Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is a person-centred approach to supporting individuals with behavioural challenges to improve their quality of life. PBS aims to understand the reasons behind an individual’s challenging behaviour and develop proactive strategies to prevent these behaviours from occurring in the first place. This approach focuses on building the individual’s skills and strengths, rather than simply trying to reduce or eliminate problematic behaviours.
PBS involves several key components:
Person-centred planning: This involves working closely with the individual and their support network to understand their needs, preferences, and goals. The focus is on developing a personalised plan that takes into account the individual’s unique circumstances and strengths.
Functional behaviours assessment: This involves identifying the underlying reasons for challenging behaviours, such as environmental factors or unmet needs. This information is used to develop proactive strategies to prevent the behaviours from occurring in the future.
Positive strategies: This involves using positive reinforcement to encourage desirable behaviours, rather than punishing or eliminating problematic behaviours. This can include rewards for positive behaviours, as well as teaching new skills and providing support for challenging situations.
Data-driven decision making: PBS emphasises the importance of collecting data on an individual’s behaviours to track progress and make informed decisions about interventions.
Overall, PBS is a strengths-based approach that emphasises the importance of understanding the individual’s needs and building on their strengths. It is used in a variety of settings, including schools, homes, and residential facilities, to support individuals with a range of behavioural challenges.
What are the goals of PBS?
The goals of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) are to promote the well-being and quality of life of individuals by reducing challenging behaviours and increasing positive behaviours. PBS aims to achieve these goals through a person-centred and proactive approach that emphasises prevention, positive reinforcement, and building on the individual’s strengths. Here are some specific goals of PBS:
Understanding the individual’s needs and preferences: PBS starts by understanding the individual’s unique circumstances and developing a personalised plan that takes into account their needs, preferences, and goals.
Identifying and addressing the underlying causes of challenging behaviours: PBS focuses on identifying the reasons for challenging behaviours and developing proactive strategies to prevent it from occurring in the first place. This can include addressing environmental factors, such as sensory overload or lack of structure, as well as addressing unmet needs, such as hunger or social isolation.
Teaching new skills: PBS emphasises the importance of teaching individuals new skills to help them cope with challenging situations and promote positive behaviours. This can include social skills, communication skills, and coping strategies.
Providing positive reinforcement: PBS uses positive reinforcement to encourage positive behaviours, such as praise, rewards, and privileges. This approach is designed to encourage positive behaviours rather than punishing or eliminating problematic behaviours.
Monitoring progress and adjusting interventions: PBS emphasises the importance of collecting data on an individual’s behaviours to track progress and make informed decisions about interventions. This allows for ongoing adjustments to the support plan to ensure that it is effective and meets the individual’s needs.
Overall, the goals of PBS are to promote positive behaviours and reduce challenging behaviours in a way that is tailored to the individual’s unique needs and circumstances.
Resources:
Read the next article in this introduction series: What are Behaviours of Concern?
Learn more about PBS via our blog here.
Want to work with us? Check out our careers page.
Refer to Insight Positive Behaviour Support here.
Follow us on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter (X) and TikTok!
Prefer a better reading experience? Read this article on our Substack!
Want to discuss or have any questions about Positive Behaviour Support ? Feel free to contact us.