Positive Behaviour Support
Person-centred – support is based on the individual’s needs, preferences, strengths, goals and circumstances.
Functional – behaviour is understood in context, including what may trigger it and what it may achieve, communicate or change for the person.
Proactive and preventative – the emphasis is on addressing needs and modifying relevant conditions before behaviour escalates.
Skills-focused – meaningful communication, coping, independence and other functionally relevant skills are supported where appropriate.
Evidence-informed – decisions are based on assessment information and data rather than assumptions.
Quality-of-life focused – success is broader than reducing behaviours of concern and includes meaningful participation, relationships, autonomy and wellbeing.
Least restrictive – support should prioritise proactive, respectful and less restrictive approaches.
The Positive Behaviour Support framework is split into three key stages: assess, manage and prevent. Let’s look at each step in detail:
Stage 1: Assess
ABC Data: Antecedent, Behaviour and Consequence
An integral part of PBS is the recording of direct observations of behaviour into a three-term contingency framework commonly referred to as the ABCs of behaviour (Cooper et al., 2007).
Antecedent refers to what happened immediately before the behaviour.
Behaviour refers to direct observations of the behaviour itself.
Consequence refers to what happened immediately after the behaviour occurred.
ABC recording can contribute valuable information to a Functional Behaviour Assessment. Repeated observations may help identify patterns in what tends to happen before and after a behaviour. However, a single ABC record does not establish why a behaviour occurs, and the consequence that follows a behaviour should not automatically be assumed to be its function. ABC data should be considered alongside the wider assessment information.
Functions of Behaviour: Understanding Why Behaviour Occurs
Functional Behaviour Assessments (FBA) allow for a hypothesis to be made regarding the reasons for, or function of, the behaviour being observed (Cooper et al., 2007).
In Functional Behaviour Assessment, the function of behaviour refers to what the behaviour may help a person obtain, avoid, communicate, regulate or change.
Traditional behavioural frameworks commonly describe four broad functions of behaviour:
Social attention or connection – behaviour may result in interaction, reassurance, assistance or engagement from another person.
Access to tangible items or activities – behaviour may contribute to gaining or maintaining access to a preferred item, activity or experience.
Escape or avoidance – behaviour may help a person stop, delay, reduce or avoid a demand, activity, interaction or situation.
Sensory or automatic reinforcement – the behaviour itself may provide sensory input, regulation or another internally reinforcing outcome.
These categories can be useful when examining behavioural patterns, but they should not be treated as four boxes into which every behaviour must fit. Human behaviour is more complex.
Behaviour Is More Complex Than Four Categories
Behaviour occurs within a person’s broader communication, sensory, emotional, physical, relational, environmental and life context. A behaviour may communicate pain, confusion, distress, sensory overload, a need for assistance, a desire for connection, a need for predictability, or difficulty coping with an activity or environment.
The same observable behaviour can have different functions in different situations, and a behaviour may have more than one function. Practitioners should therefore avoid deciding on function simply from what the behaviour looks like.
Trigger vs Function: What Is the Difference?
A trigger or antecedent is something that happens before a behaviour and may increase the likelihood of it occurring. The function describes what the behaviour appears to achieve, communicate or change for the person.
For example, being presented with a difficult task may be an antecedent or trigger. Obtaining assistance, communicating difficulty or gaining a temporary break from the task may be the hypothesised function.
From Behaviour Patterns to a Functional Behaviour Hypothesis
Once information has been gathered, practitioners examine patterns across the available evidence and develop a functional behaviour hypothesis. This is a proposed explanation of when the behaviour is more likely to occur, what tends to happen before and after it, and what the behaviour may achieve or communicate for the person.
A functional hypothesis is not a fact or diagnosis. Its wording should reflect the strength of the evidence. Where information is limited, language such as “may”, “appears to” or “the available information suggests” is more appropriate than making a definitive claim.
Stage 2: Manage
Integral to the implementation of PBS in practice is the formation of a Positive Behaviour Support Plan. As PBS exists within a multicomponent framework, so must the PBS plan (Dunlap & Carr, 2007; LaVigna & Willis, 1992).
In developing a PBS plan, the data collected as part of the functional assessment of behaviour is utilised to create a structure for targeted behavioural intervention (Luiselli et al., 2005).
A Positive Behaviour Support Plan should translate the findings of the Functional Behaviour Assessment into practical, individualised guidance. Strategies should have a clear rationale and relate to the person’s assessed needs, circumstances and functional hypothesis.
Depending on the person’s needs, a comprehensive plan may include:
- a clear description of behaviours of concern and associated risks
- the person’s strengths, preferences, communication and support needs
- relevant setting events, triggers and contributing factors
- the functional behaviour hypothesis
- quality-of-life and behaviour support goals
- proactive and preventative strategies
- communication and skill-development strategies
- guidance for responding safely at different stages of escalation
- monitoring and review arrangements
- where relevant, strategies to reduce and eliminate restrictive practices
The behaviour escalation cycle can be used to aid understanding of the manner in which behaviour may escalate.
Not every person follows a fixed escalation sequence. Any escalation framework should reflect the individual rather than being imposed as a universal pattern. Its purpose is to help supporters recognise early indicators, adjust their response, reduce relevant pressures where appropriate, prioritise safety and support recovery.
Stage 3: Prevent
Proactive and Preventative Positive Behaviour Support
A central aim of PBS is to reduce the likelihood that behaviours of concern are needed in the first place. Prevention therefore focuses on changing relevant conditions around the person and increasing access to effective communication, support and meaningful participation.
Depending on the assessment findings, preventative support might involve:
Supportive Environments – making the environment more predictable, accessible or comfortable, and supporting sensory and emotional regulation where these relate to environmental conditions. This may include visual schedules (Schneider & Goldstein, 2010) and the removal or minimisation of situational and environmental triggers.
Supportive Activities – adjusting demands or the way activities are presented, providing meaningful activities and opportunities for connection, and supporting participation in ways that reflect the person’s needs and preferences.
Supportive Interactions – supporting communication and ways to request help, a break, more information or a change, and ensuring supporters understand the person and respond consistently. This may include visual communication strategies (Bondy & Frost, 2011), social stories (Scattone et al., 2002) and comic strip conversations (Gray, 1994), alongside proactive emotional regulation strategies (Barnes et al., 2008).
Choice, control and autonomy – increasing opportunities for choice, control and autonomy.
Skill development – teaching relevant skills where this is meaningful and appropriate, such as teaching of new skills with a social emphasis (Lewis et al., 2002).
Specific strategies should be selected because they are supported by the individual assessment, not simply because they are commonly used in behaviour support.
Preventative support should not require a person to tolerate avoidable distress, sensory discomfort or unnecessary demands merely to reduce the appearance of behaviour. Where the environment can reasonably be adapted to better meet the person’s needs, environmental accommodation may be an important part of PBS.
How Do We Know Whether Positive Behaviour Support Is Working?
Positive Behaviour Support should be monitored and reviewed. Behaviour data can be useful, but outcomes should not be limited to counting behaviours of concern.
Depending on the person and their goals, meaningful outcomes may also include improved communication, participation, relationships, independence, access to preferred activities, emotional wellbeing, safety, choice and quality of life.
If strategies are not effective, the assessment and support plan should be reviewed rather than assuming that the person has failed to respond to the intervention.
Complete FBA and PBS in the Behaviour Help App
The Behaviour Help App provides a structured online platform for Functional Behaviour Assessment and Positive Behaviour Support, helping practitioners bring assessment information, behaviour data and relevant evidence together in one place.
Practitioners can use the platform to organise information about behaviours of concern, setting events, antecedents, consequences and behavioural patterns; develop an evidence-informed functional behaviour hypothesis; and use the assessment findings to inform individualised Positive Behaviour Support strategies.
Rather than working across separate Word documents, spreadsheets, forms and other systems, the Behaviour Help App supports the Assess, Manage and Prevent workflow within one platform.
The online Functional Behaviour Assessment template guides practitioners through the assessment process. Once the FBA is completed, it can be generated and downloaded as a professional Word or PDF FBA report.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Positive Behaviour Support?
Positive Behaviour Support is a person-centred, evidence-informed framework for understanding why behaviour occurs and developing individualised strategies that improve quality of life, address contributing factors, support meaningful skills and reduce behaviours of concern.
What are the four functions of behaviour?
Traditional behavioural frameworks commonly describe four broad functions: social attention, access to tangible items or activities, escape or avoidance, and sensory or automatic reinforcement. These are useful analytical categories, but behaviour should always be understood within the person’s wider context.
Can behaviour have more than one function?
Yes. The same behaviour may serve more than one function, and its function may differ depending on the context.
What is the difference between a trigger and a function of behaviour?
A trigger or antecedent occurs before the behaviour and may increase its likelihood. The function describes what the behaviour may achieve, communicate or change for the person.
What is a Functional Behaviour Assessment?
An FBA is a systematic process of gathering and analysing information to understand the circumstances associated with a behaviour and develop a hypothesis about why it may be occurring.
What is a functional behaviour hypothesis?
A functional behaviour hypothesis is an evidence-informed proposed explanation of the relationship between relevant context, antecedents, behaviour, consequences and the likely function of the behaviour.
How does the Behaviour Help App support FBA and PBS?
The Behaviour Help App provides a structured online process for organising assessment information, analysing behavioural patterns, developing the FBA and functional hypothesis, and supporting the broader Positive Behaviour Support workflow. A completed FBA can be generated and downloaded as a Word or PDF report.
Summary
Positive Behaviour Support is ultimately about understanding the person, not simply changing their behaviour. Behaviours of concern occur within a context and may communicate or achieve something important for the individual.
By combining Functional Behaviour Assessment with person-centred, proactive and evidence-informed support, PBS can help identify what needs to change around the person, what skills or communication may be useful to develop, how supporters can respond safely and consistently, and how the person’s quality of life can be improved.
The goal is not merely fewer behaviours of concern. The goal is better understanding, better support and better outcomes for the person.