Positive Behaviour Support Strategies: What They Are and How They Work
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) strategies are designed to help people build skills, improve communication and experience a better quality of life while reducing behaviours of concern in a safe and respectful way. Rather than focusing only on behaviour itself, behavioural support strategies look at the underlying factors influencing behaviour and use practical strategies to create supportive environments that promote wellbeing, independence and participation.
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) strategies are practical, evidence-based approaches designed to improve a person’s quality of life while reducing behaviours of concern. Rather than focusing on ‘stopping’ behaviour, PBS looks at the reasons behind it and identifies ways to build skills, increase independence and create supportive environments that help the person thrive.
At Outcomes Connect, all strategies are person-centred and tailored to the individual. This means recommendations are based on a comprehensive assessment of the participant’s strengths, goals, communication style, environment, relationships and daily experiences.
Strategies to support positive behaviour may include improving communication, adjusting routines or environments, teaching new coping skills or supporting caregivers and support teams to respond consistently and positively.
Proactive and Reactive: The Two Categories of Behaviour Support Plan Strategies
A comprehensive Positive Behaviour Support plan typically includes two broad categories of strategies: proactive strategies and reactive strategies. Both play an important role in supporting a participant’s safety, wellbeing, communication and long-term development.
Proactive Strategies
Proactive strategies are preventative approaches designed to reduce the likelihood of behaviours of concern occurring in the first place. These strategies focus on understanding what a participant needs to feel safe, understood, supported and engaged in their daily life.
Within a PBS framework, proactive strategies may involve:
Creating predictable routines and environments
Supporting communication and emotional expression
Teaching new skills and coping strategies
Building positive relationships and social connections
Adjusting expectations or environments to reduce stressors
Encouraging participation, choice and independence
These behaviour support strategies are highly individualised and draw on assessment findings, the participant’s strengths and the factors influencing their behaviour. The goal is to improve the quality of life while reducing the need for restrictive or crisis-based responses.
Reactive Strategies
Reactive strategies are the planned responses used when behaviours of concern occur. These strategies aim to keep the participant and others safe while reducing distress and preventing situations from escalating further.
Reactive strategies outline clear, consistent responses for families, support workers, educators and other members of the participant’s support network. Importantly, reactive strategies should always follow the principle of least restrictive response. This means the first responses used should be the least intrusive and least restrictive options available, with a strong focus on de-escalation, safety and preserving the participant’s dignity.
Reactive strategies may include:
Calm and consistent communication
Redirection or offering choices
Reducing environmental triggers
Allowing space and time for regulation
Clear safety procedures where required
Within PBS, reactive strategies are not intended to punish or control behaviour. Instead, they provide safe and respectful guidance for responding to challenging situations while continuing to support the participant’s wellbeing and rights.
Using both proactive and reactive behavioural support strategies helps create a balanced approach. It allows participants to develop greater independence and emotional regulation while ensuring everyone involved understands how to respond in ways that are respectful, safe and aligned with the participant’s needs and goals.
Examples of Positive Behaviour Support Strategies
Below are some common examples of strategies used to support positive behaviour across home, school, community and supported living environments:
Environmental Modifications
Adjusting the physical or social environment is often one of the most immediate and effective proactive behaviour support strategies available. By identifying and reducing triggers before a participant becomes overwhelmed or distressed, environmental modifications can help create a calmer, safer and more supportive experience.
Environmental changes may involve reducing noise or visual clutter, providing access to quiet spaces, changing seating arrangements, adjusting expectations or creating more structured environments. Social environments can also be modified by improving communication styles, increasing consistency between support staff or reducing stressful interactions.
Examples may include:
Providing noise-cancelling headphones in loud environments
Creating a quiet sensory space for regulation and downtime
Using clear visual signage or labels to improve independence
Teaching Communication and Functional Skills
Many behaviours of concern are forms of communication. When a person struggles to express needs, emotions, discomfort or preferences effectively, behaviours may develop as a way to communicate those experiences.
Teaching functional communication alternatives can reduce the need for behaviours of concern by giving participants more effective and reliable ways to express themselves. This may involve using an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device, visual communication board, keyword signs, gestures or verbal communication supports.
Skill-building within PBS also focuses on:
Emotional regulation strategies
Coping skills
Problem-solving skills
Social interaction skills
Requesting help or breaks appropriately
Examples may include:
Teaching a participant to request a break using a visual card
Using an AAC device to communicate needs during stressful situations
Practising calming strategies such as breathing exercises or movement breaks
Building Predictable Routines and Visual Supports
Clear and consistent routines can significantly reduce anxiety and uncertainty by helping participants understand what to expect throughout the day. Predictability often supports emotional regulation, smoother transitions and greater independence.
Visual supports are commonly used within behaviour support strategies because they provide information in a way that is easier to process and remember. These supports can improve communication, reduce frustration and increase confidence in daily activities.
Examples may include:
Using a visual timetable to outline daily routines
Providing countdowns or transition warnings before changes in activity
Creating step-by-step visual guides for tasks such as getting ready or packing a bag
Positive Reinforcement of Alternative Behaviours
Positive reinforcement involves encouraging and strengthening behaviours. When a participant experiences positive outcomes after using an alternative behaviour or skill, they are more likely to use that behaviour again in the future.
Importantly, reinforcement must be meaningful to the individual. What feels rewarding or motivating will vary from person to person, so strategies should always reflect the participant’s interests, preferences and goals.
Examples may include:
Praising a participant for using words or visuals to communicate frustration
Providing access to a preferred activity after completing a difficult task
Celebrating small achievements to build confidence and engagement
Sensory Support Strategies
For many participants, particularly those with sensory processing differences, behaviours of concern may be linked to sensory experiences that feel overwhelming, uncomfortable or unmet. Sensory support strategies aim to better understand these needs, creating environments where the participant feels regulated, comfortable and safe.
Sensory strategies may involve adjusting the environment, introducing calming sensory activities or providing access to tools and supports that assist with self-regulation.
Examples may include:
Access to fidget tools or sensory items during activities
Movement breaks throughout the day
Adjusting lighting, sound, or textures within the environment
Creating calming sensory routines during stressful transitions
How Behaviour Support Strategies Are Developed Through Assessment
Effective Positive Behaviour Support strategies are developed through a thorough understanding of why behaviours of concern are occurring and what the person may be communicating through those behaviours. This process is guided by a detailed Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA), which helps identify the function or purpose behind a behaviour.
Rather than viewing behaviour in isolation, an FBA looks at the broader context surrounding the participant’s experiences. This may include:
Communication needs
Environmental triggers
Sensory experiences
Daily routines and transitions
Relationships and social interactions
Physical and emotional wellbeing
Skill development needs
Understanding the function of behaviour allows practitioners to develop strategies that are targeted, meaningful and effective for the individual. For example, when a participant uses behaviour to communicate feelings of overwhelm or to avoid difficult situations, behaviour practitioners may focus on improving communication supports, adjusting environmental demands or teaching coping and regulation skills.
Behaviour support strategies are also shaped by the participant’s environment and the people around them. Families, carers, educators, support workers and allied health professionals all play an important role in creating consistency and supporting successful outcomes across different settings.
Over time, another important outcome is the reduction of restrictive practices through the use of proactive, person-centred strategies that better support the participant’s communication, safety and wellbeing.
FAQs on Positive Behaviour Support Strategies
How long does it take for Positive Behaviour Support strategies to work?
The timeframe for strategies to support positive behaviour and produce meaningful outcomes can vary significantly from person to person. Some participants may experience improvements relatively quickly, while others may require a longer-term and more gradual approach.
Several factors can influence how effective behaviour support plan strategies are over time, including:
The complexity of the participant’s needs
How consistently are strategies implemented across environments
The participant’s communication and support needs
How well the strategies match the identified function of the behaviour
The level of collaboration between families, carers, educators and support teams
PBS focuses on sustainable, long-term change rather than quick fixes. Building new skills, improving communication and creating supportive environments often takes time, consistency and ongoing review.
Can behaviour support strategies be used at home?
Yes. Positive Behaviour Support strategies are specifically designed to be used within everyday environments where participants live, learn and interact. Home is often one of the most important settings for implementing strategies, as it is where routines and relationships naturally occur.
Depending on the participant’s needs, strategies may also be used across:
School or educational settings
Community activities
Supported accommodation environments
Workplace or vocational settings
Using consistent strategies across different environments can help reduce confusion, improve emotional regulation and support more meaningful long-term outcomes. Families, carers, educators and support workers are often actively involved in implementing strategies and supporting skill development in daily life.
What happens when a behaviour support strategy is not working?
PBS strategies are regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure they are helping the participant achieve meaningful outcomes. Practitioners use ongoing data collection, observations, feedback from support networks and regular check-ins to assess whether strategies are effective and appropriate.
If a strategy is not producing the expected results, the plan is reviewed rather than simply repeated. This may involve:
Reassessing the function of the behaviour
Identifying additional environmental triggers or unmet needs
Adjusting communication supports or routines
Introducing new skill-building strategies
Increasing consistency across support environments
PBS is an ongoing and collaborative process, and strategies should evolve alongside the participant’s needs, goals, strengths and daily experiences to ensure that support remains person-centred and effective over time.PBS strategies are regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure they are helping the participant achieve meaningful outcomes. Practitioners use ongoing data collection, observations, feedback from support networks and regular check-ins to assess whether strategies are effective and appropriate.
If a strategy is not producing the expected results, the plan is reviewed rather than simply repeated. This may involve:
Reassessing the function of the behaviour
Identifying additional environmental triggers or unmet needs
Adjusting communication supports or routines
Introducing new skill-building strategies
Increasing consistency across support environments
PBS is an ongoing and collaborative process, and strategies should evolve alongside the participant’s needs, goals, strengths and daily experiences to ensure that support remains person-centred and effective over time.
Putting Positive Behaviour Support Strategies Into Practice
Effective examples of Positive Behaviour Support strategies in disability are never about controlling behaviour. They are about understanding the person, improving quality of life and creating environments where participants feel supported and empowered to succeed. When strategies are tailored to the individual and implemented consistently across home, school and community settings, they can support meaningful long-term outcomes for both participants and their support networks.
At Outcomes Connect, our practitioners work collaboratively with participants, families, carers, educators and support teams to develop safe, practical strategies.
If you would like to learn more about behaviour support plan strategies or to discuss how our team can support you or someone you care for, you can submit a referral or contact us today to speak with a member of our team.
