What Is Positive Behaviour Support? A Practical NDIS Guide for Families and Carers

When someone becomes distressed, refuses a particular activity, withdraws from others or behaves in a way that puts themselves or someone else at risk, the first question is often: How do we stop this behaviour?

Positive Behaviour Support asks a different question:

What is happening in this person’s life that makes this behaviour understandable, and what can we change to support them better?

That difference matters.

A person who becomes upset during morning routines may be experiencing pain, sensory overload, anxiety or difficulty understanding what is expected. Someone who leaves a busy classroom may be trying to escape noise rather than deliberately refusing to participate.

Responding only to what the person does can mean overlooking why it happens.

Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is an evidence-informed, person-centred approach that seeks to understand behaviour, improve quality of life, develop practical skills and create environments where people can feel safe, understood and supported.

Under the NDIS, specialist behaviour support may involve a Functional Behavioural Assessment, an individualised Behaviour Support Plan, implementation support, training and ongoing review.

This guide explains how PBS works in practice, when it may be helpful, what families should expect from a practitioner and how to recognise whether the support is genuinely making a difference.

What Is Positive Behaviour Support?

Positive Behaviour Support is an approach to understanding and responding to behaviour by looking at the person as a whole.

Rather than treating behaviour as an isolated problem, PBS considers the person’s communication, health, emotional wellbeing, relationships, environment, daily routines and individual circumstances.

Its purpose is not simply to reduce behaviours of concern. It is to improve the person’s opportunities to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.

This may mean helping a person communicate what they need, making everyday routines more predictable, creating sensory-friendly environments or building greater choice and independence.

For example, imagine a young adult who becomes distressed whenever their regular support worker arrives late.

A response focused only on behaviour might involve repeated instructions to calm down.

A PBS approach would explore whether unexpected changes create anxiety, whether the person understands what is happening and whether they have a reliable way to ask questions or communicate their worries.

Practical strategies might include a visual schedule, advance notice of changes, an agreed communication method and staff training.

The goal is to reduce the circumstances that trigger distress, rather than expecting the person to manage an unnecessarily difficult situation.

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission describes Positive Behaviour Support as an approach that helps people with disability live better lives by understanding why behaviour occurs and how others can respond effectively.

Why Does Behaviour Happen?

Behaviour serves different purposes, and the same behaviour can mean different things for different people.

A person might leave a room because it is too noisy, because they feel overwhelmed, because they need a break or because they are trying to communicate that something is wrong.

A person who refuses personal care might be experiencing pain, embarrassment, fear, a lack of privacy or difficulty understanding the activity.

This is why assumptions can be harmful.

A practitioner may consider:

Communication: Can the person explain what they need, or do they require additional communication supports?
Physical health: Could pain, illness, fatigue, medication effects or sleep difficulties be contributing?
Sensory needs: Are noise, lighting, crowded spaces, touch or other sensory experiences overwhelming?
Environment: Is the setting predictable, comfortable and accessible?
Relationships: Does the person feel safe and understood by those supporting them?
Choice and control: Does the person have meaningful opportunities to make decisions?
Skills and support: Are there practical skills or accommodations that would make everyday activities easier?

These factors are not a checklist for diagnosing the cause of a particular behaviour. They are starting points for careful assessment.

The important principle is that behaviour must be understood in context.

A useful Behaviour Support Plan should reflect what has been learned about the individual, rather than prescribe generic strategies based only on a diagnosis.

How Does Positive Behaviour Support Work in Practice?

PBS is usually a collaborative process involving the participant, a behaviour support practitioner and the people who play an important role in the participant’s life.

The exact process depends on the individual’s circumstances and needs. However, it commonly involves several stages.

1. Understanding the person and their goals

A practitioner begins by learning about the participant.

This includes their interests, strengths, preferences, communication style, daily routines and the activities that matter to them.

The participant should be involved in decisions about their support in ways that suit their communication and decision-making needs.

Where appropriate and with the necessary consent, practitioners may also speak with family members, carers, support workers, educators and allied health professionals.

The discussion should identify meaningful goals.

For one person, success might mean being able to travel in a car without becoming overwhelmed. For another, it might mean participating in family activities, sleeping better or communicating a need for a break.

These goals provide the foundation for the assessment.

2. Completing a Functional Behavioural Assessment

A Functional Behavioural Assessment (FBA) helps explain the circumstances surrounding behaviours of concern and what purpose those behaviours may serve.

It is not simply a description of incidents.

A practitioner may use interviews, observations, existing records, incident information and other relevant assessment methods.

They may look at what happens before a behaviour, what occurs during the behaviour and what happens afterwards.

For example, if a participant regularly becomes distressed during shopping trips, the practitioner might examine whether the difficulties are associated with crowded environments, unexpected changes, communication barriers or particular sensory experiences.

The practitioner should also consider whether a health assessment or input from another professional is appropriate.

An FBA is valuable because it helps identify supports that address the underlying needs rather than relying on repeated reactive responses.

3. Developing an individualised Behaviour Support Plan

The information gathered during assessment informs the Behaviour Support Plan.

A well-developed plan provides practical guidance that the participant and their support network can understand and use.

Depending on the circumstances, it may include:

The participant’s goals, strengths, preferences and communication needs.
An explanation of relevant behaviours and their likely functions.
Environmental and preventative strategies.
Ways to support communication and decision-making.
Skills to develop over time.
Responses to early signs of distress.
Safe responses if a situation escalates.
Responsibilities for implementing and reviewing strategies.
Relevant restrictive practice information, where applicable and lawfully authorised.

The plan should be individualised, understandable and usable in real-life settings.

A document that sits in a folder without being implemented is unlikely to provide meaningful benefit.

4. Helping the support network implement the plan

Creating a plan is only one part of PBS.

The people supporting the participant must understand how to put its recommendations into practice.

This may involve explaining strategies to family members, training disability support workers, coordinating with other professionals and helping everyone respond consistently.

Implementation should respect the participant’s rights, preferences and individual circumstances.

Consistency does not mean rigidly applying a strategy regardless of the person’s response. It means providing predictable, informed support while remaining responsive to changing needs.

5. Monitoring and reviewing progress

PBS is not a one-off report.

A practitioner should review whether the strategies are improving the participant’s daily experiences and whether changes are required.

This may involve reviewing incidents, gathering feedback, observing changes and checking progress towards individual goals.

For example, a reduction in distress during transport may be important. But it is equally important to understand whether the person feels more comfortable, has greater choice and can participate in activities they enjoy.

The goal is meaningful improvement in the participant’s life, not simply producing a lower incident count.

A Real-Life Example: When Behaviour Is Communication

Consider the following illustrative scenario.

A 15-year-old NDIS participant, whom we will call Sam, frequently becomes distressed when asked to get ready for school.

Sam sometimes shouts, pushes objects away and refuses to leave the house.

The family has tried reminders, rewards and firmer instructions, but the mornings remain difficult.

A behaviour support practitioner begins by speaking with Sam and the family, reviewing the morning routine and understanding Sam’s communication and sensory needs.

The assessment reveals that several things happen together.

Sam finds sudden transitions difficult, becomes anxious when running late and experiences significant discomfort when clothing feels restrictive.

The behaviour is not simply a refusal to attend school. It appears connected to a combination of sensory discomfort, anxiety and difficulty managing transitions.

The practitioner works with the family to develop strategies.

Sam is offered clothing options that meet their sensory preferences, a visual morning routine, extra transition time and a clear way to request a short break.

The family learns to recognise early signs of distress and adjust expectations before the situation escalates.

Over time, mornings become more predictable.

There may still be difficult days, but Sam has more ways to communicate and the family better understands how to respond.

This is an example of what Positive Behaviour Support aims to achieve: practical changes that improve the experience of the person and those supporting them.

It is important to remember that every participant is different. Strategies that help one person may not be appropriate for another.

Who Can Benefit from Positive Behaviour Support?

Positive Behaviour Support may assist people with disability who experience behaviours of concern that affect their safety, wellbeing, independence, relationships or participation in everyday life.

It may be relevant when someone experiences repeated distress, has difficulty communicating unmet needs, struggles with particular environments or requires individualised strategies to participate safely in daily activities.

People with autism, intellectual disability, acquired brain injury and other disability-related support needs may access PBS where it is appropriate to their circumstances.

However, a diagnosis alone does not determine whether someone needs Positive Behaviour Support.

Two people with the same diagnosis may have very different needs.

Equally, two people who display similar behaviours may require entirely different strategies.

The decision to seek PBS should be based on the individual’s support needs, goals and circumstances, rather than assumptions about disability.

What Is the Difference Between Positive Behaviour Support and Behaviour Management?

The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they do not always describe the same approach.

Traditional behaviour management can focus primarily on responding to or reducing a particular behaviour.

Positive Behaviour Support takes a broader view.

It seeks to understand why behaviour occurs, improve the person’s environment, develop useful skills and support long-term quality of life.

For example, rather than only responding when a participant becomes distressed during personal care, PBS may explore the person’s pain, communication, privacy, sensory preferences and control over the routine.

The approach is proactive wherever possible.

This does not mean PBS ignores safety. Supporting safety is important. However, responses should be proportionate, person-centred and consistent with the participant’s rights.

A useful question to ask is: Does this strategy make the person’s life better, or does it simply make the behaviour less visible to other people?

That distinction can help families evaluate whether a proposed approach genuinely reflects Positive Behaviour Support.

What Is a Behaviour Support Plan?

A Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) is an individualised document describing how a person should be supported based on their needs, circumstances, goals and assessment findings.

The plan may include preventative strategies, communication supports, skills development, practical implementation guidance and responses to behaviours of concern.

A BSP should be accessible to the people responsible for using it, while respecting privacy and consent requirements.

Some behaviour support plans include regulated restrictive practices. These plans are subject to additional legal and regulatory requirements.

A Behaviour Support Plan should not be treated as a permanent set of instructions that never changes. It should evolve when the person’s needs, circumstances or support arrangements change.

What Are Restrictive Practices, and How Do They Relate to PBS?

A restrictive practice is an intervention that restricts the rights or freedom of movement of a person with disability.

Under the NDIS framework, regulated restrictive practices include seclusion, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, physical restraint and environmental restraint.

These are not ordinary PBS techniques or a standard part of every Behaviour Support Plan.

The NDIS framework places strict conditions on regulated restrictive practices. Where a regulated restrictive practice is contemplated or used, the relevant requirements include authorisation processes, appropriate planning, reporting and safeguards.

A core objective of Positive Behaviour Support is to reduce and, wherever possible, eliminate the use of restrictive practices.

Any regulated restrictive practice must be considered within the applicable legislative requirements, including that it is a last resort, proportionate to the risk and the least restrictive available response.

Importantly, the inclusion of a restrictive practice in a Behaviour Support Plan does not, by itself, make its use lawful. Applicable state or territory authorisation and NDIS requirements must also be satisfied.

Families and carers are entitled to ask why a practice is proposed, what alternatives have been considered, what safeguards apply and how the practice will be reduced or eliminated.

For authoritative information, see the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s guidance on Behaviour Support and Restrictive Practices.

Who Can Develop an NDIS Behaviour Support Plan?

Under the NDIS specialist behaviour support framework, behaviour support assessments and Behaviour Support Plans must be undertaken or developed by practitioners whom the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has considered suitable.

The practitioner must also be engaged by an appropriately registered NDIS provider or be registered as a provider themselves.

This is an important distinction.

A person’s experience in disability services, psychology, education or allied health does not automatically establish that they are suitable to undertake specialist NDIS behaviour support assessments or develop Behaviour Support Plans.

The NDIS Commission has a Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework that describes expectations for practitioner knowledge and skills.

When selecting a provider, it is reasonable to ask about the practitioner’s NDIS suitability, experience, supervision arrangements and approach to collaboration.

Families should also understand who will complete the assessment, who will write the plan and who will support implementation.

How Long Does It Take to Develop a Behaviour Support Plan?

The timeframe depends on the type of plan, whether regulated restrictive practices are involved, the complexity of the person’s needs and the availability of information.

Where the relevant NDIS restrictive practice requirements apply, an interim Behaviour Support Plan must be developed within one month of the specialist behaviour support provider’s engagement, and a comprehensive plan within six months of engagement.

Those timeframes should not be understood as a reason to delay support unnecessarily.

Where plans do not contain regulated restrictive practices, those specific statutory timeframes do not apply in the same way, although the NDIS Commission identifies them as useful guidance for safe and quality practice.

Participants should be informed about the expected assessment process, how information will be collected, anticipated milestones and when a plan will be available.

If there is an immediate risk of harm, urgent safety requirements must be considered rather than waiting for a routine plan-development process.

Does the NDIS Fund Positive Behaviour Support?

The NDIS may fund specialist behaviour support where it is included in a participant’s plan and meets the applicable NDIS funding requirements.

Depending on the participant’s circumstances and approved supports, funding may be used for behaviour support assessment, planning, implementation assistance and review.

However, not every NDIS participant automatically has funding available for PBS.

It is important to check the participant’s current plan, support budget, relevant funding arrangements and available balance before commencing services.

A support coordinator or plan manager may assist with understanding the practical arrangements, but funding decisions remain subject to NDIA requirements.

An important development in October 2026 is that the NDIA has introduced changes affecting some support budgets. The NDIA states that intensive and complex behaviour supports are among the support groups excluded from the specified reductions. Nevertheless, the individual participant’s plan must still be checked before assuming particular services are funded.

Before signing a service agreement, ask the provider to explain the services proposed, the applicable hourly rates, expected assessment and plan-development work, travel charges where relevant, and how expenditure will be monitored.

How Can Families Tell Whether Positive Behaviour Support Is Working?

A plan should produce meaningful improvements, not simply meet an administrative requirement.

Some changes may be measurable, such as fewer incidents, reduced distress during particular routines or greater participation in community activities.

Other improvements may be equally important but less obvious.

A participant might begin asking for breaks independently, feel more confident attending appointments or have more control over everyday decisions.

Families might notice that support workers respond more consistently and that stressful situations are becoming easier to understand and manage.

Consider asking:

Is the participant experiencing greater comfort, safety or choice?
Are they developing useful ways to communicate their needs?
Are difficult situations occurring less frequently, lasting less time or becoming less distressing?
Are strategies practical for the people using them?
Has the participant’s involvement in everyday life improved?
Are any restrictive practices being reduced, where applicable?
Does the plan still reflect what the participant wants and needs?

Progress does not always happen in a straight line.

Changes in health, family circumstances, staffing, housing or routines may affect behaviour.

A good PBS process recognises these changes and adjusts support accordingly.

What Should You Ask Before Choosing a Behaviour Support Provider?

Choosing a practitioner should involve more than asking about appointment availability.

Families and support coordinators should feel comfortable discussing how the provider approaches assessment, participant involvement, implementation and ongoing review.

Useful questions include:

Who will actually complete the assessment and write the plan?

Clarify the identity of the practitioner and their suitability to provide specialist behaviour support.

How will the participant be involved?

Ask how the practitioner supports communication, consent, choice and the participant’s preferences.

Will the practitioner observe the person in their everyday environment?

An assessment should be appropriate to the person’s circumstances. Relevant observation and collaboration may be important to understanding behaviour.

What happens after the plan is written?

Ask about training, implementation support, monitoring and review.

How will you measure whether the plan is helping?

The response should consider both behaviours of concern and meaningful improvements in the person’s quality of life.

What will the service cost?

Request a clear explanation of the proposed services, fee structure, estimated hours and billing arrangements.

How do you manage restrictive practices?

Where relevant, ask about safeguards, authorisation, reporting and strategies to reduce or eliminate restrictive practices.

A provider should be able to explain these matters in understandable language rather than relying only on technical terminology.

Common Misunderstandings About Positive Behaviour Support

Does Positive Behaviour Support mean rewarding good behaviour?

No. Positive Behaviour Support is broader than a reward system.

Although positive reinforcement may form part of an evidence-informed approach in appropriate circumstances, PBS also considers communication, unmet needs, environmental changes, relationships, skills and quality of life.

Does everyone receiving PBS need a Behaviour Support Plan containing restrictive practices?

No. A Behaviour Support Plan does not automatically involve restrictive practices.

Many participants require preventative strategies, environmental changes and skills-based support without regulated restrictive practices.

Is PBS only for children with autism?

No. PBS may be appropriate for people across different ages and disability-related circumstances, depending on their individual support needs.

Can a support worker write an NDIS Behaviour Support Plan?

Experience as a support worker does not automatically make someone a suitable NDIS behaviour support practitioner. Specialist NDIS assessments and plan development must be undertaken by a practitioner recognised as suitable under the applicable NDIS Commission framework.

Can PBS eliminate all behaviours of concern?

No practitioner can guarantee that every behaviour of concern will disappear.

PBS aims to better understand behaviour, improve the person’s quality of life, build skills, reduce distress and support safer, more meaningful participation.

What happens if a Behaviour Support Plan is not working?

The plan should be reviewed. This may involve reassessing possible causes, gathering participant and support-network feedback, checking implementation and changing strategies.

A plan should not remain unchanged simply because it has already been written.

Getting Started with Positive Behaviour Support

If you are considering PBS for yourself, a family member or someone you support, the first step is to understand the person’s current needs and what they would like to achieve.

It can help to gather relevant information about existing supports, recent incidents, communication needs, health considerations and situations that are particularly difficult.

You do not need to arrive with a complete explanation of why a behaviour occurs. Understanding that is part of the assessment process.

At Disability and Nursing Solutions (DANS), the focus is on person-centred Positive Behaviour Support that considers the individual behind the behaviour and the practical circumstances affecting everyday life.

If you would like to discuss whether specialist behaviour support may be appropriate, you can contact DANS to explore the next steps and referral process.

Make a Referral: https://dansolutions.com.au/make-a-referral/

Contact DANS: https://dansolutions.com.au/contact-us/