Positive Behaviour Supports
Positive Behaviour Support is an evidence-based approach with the goal of increasing a person’s quality of life. This is achieved by promoting physical, social, community and economic strategies that maintain positive behaviour. Whilst working with families and support systems to develop a shared understanding about why the person has a need to engage in maladaptive behaviours. Creating different strategies to promote positive behaviours, such as:
- Changing the response or effect of maladaptive behaviours to promote more positive behaviours,
- Adapting the person’s routine to increase participation and satisfaction in activities and relationships,
- Making environmental changes,
- Helping raise awareness of thoughts and emotions, and the link to behaviour,
- Improving capacity to communicate wants and needs effectively.
What is the role of an Allay Occupational Therapist?
To provide behaviour support services Allay behaviour specialists:
- Conduct comprehensive assessments relevant to the person’s presenting needs and circumstances,
- Develop and implement evidence-based positive behaviour support programs,
- Deliver training and consultation to formal and informal supports
- Promote physical, social, community and economic strategies that support and maintain positive behaviour.
The process will ensure that we look holistically at the person including their every day activities, relationships, environment, and emotional needs. We will consult family, friends, supports, and other professionals involved with interviews, data gathering, observations and evaluation.
Providing intervention and behaviour support plans that are highly responsive to needs and build strategies for prevention and building quality of life. Regularly reviewing them to reduce the impact of difficult behaviours and build positive behaviours. This process will also guide goal planning and further behaviour support intervention.
Who might see an Allay Occupational Therapist for Behaviour Support?
Positive behaviour support is applicable to all people; it can support to children or adults, with and without disability and for people in a range of settings. It is applicable to all people with difficult behaviours, regardless of cognitive functioning or disability.
Seeing an Allay Occupational Therapist may be beneficial for people whom have difficulty adjusting or modulating their behaviour, with impact on engagement in activities such as day programs or school, in relationships with friends and family or accessing the community. Aiming to build positive behaviours and create behaviour support plans that look holistically at the person, their activities and environments.
Under the NDIS, Allay Occupational Therapists are all Registered Behaviour Support Practitioners
What is the background to Behaviour Support?
We take Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) principals as our foundation approach, supplemented by Occupational Therapy principles in everyday activities, sensory processing and the environment.
Research supports the benefit of expanding behavioural responses, systems and environments to enhance firstly quality of life and secondly minimising difficult behaviours. Guiding therapists to assess and collect daily living data and solve problems with clients and their supports.
This unique combination of knowledge within behaviour support and occupational therapy, allows evidence based and innovative assessment and intervention that promotes adaptive and positive alternatives to behaviours that impact on participation and satisfaction. Guiding the person and their supports in forming positive habits that can improve long-term health and wellbeing.
