Why Positive Behaviour Support Strategies Matter

Behaviour can communicate important information about what a person needs, wants, experiences or is trying to achieve.

Someone may use behaviour to:
  • Communicate discomfort
  • Escape or avoid an overwhelming situation
  • Access something important to them
  • Seek interaction
  • Communicate that they need help
  • Respond to sensory experiences
  • Cope with uncertainty
  • Respond to demands
  • Communicate pain or distress
  • Regulate themselves
  • Gain greater control or predictability
This means that simply trying to stop a behaviour may not address why it is occurring.

Positive Behaviour Support strategies instead aim to understand the factors influencing behaviour and develop supports that may:
  • Reduce distress
  • Improve communication
  • Increase choice and control
  • Develop meaningful skills
  • Support emotional regulation
  • Improve participation
  • Increase independence
  • Strengthen relationships
  • Improve safety
  • Improve quality of life

The goal is not simply to produce "good behaviour".
The goal is to better understand and support the person.
Positive Behaviour Support Strategies Are Individualised

There is no universal list of PBS strategies that works for everyone.

Two people may display what appears to be the same behaviour for completely different reasons.

For example, two children might both leave a classroom.
  • One child may leave because the environment is too noisy.
  • Another may leave because the schoolwork is too difficult and they do not know how to ask for help.

The behaviour looks similar, but the strategies required could be very different.
  • For the first child, support might involve environmental or sensory adjustments.
  • For the second, support might involve adapting the task and teaching a reliable way to request help.

This is why effective Positive Behaviour Support is based on understanding the individual and the function and context of their behaviour, rather than selecting a strategy simply because it worked for someone else.
Understanding the Function of Behaviour

The function of behaviour refers to what the behaviour may help a person achieve, access, avoid or communicate.

Depending on the individual and circumstances, behaviour may relate to:
  • Accessing an activity or item
  • Avoiding or escaping a situation
  • Gaining interaction or support
  • Communicating a need
  • Managing sensory experiences
  • Reducing demands
  • Seeking predictability
  • Communicating discomfort or distress
  • Meeting another individual need
The same behaviour can have different functions in different situations.

Similarly, one person may use several different behaviours that serve the same function.

A Functional Behaviour Assessment can help develop a more detailed understanding of why behaviours of concern may be occurring and inform individualised strategies.

The Three Main Types of Positive Behaviour Support Strategies

PBS strategies can broadly include proactive strategies, skill-building strategies and reactive strategies.
These approaches work together rather than operating as completely separate interventions.
1. Proactive Strategies

Proactive strategies are supports used before behaviour occurs.

They aim to make environments, activities, communication and expectations more supportive and reduce factors that may contribute to distress or behaviours of concern.

Examples may include:
  • Visual schedules
  • Predictable routines
  • Preparing for transitions
  • Offering meaningful choices
  • Reducing unnecessary environmental stressors
  • Supporting communication
  • Appropriate sensory supports
  • Clear expectations
  • Adjusting demands
  • Providing opportunities for breaks
  • Increasing access to meaningful activities
  • Preparing for changes
  • Increasing predictability
  • Changing how instructions are presented

Proactive strategies are a core component of Positive Behaviour Support because they focus on changing the conditions surrounding behaviour rather than waiting for distress to occur
2. Skill-Building Strategies

Skill-building strategies support people to develop alternative and meaningful ways to communicate, participate and meet their needs.

Depending on the person, this might include developing:
  • Communication skills
  • Emotional regulation skills
  • Problem-solving
  • Coping strategies
  • Social interaction skills
  • Daily living skills
  • Self-advocacy
  • Choice-making
  • Transition skills
  • Ways to request assistance
  • Ways to request a break
  • Independence skills
Importantly, Positive Behaviour Support does not assume that the individual is always the person who needs to change.

Sometimes the most appropriate intervention is changing the environment, expectations, communication or behaviour of the people providing support.

Often, effective support involves both.
3. Reactive Strategies

Reactive strategies guide how people should respond when behaviour or significant distress is already occurring.
Their purpose is not punishment.

The focus is on safety, dignity, reducing unnecessary escalation and supporting recovery.

Depending on the individual's needs and Behaviour Support Plan, strategies may include:
  • Remaining calm
  • Reducing unnecessary communication
  • Reducing demands
  • Using clear and familiar language
  • Allowing appropriate space
  • Reducing environmental stimulation
  • Following agreed response strategies
  • Supporting access to established regulation strategies
  • Prioritising immediate safety
  • Allowing sufficient recovery time
Reactive strategies should be individualised rather than relying on a generic response to behaviour.
Proactive Positive Behaviour Support Strategies

Proactive support is much broader than preventing a behaviour.

It involves asking:
"What can we change before this becomes difficult for the person?"

This might involve changing:
  • The environment
  • Communication
  • Expectations
  • Routines
  • Activities
  • Timing
  • Sensory demands
  • Access to choice
  • The amount of support provided
  • How other people interact with the person
The aim is to create conditions that make successful participation more achievable.
Environmental Strategies

Sometimes the environment is contributing to distress or making participation unnecessarily difficult.
Environmental strategies might include:
  • Reducing noise
  • Adjusting lighting
  • Providing access to quieter spaces
  • Changing physical layout
  • Reducing crowding
  • Adjusting activity length
  • Changing where an activity occurs
  • Providing additional processing time
  • Reducing unnecessary waiting
  • Changing the timing of activities
  • Adjusting demands
  • Providing access to breaks
Environmental modification can be particularly important because it moves away from assuming the person must always adapt to an environment that does not meet their needs.
Communication Strategies

Behaviour can sometimes occur when a person has difficulty communicating what they need.
Positive Behaviour Support may therefore focus on making communication easier and more reliable.

Depending on the individual, communication strategies might support the person to communicate:
  • "Help"
  • "Stop"
  • "Break"
  • "More"
  • "Finished"
  • "Not yet"
  • "I don't understand"
  • "Too loud"
  • "I don't want that"
  • "Something hurts"
  • A choice or preference

Communication might involve:
  • Speech
  • Gestures
  • Visual supports
  • Communication boards
  • Symbols
  • Key word signing
  • Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
  • Other communication methods appropriate to the person

Where appropriate, Behaviour Support Practitioners may collaborate with Speech Pathologists and other members of the participant's support team.
Functional Communication Training

Functional Communication Training (FCT) involves teaching a person a more effective communication response that serves the same or a similar function as a behaviour of concern.

For example, if a child regularly becomes highly distressed when tasks become difficult because they cannot communicate that they need assistance, support may involve teaching a reliable way to request:
"Help."

If someone uses behaviour to escape an overwhelming situation, they may be supported to communicate:
"I need a break."

The communication response needs to be accessible and meaningful for the individual.

Simply teaching someone words or symbols is unlikely to be effective if communicating them does not reliably result in an appropriate response from the people around them.
Choice and Control

Having limited control over everyday life can contribute to frustration and distress.

Meaningful choices can therefore form an important part of Positive Behaviour Support.

Examples might include choosing:
  • Which activity to complete first
  • What to wear
  • Where to sit
  • What to eat from available options
  • Which preferred activity to access
  • When to take an appropriate break
  • How to participate in an activity
  • Who supports them where choices are available

Choice should be genuine rather than tokenistic.
Offering:
"Would you like to do this now or in five minutes?"
provides more meaningful control than:
"Do you want to do this?"
when "no" is not actually an available option.
Predictability and Routine

For some people, uncertainty can contribute significantly to distress.
Strategies that increase predictability may include:
  • Visual schedules
  • Calendars
  • First-then supports
  • Countdown timers
  • Transition warnings
  • Written schedules
  • Social or visual information
  • Advance notice of changes
  • Consistent routines
  • Clear beginnings and endings to activities
Predictability does not mean that life must never change.

Support can also involve helping the person gradually develop strategies for coping with unavoidable changes in ways appropriate to their individual needs.
Transition Strategies

Transitions can be difficult when a person:
  • Does not know what is happening next
  • Is highly engaged in their current activity
  • Has difficulty shifting attention
  • Needs additional processing time
  • Is anxious about the next activity
  • Experiences changes in sensory demands
  • Has difficulty understanding time

Strategies might include:
  • Advance warnings
  • Visual countdowns
  • Timers
  • First-then supports
  • Showing what happens next
  • Providing additional processing time
  • Using consistent transition cues
  • Offering meaningful choices
  • Making the next activity more predictable
The reason the transition is difficult should guide the strategy.
Sensory and Regulation Supports

Sensory experiences can influence participation and emotional regulation for some people.
Relevant factors may include:
  • Noise
  • Lighting
  • Touch
  • Movement
  • Crowds
  • Temperature
  • Smells
  • Clothing
  • Physical environment
Strategies might involve adjusting the environment, reducing unnecessary sensory demands or providing access to regulation opportunities that are appropriate for the individual.

Sensory strategies should not automatically be prescribed simply because someone has a particular diagnosis.

Where sensory processing significantly affects everyday functioning, collaboration with an Occupational Therapist may also be appropriate.
Learn More about ​ Sensory Profile & Sensory Processing Assessments
Emotional Regulation Strategies

Emotional regulation strategies can form part of a broader Positive Behaviour Support approach.
Depending on the individual, support might include:
  • Recognising early signs of distress
  • Developing emotional awareness
  • Co-regulation
  • Communicating the need for help
  • Requesting a break
  • Adjusting environmental demands
  • Increasing predictability
  • Individual regulation strategies
  • Problem-solving
  • Recovery strategies
Emotional regulation support should not simply involve telling someone to "calm down".
It requires understanding what contributes to distress and what helps that particular person regulate.

Explore Positive Behaviour Support for Emotional Regulation for a more detailed guide to emotional dysregulation, co-regulation, escalation and individualised support.

Parents can also explore our Emotional Regulation Strategies for Children
Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement occurs when something meaningful follows a behaviour and increases the likelihood of that behaviour occurring again.
Reinforcement is not simply giving someone rewards.

What is reinforcing depends on the individual.
Examples could include:
  • Social interaction
  • Access to a preferred activity
  • Choice
  • Acknowledgement
  • A break
  • Access to an item
  • Another personally meaningful outcome

For reinforcement to be useful, practitioners need to consider what is genuinely meaningful to the person, rather than assuming everyone is motivated by praise, stickers or reward charts.
Teaching Replacement Skills

When a behaviour serves an important function, simply trying to remove the behaviour can leave the person's underlying need unmet.
Positive Behaviour Support can therefore involve developing alternative or functionally equivalent skills.

For example:
  • Instead of throwing work materials when a task becomes overwhelming, someone might learn to request help or a break.
  • Instead of leaving without communicating, someone might learn to indicate "I need space."
  • Instead of escalating when they do not understand what is happening, someone might learn to ask "What's next?"

The replacement skill needs to be realistic, accessible and effective enough to meet the person's need.

Top 10 Examples of Positive Behaviour Support Strategies

1. Visual Schedules
Visual schedules can help some people understand what is happening and what comes next, increasing predictability.

2. Meaningful Choice
Providing genuine choices can increase autonomy and reduce frustration associated with having little control.

3. Communication Supports
Supporting someone to request help, breaks, items, activities or other needs can reduce reliance on behaviour as a primary means of communication.

4. Emotional Regulation Support
Individualised regulation and co-regulation strategies can help people recognise and respond to increasing distress.

5. Environmental Modification
Changing noise, lighting, demands, timing, layout or other environmental factors can make participation easier.

6. Transition Support
Advance warning, visual information, timers and predictable cues can help some people prepare for changes between activities.

7. Positive Reinforcement
Meaningful reinforcement can strengthen newly developing skills and behaviours.

8. Sensory and Regulation Supports
Appropriate environmental and sensory adjustments can help reduce unnecessary sensory demands.

9. Functional Communication
Teaching effective ways to request help, breaks, attention, activities or other needs can provide alternatives to behaviours of concern.

10. Predictable Routines
Predictable routines can reduce uncertainty and help some people understand what is expected.

These are examples, not a prescription. The appropriate strategies depend on the individual and what assessment identifies.
Examples of Positive Behaviour Support Strategies at Home

PBS strategies can support everyday routines, communication, relationships and participation at home.
Examples might include:
  • Visual morning and evening routines
  • First-then supports
  • Choice boards
  • Predictable mealtimes
  • Transition warnings
  • Communication supports
  • Appropriate regulation spaces
  • Adjusting difficult routines
  • Supporting requests for breaks
  • Reinforcing newly developed skills
The goal is not to turn the home into a therapy environment.

Strategies should be practical enough to fit into everyday family life.

Parents may also find our Behaviour Management Tips for Parents useful.
Examples of Positive Behaviour Support Strategies at School

School environments can involve complex academic, social, sensory and communication demands.
Depending on the child and the reasons behaviour is occurring, strategies might include:
  • Structured classroom routines
  • Visual supports
  • Clear instructions
  • Breaking tasks into manageable steps
  • Appropriate sensory or movement breaks
  • Transition preparation
  • Communication supports
  • Meaningful choice
  • Adjusting task demands
  • Teaching ways to request assistance
  • Individualised reinforcement
  • Consistent Behaviour Support strategies

Where appropriate and with consent, Behaviour Support Practitioners can collaborate with families, teachers, education assistants and other professionals to improve consistency between environments.
Positive Behaviour Support Strategies for Children

PBS for children focuses on understanding the child's behaviour within the context of their development, communication, family, school and everyday environments.

Strategies may involve:
  • Parent and carer collaboration
  • Communication supports
  • Visual routines
  • Emotional regulation strategies
  • Environmental adjustments
  • Transition support
  • Skill development
  • School collaboration
  • Increasing choice
  • Developing independence

Parents and carers may also find these resources helpful:
Explore Positive Behaviour Support for Children
Positive Behaviour Support Strategies for Teenagers

As young people become more independent, Behaviour Support should increasingly reflect their own:
  • Goals
  • Preferences
  • Relationships
  • Identity
  • Communication
  • Environments
  • Responsibilities
  • Choice and control

Strategies might support:
  • Emotional regulation
  • Communication
  • Managing transitions
  • Increasing independence
  • Community participation
  • School participation
  • Relationships
  • Problem-solving
  • Self-advocacy
  • Coping with changing expectations
Strategies should respect the teenager's developing autonomy rather than treating them as a younger child.
Explore Positive Behaviour Support for Teens and Adults
Positive Behaviour Support Strategies for Adults

PBS for adults can support participation across:
  • Home
  • Relationships
  • Employment
  • Volunteering
  • Community activities
  • Supported accommodation
  • Daily living
  • Recreation

Strategies may focus on:
  • Communication
  • Choice and control
  • Emotional regulation
  • Environmental modifications
  • Developing independence
  • Building meaningful routines
  • Supporting relationships
  • Community participation
  • Reducing behaviours that create risk
The adult's rights, preferences, dignity and autonomy should remain central to support.
Explore Positive Behaviour Support for Teens and Adults
Positive Behaviour Support Strategies for Autism

Autistic people may experience environments, communication and sensory information differently.

Depending on the individual, strategies may include:
  • Supporting communication
  • Increasing predictability
  • Understanding sensory needs
  • Supporting emotional regulation
  • Preparing for transitions
  • Providing processing time
  • Increasing choice and control
  • Environmental adjustments
  • Developing meaningful communication and self-advocacy skills

Positive Behaviour Support should not aim to suppress harmless autistic characteristics or make someone appear less autistic.
Support should focus on the individual's quality of life, participation, communication, autonomy and needs.

Explore Positive Behaviour Support for Autism
Positive Behaviour Support Strategies for ADHD

People with ADHD may benefit from strategies relating to:
  • Attention
  • Organisation
  • Emotional regulation
  • Executive functioning
  • Impulse control
  • Transitions
  • Daily routines
  • Managing demands

Depending on the individual, examples might include:
  • Visual reminders
  • Timers
  • Breaking tasks into manageable steps
  • Movement opportunities
  • Predictable routines
  • Reduced cognitive load
  • Transition preparation
  • Environmental modifications
  • Emotional regulation strategies
Behaviour should not simply be attributed to ADHD.
PBS considers the individual circumstances and function of behaviour.

Explore Positive Behaviour Support for ADHD
Positive Behaviour Support Strategies for Older Adults

Older adults may experience changes in:
  • Health
  • Communication
  • Cognition
  • Mobility
  • Environment
  • Routine
  • Relationships
  • Support arrangements
Strategies should reflect the person's individual circumstances and maintain dignity, choice and meaningful participation.

Depending on the person, strategies may include:
  • Familiar routines
  • Communication adjustments
  • Environmental modifications
  • Meaningful activities
  • Increased predictability
  • Visual or environmental cues
  • Supporting choice
  • Reducing unnecessary demands
  • Consistency between supporters

Explore Positive Behaviour Support for Older Adults
Positive Behaviour Support Strategies for Dementia

Where a person with dementia experiences changes in behaviour, it is important not to assume that every behaviour is simply caused by dementia.
Factors such as:
  • Pain
  • Communication
  • Unmet needs
  • Changes in environment
  • Fatigue
  • Sensory experiences
  • Confusion
  • Relationships
  • Routine
  • Physical health
may all be relevant.

Support might involve simplifying communication, increasing familiarity and predictability, modifying environments, supporting meaningful activity and working collaboratively with family, carers and health professionals.

Explore Positive Behaviour Support for Dementia
Positive Behaviour Support in SIL and Supported Accommodation

Participants living in Supported Independent Living (SIL) or other supported accommodation may receive support from multiple workers across the week.
Consistency can therefore be particularly important.
Strategies might involve:
  • Consistent communication
  • Predictable routines
  • Recognising early signs of distress
  • Supporting meaningful choice
  • Clear guidance for supporters
  • Environmental modifications
  • Skill development
  • Consistent responses during escalation
  • Recovery strategies
  • Data collection where appropriate
Implementation support can help staff understand why a strategy is being used, rather than simply asking them to follow instructions.
Explore SIL Assessment Behaviour Support
Positive Behaviour Support Strategies in the Community

Behaviour Support strategies can also help people participate in community environments such as:
  • Shopping centres
  • Recreation
  • Public transport
  • Appointments
  • Social activities
  • Community groups
  • Employment
  • Volunteering

Strategies might involve:
  • Preparing for unfamiliar environments
  • Planning transport and transitions
  • Communication supports
  • Identifying quieter times
  • Developing ways to request breaks
  • Gradually developing relevant skills
  • Increasing predictability
  • Planning for situations that may be difficult

The aim is to support meaningful participation, not simply exposure to environments the person finds distressing.

Real-Life Examples of Positive Behaviour Support Strategies

The following examples demonstrate why strategies need to reflect the reason behind behaviour.
They are examples only and are not individual Behaviour Support recommendations.
Example 1 - Child Becoming Distressed During Transitions

A child regularly becomes distressed when a preferred activity ends.
Rather than assuming the child is refusing to cooperate, assessment may explore whether the child:
  • Understands what is happening next
  • Has enough warning
  • Understands concepts of time
  • Is anxious about the next activity
  • Is losing access to something particularly important
  • Has difficulty shifting attention
  • Can communicate that they need more time

Possible proactive strategies might include:
  • Visual schedule
  • Advance warning
  • Countdown
  • Predictable transition cue
  • Showing what happens next
  • Meaningful choice where possible

Skill-building might include learning to communicate:
"More time."
or:
"What's next?"
The appropriate response depends on what is actually influencing the behaviour.
Example 2 - Child Leaving a Noisy Classroom

A child repeatedly leaves the classroom during group activities.
Rather than simply developing a strategy to prevent the child leaving, assessment may consider whether:
  • Noise is overwhelming
  • The activity is difficult
  • Communication demands are high
  • The child needs movement
  • The child does not understand the activity
  • Leaving provides access to a preferred environment

​Depending on the findings, strategies might include:
  • Environmental adjustments
  • Communication support
  • Access to planned breaks
  • Task modification
  • Gradually developing participation
  • Teaching the child to request a quieter environment
Example 3 - Person Becoming Distressed When They Cannot Communicate

A person becomes increasingly distressed when supporters do not understand what they want.
Strategies might focus on:
  • Identifying what the person is trying to communicate
  • Developing an accessible communication system
  • Training supporters to recognise communication attempts
  • Teaching ways to request help or clarification
  • Ensuring communication is responded to consistently
The goal is not simply to reduce distress.
It is to give the person a more effective way to be understood.
Example 4 - Adult Becoming Overwhelmed by Unexpected Changes

An adult becomes highly distressed when their usual routine changes unexpectedly.
Assessment may explore:
  • How changes are currently communicated
  • How much notice is provided
  • Whether alternative plans are clear
  • Communication and processing needs
  • Previous experiences
  • What aspects of the change are particularly difficult

​Strategies might include:
  • Advance information where possible
  • Visual or written information
  • Clear alternative plans
  • Increased choice
  • Developing coping strategies for unavoidable changes
  • Supporting communication during uncertainty
Example 5 - Older Adult Experiencing Changes in Behaviour

An older adult begins becoming distressed during evening routines.
Rather than assuming the behaviour is simply related to age or diagnosis, assessment might consider:
  • Pain or discomfort
  • Fatigue
  • Communication
  • Environmental changes
  • Lighting
  • Noise
  • Changes in staff
  • Routine
  • Health
  • Meaningful activity
Strategies should then reflect what assessment identifies.
Why Generic Behaviour Strategies Sometimes Don't Work

A strategy can appear sensible but still fail.
This can happen when:
  • The strategy does not address the function of behaviour
  • The person does not understand it
  • The strategy requires skills the person does not yet have
  • Communication is inaccessible
  • The environment remains overwhelming
  • The strategy is implemented inconsistently
  • Supporters respond differently
  • The strategy removes something important without providing an alternative
  • The strategy is too difficult to use in everyday life
  • Circumstances have changed
  • The underlying hypothesis about behaviour is incorrect

When strategies are not working, the answer should not automatically be:
"Try harder."
It may mean the strategy or understanding of the behaviour needs to be reviewed.
Functional Behaviour Assessment and Strategy Development

When behaviours of concern are complex, frequent or significantly affecting a person's life, a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA) may help guide strategy development.
An FBA may consider:
  • What happens before behaviour
  • What the behaviour looks like
  • What happens afterwards
  • Where behaviour occurs
  • Where it does not occur
  • Communication
  • Environmental factors
  • Setting events
  • Possible functions of behaviour
  • Strengths
  • Existing skills
  • Existing supports
This information helps practitioners develop strategies based on assessment rather than assumptions.
Using the ABC Model to Understand Behaviour

One method used to gather information about behaviour is the ABC model:

A - Antecedent
What happened before the behaviour?

B - Behaviour
What did the behaviour actually look like?

C - Consequence
What happened immediately after the behaviour?

For example:
Antecedent: A difficult task is presented.
Behaviour: The person pushes the task away and leaves.
Consequence: The task is removed.

​Repeated observations may help identify patterns.

However, ABC information is one source of assessment information. It should not be treated as a complete explanation of behaviour by itself.
Behaviour Support Plans and PBS Strategies

Assessment findings can inform an individualised Behaviour Support Plan.
Depending on the participant's needs, a plan may document:
  • Strengths and goals
  • Behaviours of concern
  • Factors influencing behaviour
  • Communication needs
  • Early warning signs
  • Proactive strategies
  • Environmental strategies
  • Skill-building strategies
  • Response strategies
  • Recovery strategies
  • Roles of supporters
  • Monitoring and review
The purpose is to give the participant and their support network a consistent, practical framework for support.
Learn more about NDIS Behaviour Support Plans
How Positive Behaviour Support Strategies Are Chosen

Effective strategies are based on the individual rather than a diagnosis or generic behaviour category.
A Behaviour Support Practitioner may consider:
  • Strengths
  • Goals
  • Preferences
  • Communication
  • Behaviour patterns
  • Possible function of behaviour
  • Emotional regulation
  • Sensory needs
  • Physical health factors
  • Environmental influences
  • Relationships
  • Daily routines
  • Existing skills
  • Existing supports
  • What is important to the person
Where appropriate, information may be gathered through a Functional Behaviour Assessment and used to develop or update a Behaviour Support Plan.
How PBS Strategies Are Monitored and Reviewed

Positive Behaviour Support is an ongoing process.

Strategies may need to change as:
  • The person develops new skills
  • Goals change
  • Environments change
  • Support teams change
  • Behaviour changes
  • New information becomes available
  • Strategies prove ineffective
  • The person's circumstances change

Monitoring might consider:
  • Whether behaviours of concern are changing
  • Whether the person's quality of life is improving
  • Whether new skills are developing
  • Whether participation is increasing
  • Whether strategies are practical
  • Whether supporters can implement them consistently
  • Whether unintended effects are occurring

A strategy should not continue indefinitely simply because it was written into a plan.
What Positive Behaviour Support Strategies Are Not

Positive Behaviour Support is not based on:
  • Punishment
  • Humiliation
  • Blame
  • Forcing compliance for its own sake
  • Removing a person's rights
  • Ignoring communication
  • Treating every person with the same diagnosis in the same way
  • Using restrictive practices as ordinary behaviour-management strategies

​PBS instead focuses on:
  • Understanding behaviour
  • Respecting individual rights and dignity
  • Increasing choice and control
  • Improving communication
  • Changing environments where needed
  • Developing meaningful skills
  • Supporting participation
  • Improving quality of life
Positive Behaviour Support and Restrictive Practices

A restrictive practice is not simply another PBS strategy.

Under the NDIS, particular practices that restrict a person's rights or freedom of movement are regulated and subject to specific safeguards and requirements.

Regulated restrictive practices include:
  • Seclusion
  • Chemical restraint
  • Mechanical restraint
  • Physical restraint
  • Environmental restraint
Positive Behaviour Support seeks to develop proactive, person-centred alternatives and support the reduction and elimination of restrictive practices.

Where restrictive practices are involved, specific Behaviour Support Plan, reporting and authorisation requirements may apply.
NDIS Positive Behaviour Support Strategies

For NDIS participants accessing specialist behaviour support, strategies may form part of a broader Behaviour Support process that includes:
  • Behaviour Support assessment
  • Functional Behaviour Assessment
  • Behaviour Support Plan development
  • Strategy development
  • Implementation support
  • Participant and family consultation
  • Support team consultation
  • Monitoring
  • Review
  • Restrictive practice reduction where relevant
The exact support required depends on the participant's circumstances.

Learn more about Positive Behaviour Support NDIS

How Belong Health Can Help

Belong Health provides Positive Behaviour Support for children, adolescents, adults and older adults across Perth, Mandurah, the Peel Region and surrounding areas, with telehealth available across Western Australia where appropriate.

Depending on the participant's needs, our Behaviour Support Practitioners can assist with:
  • Understanding behaviours of concern
  • Functional Behaviour Assessment
  • Behaviour Support Risk Assessment
  • Behaviour Support Plans
  • Proactive strategy development
  • Communication strategies
  • Emotional regulation strategies
  • Environmental strategies
  • Skill development
  • Family and carer consultation
  • School consultation
  • Support team implementation
  • Monitoring and review
  • Restrictive practice reduction strategies where relevant

​We work collaboratively with participants, families, Support Coordinators, schools, support teams and other professionals to develop strategies that are practical, individualised and meaningful to the person.

Explore our Positive Behaviour Support Hub for more Behaviour Support information and resources.
Positive Behaviour Support Across Perth, Mandurah and WA

Belong Health provides Positive Behaviour Support across Perth, Mandurah, Peel and surrounding areas.
Services can be provided in settings such as:
  • Home
  • School
  • Community
  • Supported accommodation
  • Other relevant everyday environments
Telehealth Positive Behaviour Support is also available across Western Australia where appropriate.

Explore Positive Behaviour Support Perth, Positive Behaviour Support Mandurah or Positive Behaviour Support Telehealth to learn more about services in your area.

You can also find a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner near you and explore the areas supported by our Behaviour Support team.

How to Get Started with Positive Behaviour Support

Taking the first step towards Positive Behaviour Support can feel overwhelming, particularly if you're new to the NDIS or have never accessed Behaviour Support before.

Our team aims to make the process as straightforward and supportive as possible.

Whether you're a participant, parent, family member, Support Coordinator or healthcare professional, we'll take the time to understand your situation and help you determine the most appropriate next steps.
​
Every person's journey is different, so the process may vary depending on individual goals, funding arrangements and support needs.

Step 1 - Contact Our Team
The first step is to contact Belong Health by phone, email or through our online enquiry form.
We'll discuss:
  • Who the support is for
  • The participant's goals and current support needs
  • What is currently happening
  • Where services are required
  • Funding arrangements, including NDIS or private services
  • Any questions you have about Positive Behaviour Support
If you're unsure whether Positive Behaviour Support is the right service, we're happy to talk through your situation and help guide you.

Step 2 - Free 20-Minute Connect Session
We offer a free 20-minute Connect Session to help you make an informed decision.
This is an opportunity to:
  • Discuss your situation
  • Learn more about Positive Behaviour Support
  • Ask questions about the process
  • Understand how services may be delivered
  • Determine whether Positive Behaviour Support is the most appropriate service
There is no obligation to proceed following the Connect Session.

Step 3 - Matching You with the Right Behaviour Support Practitioner
If you decide to proceed, we'll recommend the Behaviour Support Practitioner who best matches your individual needs.
When making this recommendation, we consider factors such as:
  • Age
  • Support needs
  • Goals
  • Preferred service location
  • Availability
  • Practitioner experience and areas of interest
Our aim is to connect you with the practitioner who is the best fit for your circumstances.

Step 4 - Assessment and Planning
Your Behaviour Support Practitioner will work collaboratively with you and your support network to understand the individual's strengths, goals, communication, routines and environments.
Depending on your circumstances, this may include:
  • Gathering background information
  • Meeting with the participant
  • Speaking with family members or carers
  • Consulting with schools or other professionals where appropriate
  • Reviewing behaviour information
  • Completing a Functional Behaviour Assessment where required
Assessment helps determine which strategies are appropriate and why.

Step 5 - Implementing and Reviewing Strategies
For many participants, Positive Behaviour Support is an ongoing collaborative process.
Your Behaviour Support Practitioner may continue working alongside the participant and their support network to:
  • Implement strategies
  • Support family members and carers
  • Work with support teams
  • Review progress
  • Develop new skills
  • Adjust strategies
  • Monitor changing needs
  • Update Behaviour Support recommendations
Strategies can evolve as the participant's circumstances, goals and skills change.

free 20min PBS Session
with our PBS Practitioners

Empowering individuals and families, one goal at a time.
Connect with Belong Health to experience personalised PBS services in the Peel Region, Perth Metro or via Telehealth Across Australia.
Our Free Connect PBS session with a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner  is designed to address your unique needs and empower you or your family.
​Secure your spot today and discover how our team can help you thrive.
Get Started with Positive Behaviour Support
If you’re looking for Positive Behaviour Support services in Perth, Mandurah or the Peel region, our team is here to help.

​Our friendly team are happy to help call us on 08 9586 3934 or send us a message

    Positive behAviour supports ENQUIRY FORM

​Frequently Asked Questions - Positive Behaviour Support Strategies

What are Positive Behaviour Support strategies?
Positive Behaviour Support strategies are individualised approaches designed to understand behaviour, reduce factors contributing to behaviours of concern, develop meaningful skills and improve quality of life.
Strategies may involve changes to environments, communication, routines and supporter responses as well as skill development for the individual.

What are the three main types of Positive Behaviour Support strategies?
PBS strategies can broadly include:
  • Proactive strategies
  • Skill-building or teaching strategies
  • Reactive or response strategies
These approaches work together as part of an individualised Behaviour Support framework.

What are proactive strategies in Positive Behaviour Support?
Proactive strategies are supports implemented before behaviours of concern occur.
They can involve changing environments, communication, routines, expectations or other factors that may contribute to behaviour.
What are examples of proactive behaviour support strategies?Examples may include:
  • Predictable routines
  • Visual schedules
  • Transition preparation
  • Meaningful choice
  • Communication supports
  • Environmental adjustments
  • Appropriate sensory supports
  • Adjusting demands
  • Opportunities for breaks
The appropriate strategies depend on the individual.

Why are proactive strategies important?
Proactive strategies focus on changing factors that contribute to behaviour rather than relying solely on responses after someone has already become distressed.

What are skill-building strategies in Positive Behaviour Support?
Skill-building strategies help people develop meaningful alternatives for communicating, participating and meeting their needs.
These may include communication, emotional regulation, self-advocacy, coping, problem-solving and independence skills.
What are examples of skill-building strategies?Examples may include:
  • Requesting help
  • Requesting a break
  • Communicating preferences
  • Emotional regulation skills
  • Problem-solving
  • Transition skills
  • Daily living skills
  • Self-advocacy

What is Functional Communication Training?
Functional Communication Training teaches a person an accessible communication response that serves the same or a similar function as a behaviour of concern.
For example, someone may learn to request help or a break rather than relying on behaviour to communicate the same need.

What are reactive strategies in Positive Behaviour Support?
Reactive strategies guide how supporters respond when behaviour or significant distress is occurring.
They focus on safety, dignity, reducing unnecessary escalation and supporting recovery.

What are examples of reactive strategies?
Depending on the individual's plan, examples might include:
  • Remaining calm
  • Reducing unnecessary language
  • Reducing demands
  • Providing appropriate space
  • Reducing environmental stimulation
  • Following agreed response strategies
  • Supporting recovery

Are reactive strategies the same as punishment?
No.
Positive Behaviour Support focuses on safe, respectful and individualised responses rather than punishment-based approaches.

What are examples of Positive Behaviour Support strategies at home?
Strategies at home might include visual routines, meaningful choices, transition preparation, communication supports, environmental changes and supporting ways to request help or breaks.
Strategies should fit naturally into everyday family life.

What are examples of Positive Behaviour Support strategies at school?
Depending on the child, strategies may include structured routines, visual supports, task modifications, transition preparation, communication supports, environmental adjustments and individualised reinforcement.

What is the ABC model in Positive Behaviour Support?
ABC stands for:
  • Antecedent - what happened before the behaviour
  • Behaviour - what the person did
  • Consequence - what happened immediately afterwards
Recording ABC information can help identify patterns associated with behaviour.

Is ABC data enough to determine why a behaviour occurs?
Not necessarily.
ABC information can be useful, but understanding behaviour may require information from multiple sources and broader assessment of communication, health, environment, routines, relationships and other factors.

What are environmental modifications in Positive Behaviour Support?
Environmental modifications involve changing aspects of an environment that may make participation easier or reduce unnecessary distress.
This might include changes to noise, lighting, layout, routines, timing, communication or demands.

What is positive reinforcement?
Positive reinforcement occurs when something meaningful follows a behaviour and increases the likelihood of that behaviour occurring again.
What is reinforcing varies between individuals.

Are rewards the same as positive reinforcement?
Not necessarily.
An item intended as a "reward" is only reinforcing if its consequence actually increases the behaviour it follows. Effective Positive Behaviour Support considers what is genuinely meaningful to the individual.

What is a replacement behaviour?
A replacement behaviour or skill provides the person with another way to meet the same or a similar need as a behaviour of concern.
For example, requesting a break may provide an alternative to leaving an activity without communicating.

What strategies are included in a Behaviour Support Plan?
Depending on the individual, a Behaviour Support Plan may include:
  • Proactive strategies
  • Environmental supports
  • Communication strategies
  • Skill-building strategies
  • Early warning signs
  • Response strategies
  • Recovery strategies
  • Implementation guidance
  • Monitoring and review

Which Positive Behaviour Support strategy is most effective?
There is no single strategy that is most effective for everyone.
Effective strategies are individualised, based on an understanding of behaviour and practical enough to be implemented consistently within the person's everyday life.

Why isn't a PBS strategy working?
A strategy may not work because it does not address the function of behaviour, is inaccessible, is implemented inconsistently, does not fit the environment or is based on an incorrect understanding of what is influencing behaviour.
Strategies should be reviewed when they are not achieving the intended outcome.

Can Positive Behaviour Support strategies help with emotional regulation?
Yes, where appropriate to the person's needs.
Strategies might address communication, environmental factors, co-regulation, early signs of distress, coping skills and other factors influencing emotional regulation.
Explore Positive Behaviour Support for Emotional Regulation.

Can Positive Behaviour Support strategies help autistic people?
Yes. Strategies should reflect the individual autistic person's communication, sensory, environmental and regulation needs and should support quality of life, autonomy and meaningful participation.
Explore Positive Behaviour Support for Autism.

Can Positive Behaviour Support strategies help people with ADHD?
Yes, where Positive Behaviour Support is appropriate to the person's individual needs.
Strategies might support communication, emotional regulation, transitions, organisation, environmental demands and other factors influencing behaviour.
Explore Positive Behaviour Support for ADHD.

Can Positive Behaviour Support strategies be used without NDIS funding?
Positive Behaviour Support principles and many supportive approaches can be relevant outside the NDIS.
However, access to specialist Behaviour Support services, funding arrangements and requirements depend on the person's individual circumstances.

Are restrictive practices Positive Behaviour Support strategies?
No.
Restrictive practices are subject to specific safeguards and requirements. Positive Behaviour Support seeks to develop proactive alternatives and support the reduction and elimination of restrictive practices.

What is a Functional Behaviour Assessment?
A Functional Behaviour Assessment is a systematic assessment process used to understand behaviours of concern, the circumstances influencing or maintaining them and the function they may serve.
Learn more about Functional Behaviour Assessment.

Does everyone need a Functional Behaviour Assessment?
Not necessarily.
The assessment required depends on the behaviour, its complexity, impact, risks and the person's individual circumstances.

How are Positive Behaviour Support strategies reviewed?
Strategies can be reviewed by considering changes in behaviour, quality of life, participation, skill development, implementation and whether the strategies remain appropriate to the person's circumstances.

Can PBS strategies be used across home, school and community settings?
Yes.
Where appropriate, strategies can be adapted for different environments while maintaining consistent underlying principles.

Do you provide Positive Behaviour Support in Perth and Mandurah?
Yes. Belong Health provides Positive Behaviour Support across Perth, Mandurah, Peel and surrounding areas, with telehealth available across Western Australia where appropriate.

How do I know which Positive Behaviour Support strategies to use?
Strategies should reflect why behaviour is occurring and the needs of the individual, rather than being selected from a generic list.
​
Where behaviours are complex, significantly affecting everyday life or creating safety concerns, assessment by an appropriately qualified Behaviour Support Practitioner can help identify suitable approaches.
Looking for Positive Behaviour Support?

Belong Health provides Positive Behaviour Support for children, adolescents, adults and older adults across Perth, Mandurah and surrounding areas, with telehealth available across Western Australia where appropriate.

Our Behaviour Support Practitioners work collaboratively with participants, families and support teams to understand behaviour and develop practical, individualised strategies that support quality of life, participation, independence and everyday wellbeing.

✓ Registered NDIS Provider
✓ Children, Adolescents, Adults and Older Adults
✓ Perth, Mandurah and surrounding areas
✓ Home, school and community support where appropriate
✓ Telehealth across Western Australia where appropriate
✓ Free 20-Minute Connect Session
Contact Belong Health today to learn more or book your free Connect Session.
Related Positive Behaviour Support Resources
​
​PBS Foundations Population-Specific PBS Emotional Regulation Resources Parent Resources Neurodevelopmental Resources Professional Supports
Find a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner Near Me
​Last reviewed: August 2026
This page is reviewed periodically to reflect current evidence, clinical practice and relevant NDIS guidance.
© COPYRIGHT 2026. BELONG HEALTH ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Belong Health
G-DG08MQWCJD G-DG08MQWCJD