Catalyst Therapy does not write Positive Behaviour Support Plans.
We can support people who use their behaviour to communicate as part of their clinical team.
About positive behaviour support
Positive behaviour support is recognised as the evidence based, best practice approach for working with people with disabilities who use challenging behaviour.
The focus of positive behaviour support is on providing strategies that increase opportunities and quality of life while addressing the factors that maintain the need for the person to use challenging behaviours.
Positive behaviour support works long term because it builds skills and does not just try to eliminate the behaviour. To do this I focus on four main areas.
The focus of positive behaviour support is on providing strategies that increase opportunities and quality of life while addressing the factors that maintain the need for the person to use challenging behaviours.
Positive behaviour support works long term because it builds skills and does not just try to eliminate the behaviour. To do this I focus on four main areas.
The four areas addressed in Positive Behaviour Support
What needs to change in the environment?
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What skills can we teach?
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How can we focus on the behaviour directly?
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What is our plan to keep everyone safe if the behaviour occurs?
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Principles of Positive Behaviour Support
Challenging behaviours happen for a reason.
Challenging behaviour communicates an unmet need for the young person. Challenging behaviours evolved because they met a need – either now or in the past. Sometimes challenging behaviours hang around, even when they no longer effectively meet a need.
Understand what is communicated through the behaviour and teach strategies that replace the behaviour.
When we understand the purpose of the behaviour we can teach skills that serve the same purpose.
For example; a child who when overwhelmed in the classroom will yell and throw item , we can replace this behaviour with a card saying "I need a break" which serves the same purpose and teaches important skills.
For example; a child who when overwhelmed in the classroom will yell and throw item , we can replace this behaviour with a card saying "I need a break" which serves the same purpose and teaches important skills.
Use positive strategies that work long term.
Positive behaviour support focuses on positive strategies that help a young person develop skills.
We can help people develop a range of life skills including skills in coping with waiting, dealing with change and communicating better socially. These skills help them develop and replace the need for the challenging behaviour to occur and result in long term behaviour change.
We can help people develop a range of life skills including skills in coping with waiting, dealing with change and communicating better socially. These skills help them develop and replace the need for the challenging behaviour to occur and result in long term behaviour change.
Don't focus on punishment... it usually doesn't work.
Punishment for behaviour is frequently ineffective for people with disabilities as they may not understand what they are being punished. It just doesn't work.
Punishment can stop us from being the parents we want to be. We can support you and your child to learn new communication skills so that together we can achieve long term change.
Punishment can stop us from being the parents we want to be. We can support you and your child to learn new communication skills so that together we can achieve long term change.
Focus on individual needs and strengths.
Every person is unique and individual. Each individual also has a family or support system that is unique and special in different ways.
Positive behaviour support acknowledges these differences and uses the strengths that are there in all people to develop solutions that are individualised and work.
Positive behaviour support acknowledges these differences and uses the strengths that are there in all people to develop solutions that are individualised and work.
Teach communication skills to replace challenging behaviour.
People with a disability often have impairments in communication, social skills and problem solving. Fewer options mean that they are more likely to use challenging behaviour to communicate their unmet needs.
We teach skills that are meaningful and relevant to the person so that the need to use behaviour as the primary means of communication goes away.
We teach skills that are meaningful and relevant to the person so that the need to use behaviour as the primary means of communication goes away.
Who is positive behaviour support used with?
Positive behaviour support can be used with any child, young person or adult who finds that their behaviour is impacting on their ability to participate meaningfully in their life.
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