A behaviour that feels difficult is often communicating something important. It may be a person’s way of escaping an overwhelming situation, asking for help, managing pain, seeking connection, or coping with a demand that feels too hard. For people asking, “what does behaviour support do?”, the short answer is that it works to understand those unmet needs and build safer, more workable ways forward.
Behaviour support is not about making someone compliant or removing their personality. At its best, it is a respectful, practical service that helps a person have more choice, greater safety and better access to the life they want to live. It also gives families, carers, educators and support workers clear strategies they can use consistently.
What does behaviour support do?
Positive Behaviour Support, often called PBS, looks beyond the behaviour itself. Rather than asking only, “How do we stop this?”, a behaviour support practitioner considers what happens before, during and after it. They work with the person and the people around them to identify patterns, reduce avoidable stressors and teach skills that meet the same need in a safer or more effective way.
For example, a child who hits when it is time to leave the park may not simply be “misbehaving”. They may be struggling with an unexpected change, difficulty communicating that they want more time, tiredness, or a transition that has become stressful. Support could involve visual warnings before leaving, a predictable routine, choices about how to walk to the car, and teaching the child a simple way to ask for help or extra time.
The same principle applies to adults. A person who becomes distressed in appointments, repeatedly leaves home, refuses personal care or reacts strongly to particular demands may be communicating discomfort, anxiety, sensory overload, loss of control, pain or a gap between what is expected and what support is available. The right plan depends on the individual, not a label or a one-size-fits-all technique.
The work starts with understanding, not judgement
A behaviour support practitioner gathers information from the person, family members, carers and other relevant providers. With consent, this may include conversations, observation in everyday settings, existing reports and a review of incidents or patterns over time. The person’s strengths, preferences, communication style, health, culture, relationships and environment all matter.
This assessment is sometimes referred to as a functional behaviour assessment. Its purpose is to develop a reasonable understanding of the function of a behaviour - what the person may be trying to gain, avoid, communicate or regulate. It does not assume there is one simple cause. Behaviour can be influenced by several factors at once, including sleep, medication changes, grief, trauma, sensory needs, communication difficulties and the way support is delivered.
This careful approach matters because strategies that seem to work quickly can create further distress if they do not address the cause. Asking someone to tolerate a noisy, crowded environment, for instance, may not be realistic if sensory overload is the driver. A better response may be to change the environment, offer a quieter option and build coping strategies at a pace that respects the person.
Turning information into a practical support plan
Once the practitioner understands the situation, they develop a behaviour support plan. A good plan is specific enough to guide day-to-day support without being so complicated that it sits unread in a folder. It should be written in clear language and reflect the person’s goals, dignity and rights.
The plan commonly sets out proactive strategies, such as adjusting routines, giving clear choices, using visual supports, planning for transitions or recognising early signs of distress. It also explains how others can respond calmly and safely when a person is becoming overwhelmed, as well as how to support recovery afterwards.
Skill development is central. Depending on the person, this might mean building communication skills, emotional regulation, problem-solving, daily living skills, social confidence or ways to request a break. It can also mean supporting families and staff to communicate more clearly, reduce unhelpful demands and respond in a consistent way.
The aim is not a perfect life without distress. Everyone experiences frustration and difficult days. The aim is to reduce the frequency, intensity and impact of behaviours that place the person or others at risk, while increasing the person’s ability to participate in everyday life on their own terms.
Who can benefit from Positive Behaviour Support?
Behaviour support can be helpful for children, young people and adults living with disability, including people with autism, intellectual disability, psychosocial disability or acquired brain injury. It may be appropriate where behaviour is affecting safety, relationships, education, employment, community access or the stability of a person’s home and support arrangements.
Families may seek support after repeated meltdowns, aggression, self-injury, property damage, refusal of essential care, absconding or high levels of anxiety. Carers and support workers may need practical guidance when they are unsure how to respond without escalating the situation. The person does not need to be in crisis before seeking help. Early support can prevent patterns from becoming more entrenched and reduce stress for everyone involved.
It is also worth recognising when behaviour support is not the only service needed. A person may benefit from psychology or counselling for anxiety, trauma, mood concerns or relationship difficulties. Speech pathology, occupational therapy, medical assessment, education support and family therapy can also be important. A coordinated approach is often more useful than expecting one practitioner to solve every concern.
Behaviour support under the NDIS
For NDIS participants, Positive Behaviour Support may be funded where it is reasonable and necessary in relation to the person’s disability and goals. A practitioner can work with the participant, their nominee, family, support coordinator and support team to develop plans that fit within their supports and daily routines.
The process should remain person-led. That means the participant’s voice, preferences and goals should guide decisions as far as possible. Some people communicate through speech; others may use behaviour, devices, visuals, trusted supporters or other forms of communication. Meaningful involvement looks different for each person, but it should never be treated as optional.
At In Mind Therapy, behaviour support can sit alongside psychology, counselling and other allied health services where appropriate. This can be particularly valuable when behavioural concerns and emotional wellbeing are closely connected, while still ensuring each service has a clear role.
A note on restrictive practices
Sometimes providers, families or services may be using restrictions because of immediate safety concerns. These can include limiting access to certain spaces or items, physical restraint, medication used to influence behaviour, or seclusion. Under the NDIS, restrictive practices are tightly regulated and must only be used as a last resort, in the least restrictive way, for the shortest time necessary and within relevant legal and reporting requirements.
Positive Behaviour Support aims to reduce and eliminate the need for restrictive practices wherever possible. This is not achieved by ignoring risk. It is achieved by understanding why risk is occurring, putting preventative supports in place and reviewing whether restrictions remain necessary. If a restrictive practice is being used, families and participants should feel able to ask why, how it is monitored, what alternatives are being tried and what the plan is for reducing it.
What families and carers can expect
Effective behaviour support is collaborative. You should expect to be listened to, not blamed for a person’s behaviour. A practitioner may ask detailed questions because small details can reveal important patterns, but they should explain their reasoning in plain language and check that recommendations are realistic for your household or service setting.
Progress is usually gradual rather than immediate. A strategy may need adjustment after it is tried in real life, and a person’s needs can change with age, health, living arrangements or major life events. Regular review helps keep the plan useful. It also allows the team to notice gains that might otherwise be missed, such as a person recovering from distress more quickly, making more choices, or joining an activity they previously avoided.
Consistency helps, but consistency does not mean rigidly following a script. It means the people around the person share an understanding of what supports them and respond in ways that are predictable, respectful and safe.
If behaviour is causing distress or reducing someone’s opportunities, seeking support can be a constructive next step. The right practitioner will help turn difficult moments into useful information, so the person and the people who care for them can move towards days that feel safer, calmer and more possible.