Your Positive Path · NDIS Positive Behaviour Support
Positive Behaviour Support
Understanding behaviour, building skills, and supporting a better quality of life.
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is a person-centred approach that focuses on understanding why behaviours happen and what a person may be communicating through them. At Your Positive Path, we support children, young adults and adults with disability, including people with Autism and other support needs, to better understand their individual needs, identify triggers, build practical skills, and develop strategies that support communication, emotional regulation, independence and everyday participation.
Our approach looks beyond the behaviour itself. We work to understand the person, their environment, their strengths and their needs so that support strategies are practical, respectful and meaningful.
What Is Positive Behaviour Support?
Understanding the Person Behind the Behaviour
Positive Behaviour Support is an evidence-informed, person-centred approach to understanding and supporting behaviours that may be affecting a person’s wellbeing, safety, relationships or participation in everyday life. Rather than simply focusing on stopping a behaviour, Positive Behaviour Support looks at why the behaviour may be happening and what the person may be trying to communicate or achieve.
Behaviour can sometimes be linked to communication difficulties, sensory needs, emotional distress, changes in routine, environmental factors, frustration or other unmet needs. Understanding these factors can help identify more appropriate ways to support the person. Positive Behaviour Support focuses on:
- Understanding the reasons behind behaviours
- Identifying triggers and environmental factors
- Supporting communication
- Developing emotional regulation skills
- Building independence
- Teaching alternative and practical skills
- Supporting participation in everyday activities
- Helping families and carers respond consistently
- Improving wellbeing and quality of life
The aim is not simply to make a behaviour disappear. The focus is on understanding the individual and helping them develop skills and supports that make everyday life more manageable and meaningful.
- Focuses on stopping the behaviour
- Uses consequences to discourage behaviour
- Manages the problem in the moment
- Centres the comfort of others
- Views the person as "the problem"
- Focuses on understanding why the behaviour is happening
- Builds skills so the person has better ways to meet their needs
- Addresses root causes and prevention over time
- Centres the quality of life of the person
- Views the environment and unmet needs as the starting point
“The goal of positive behaviour support isn’t a quieter room. It’s a fuller life.”
Who Can Benefit From Behaviour Support?
Support Tailored to Different Ages, Needs and Circumstances
Children
Children who are struggling to communicate their needs, manage big emotions, or participate in daily activities and routines.
Adolescents
Teenagers navigating school, friendships, identity, and independence with the added complexity of a disability or mental health challenge.
Young adults
People transitioning into adult life who are finding that the supports that worked during school don't quite fit anymore.
Adults
Adults with disability, mental health challenges, or acquired conditions who want to build skills and reduce behaviours that are limiting their participation in life.
People with disability
People with intellectual disability, autism, acquired brain injury, or psychosocial disability who experience behaviours of concern.
Families & carers
Families and carers who want to understand the person they support better and respond in ways that are consistent, effective, and kind.
A note on language: Behaviour support is often associated with autism — and while it is absolutely relevant and helpful for many autistic people, autism and “challenging behaviour” are not the same thing. Many autistic people do not experience behaviours of concern. And many people who do experience behaviours of concern are not autistic. We approach each person as an individual, not a diagnostic category.
Behaviour Support for Autism
Neurodiversity-Affirming Support That Starts With Understanding
For autistic people, behaviour can sometimes be influenced by sensory differences, communication barriers, changes in routine, environmental demands or difficulty managing overwhelming situations.
Positive Behaviour Support for Autism should recognise these individual differences rather than treating Autism itself as something that needs to be changed.
At Your Positive Path, our approach focuses on understanding the individual, respecting their communication and needs, and supporting skills that can improve their wellbeing, independence and participation.
Supporting the Person, Not Changing Who They Are
Positive Behaviour Support should not be about making an autistic person appear more neurotypical.
The focus is instead on helping the person communicate their needs, feel understood, navigate their environment, build useful skills and participate in life in ways that work for them.
Success may look different for every person. It could mean greater independence, improved communication, more confidence, better emotional regulation, increased participation or reduced distress.
Behaviour Support for Young Adults
Supporting Independence During the Transition to Adulthood
Moving from adolescence into adulthood can bring new expectations and responsibilities. For young people with disability, this transition can also involve changes to education, employment, relationships, routines and support systems.
Positive Behaviour Support can help young adults develop practical skills and strategies that support greater independence and participation.
- Emotional regulation
- Managing frustration and distress
- Communication skills
- Building healthy relationships
- Developing daily routines
- Managing changes and uncertainty
- Community participation
- Practical life skills
- Developing independence
- Understanding and expressing personal needs
- Building confidence in everyday situations
Our approach recognises that becoming independent does not mean doing everything alone. The goal is to identify the right level of support while helping the young person develop skills and confidence over time.
Research consistently shows that outcomes for people with disability improve significantly when transition-to-adulthood support is well planned and individualised. Without it, many young adults experience a sharp decline in participation, mental health, and quality of life as they age out of paediatric and school-based systems.
Our behaviour support for young adults in Melbourne’s western suburbs — including Melton, Tarneit, Werribee, and surrounding areas — specifically targets this gap. We don’t treat young adults like big children, and we don’t expect them to navigate adulthood without support. We meet them where they are.
- Parents navigating shifting roles as their child moves toward independence
- Families concerned about safety, decision-making, and risk
- Carers who want to support independence without doing everything for the person
Understanding Behaviours of Concern
Looking Beyond the Behaviour to Understand the Need
The term behaviours of concern can refer to behaviours that may cause significant difficulty, distress or risk for the person or those around them. Examples may include:
- Physical aggression
- Self-injurious behaviour
- Property destruction
- Unsafe wandering or leaving an environment
- Verbal aggression
- Behaviours that significantly restrict participation
- Other behaviours that create safety or wellbeing concerns
There may be underlying factors contributing to the behaviour, such as:
Communication Difficulties
A person may have difficulty communicating what they need, want, feel or do not understand.
Sensory Needs
Noise, crowds, lighting, touch or other sensory experiences may become overwhelming.
Emotional Distress
Anxiety, frustration, fear or difficulty regulating emotions can influence behaviour.
Environmental Factors
Changes in routine, unfamiliar environments, demands or lack of predictability may make situations more difficult.
Unmet Needs
Physical discomfort, fatigue, hunger, lack of connection or other unmet needs may contribute to behaviour.
Common questions about positive behaviour support
Frequently Asked Questions
Every Person Deserves to Be Understood, Not Just Managed
Positive Behaviour Support starts with understanding the person, their needs and what may be behind their behaviour. If you or someone you support is experiencing behaviours of concern, difficulties with emotional regulation, communication challenges or barriers to everyday participation, we’re here to help you explore the right support.