The quality of a Positive Behaviour Support Plan depends on the assessment it is based on. Before developing a strategy, Behaviour Support Practitioners need a clear understanding of why behaviours of concern occur and the factors influencing them, as well as the participant’s strengths, priorities and goals.
To do this, practitioners use a combination of behaviour assessment tools.
In this article, we look at:
- Why behavioural assessment tools matter for NDIS participants
- Indirect assessment tools
- Direct assessment tools
- How assessment tools feed into a Behaviour Support Plan
- Can assessment tools be used again after a support plan is in place?
Why Behavioural Assessment Tools Matter for NDIS Participants
Often, behaviours of concern are a form of communication. Instead of focusing on the behaviour itself, Positive Behaviour Support looks at the unmet needs, challenges or environmental factors that the behaviour is expressing. Such behaviours could relate to communication difficulties, sensory issues, emotional regulation, physical discomfort, situation demands or limited access to preferred activities.
Beyond responding to the behaviour, assessment tools help practitioners to determine these underlying factors. While no single assessment tool provides a complete picture, practitioners gather information from multiple sources. This may involve:
- Interviews with the participant and their family
- Discussions with carers, educators and support workers
- A review of existing reports
- Direct observations in home, school or community settings
From this information, practitioners have clarity on the participant’s strengths and support requirements, and this evidence-based approach is what forms a highly effective PBS plan. It is also consistent with the NDIS Commission’s Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework, which highlights the importance of a comprehensive, person-centred assessment to inform safe and effective support.
Indirect Assessment Tools
Indirect assessment tools are used to collect information about participants without directly observing their behaviour. Practitioners learn about the participant’s history, communication, routines, relationships and the contexts where behaviours are most likely to occur.
Practitioners draw on information from participants, families, carers, educators, support workers and existing documentation to develop a broad knowledge of the participant’s experiences. These insights are a critical part of a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA), a tool that is used to prepare positive behaviour strategies that look at the cause and not the behaviour itself.
Interviews and Structured Conversations
One of the first steps in an indirect assessment is meeting with the participant and their closest contacts. Behaviour support practitioners conduct structured conversations with them and, where appropriate, with the participant, to form a detailed account of their daily life.
These discussions explore areas such as:
- Communication style and preferences
- Daily routines and surroundings
- Strengths, interests and goals
- Factors that appear to trigger or follow behaviours of concern
- Present support strategies and their effectiveness
The goal is to recognise behaviours of concern in relation to the participant’s everyday experiences, not just viewing incidents in isolation.
Record Review
Behaviour Support Practitioners also review existing documentation on the participant’s history and areas requiring support. Looking at previous records can reveal patterns and important contextual information that would be difficult or impossible to identify through current observations alone.
Depending on the participant, the review might include:
- Previous Behaviour Support Plans
- Medical or allied health reports
- School reports or education plans
- Incident reports and behaviour records
- NDIS documentation and previous assessments
Examining these records also allows practitioners to see which strategies have been implemented previously, how effective they were and whether additional approaches may be required, instead of repeating interventions that have already proved ineffective.
Rating Scales and Questionnaires
Structured rating scales and questionnaires are another useful source in the assessment process. Practitioners can collect information in a standardised way across individuals and contexts, which allows them to identify common patterns and themes.
Importantly, these are not diagnostic tools and do not provide a definitive explanation as to why a behaviour occurs. Instead, they are used to produce hypotheses about the potential function of a behaviour based on the responses of people who know the participant well. These are then explored further through direct observation and other assessment methods.
By combining rating scales with interviews, record reviews and behavioural observations, practitioners have a more accurate perspective of the participant and can design evidence-based strategies that are tailored to their needs.
Direct Assessment Tools
Indirect assessment tools provide useful background information, but direct assessment tools enable practitioners to observe participants’ behaviour in the natural context of their lives, such as home, school, workplace, supported accommodation or community settings. In these different circumstances, practitioners can gain a better understanding of the situations, interactions and environmental factors associated with these behaviours of concern.
Instead of making assumptions, practitioners can test the data gathered through interviews, record reviews and questionnaires.
ABC Data Collection
ABC data collection is one of the most commonly used behaviour assessment tools in Positive Behaviour Support. It records three key parts of an event:
- Antecedent – what happened immediately before the behaviour
- Behaviour – a clear, objective description of exactly what the participant did
- Consequence – what happened immediately after the behaviour
By looking at these three aspects together, practitioners can identify patterns and gain a sense of what might be influencing or maintaining a behaviour.
Families, carers and support workers can also assist with the ABC data collection in between practitioner visits. With support and training from the practitioner, they record observations in a consistent way that provides useful information across different settings and times of the day.
For example, a parent might have said to the child, ‘stop playing a game and do homework’ before the behaviour occurred (antecedent). The child then threw their school bag and screamed (this is the behaviour). The homework was delayed while the parent calmed the situation (consequence). When similar patterns are recorded over time, the practitioner can identify common triggers and put together strategies that better support the participant.
Scatter Plots
Unlike ABC data collection, which focuses on individual incidents, scatter plots identify longer-term patterns by recording when and where behaviours occur.
A scatter plot could show that a participant regularly becomes distressed during the last lesson of the school day or after arriving home in the afternoon. Recognising these recurring patterns allows the practitioner to investigate possible contributing factors, like fatigue or changes in routine, and establish strategies to support the participant during those times.
Descriptive Observation and Narrative Recording
Alongside structured assessment tools, behaviour support practitioners also complete descriptive observations, which are sometimes referred to as ‘narrative recordings’. These written observations provide detailed accounts of what the practitioner sees before, during and after a participant’s behaviour, including the surrounding environment, their interactions and their responses.
Unlike structured data collection, narrative recording captures the broader context of an event and identifies subtle factors that influence that behaviour, such as changes in communication, body language, sensory experiences or social interactions.
Say during a classroom observation, a practitioner notes that a participant became increasingly unsettled as noise levels rose, began covering their ears, attempted to leave the room and became distressed when prevented from doing so. Recording these details contributes to a more complete evaluation of the participant’s experience and supports the development of practical, person-centred behaviour support strategies.
How Assessment Tools Feed into a Behaviour Support Plan
The information gathered through behaviour assessment tools directly shapes what appears in a behaviour support plan. Interviews, record reviews, rating scales, ABC data, scatter plots and direct observations all ensure the practitioner gets why the behaviours of concern are occurring and what support the participant requires.
Both indirect and direct assessment data are brought together in a Functional Behaviour Assessment.
The Functional Behaviour Assessment is a tool that identifies the behaviour in the settings where it is most likely to occur, and then strategies can be implemented to support positive change.
Guided by the Functional Behaviour Assessment tool, these findings are then used to create a tailored behaviour support plan. The plan may include communication supports, environmental changes, skill-building strategies, proactive supports and safe response strategies for families, carers and support teams.
Can assessment tools be used again after a support plan is in place?
Yes. A behavioural assessment is not a one-off. Tools such as ABC data collection, scatter plots and direct observations are often used after a behaviour support plan has been put in place to monitor if strategies are working.
Practitioners can review progress and identify new patterns through ongoing assessment. This means the plan can continue to reflect the participant’s current challenges and surroundings, rather than staying fixed if their circumstances change.
Talk to Outcomes Connect About Behavioural Assessment
At Outcomes Connect, our practitioners use a range of evidence-based behavioural assessment tools.
If you would like to learn more about our assessment process, make a referral or contact our team. We are always happy to answer your questions.