What are Behaviour Support services and how can they help?

If you or someone you care for is struggling with challenging behaviours, you can use your NDIS plan to access behaviour support services. Behaviour support services aim to increase quality of life and decrease behaviours of concern.

What is a behaviour of concern?

A behaviour of concern, sometimes called a ‘challenging behaviour’, can be any kind of behaviour that negatively impacts a person’s quality of life and/or those around them. Concerning behaviours can differ in severity and affect a person’s wellbeing and safety, the people around that and/or their physical environment.

It is important to know that a behaviour doesn’t have to be severe or ‘bad enough’ before reaching out for support. If you have any concerns about a behaviour, getting support early can make a big difference.

What is Positive Behaviour Support?

Behaviour support aims to improve the quality of a person’s life through understanding why the person is using behaviours that are of concern for themselves, or those around them.  Everything happens for a reason, and the concerning behaviour is one way of communicating what is happening for a person – inside and out. At Interaction, we use ‘Positive Behaviour Support’ which is an evidence-based approach, that aims to increase the quality of life and decrease the frequency and severity of behaviours.

How does Positive Behaviour Support help?

Positive Behaviour Support works towards:

• Helping a person understand their daily life, using clearer ways of communicating
• Changing a person’s environment to make it work better
• Improving a person’s lifestyle so they have enjoyable activities to keep them involved and motivated
• Educating and training a person’s support network/carers to provide more effective supports and encouragement

What do Behaviour Support services look like?

Behaviour support services vary from person to person and are specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of each participant. Examples of behaviour support services include:

• Advice, support and consultation relating to behavioural and/or psychological difficulties
• Provision of ongoing 1:1 therapeutic support, this can include assisting with social skills, emotional regulation (anxiety, stress and anger), and communication skills.

What do I need to access Behaviour Support Services?

To access services from Interaction’s Behaviour & Allied Health Services team, a participant needs to be NDIS funded for Capacity Building under their ‘Improved Relationships’ or ‘Improved Daily Living’ in their NDIS plan.

There are two support items participants can ask for under the Improved Relationships:

• Specialist Behavioural Intervention Support; and
• Behaviour Management Plan, training in management strategies

Some of the services and activities that can be offered under improved relationship include:

• Behaviour Assessment (and Report)
• Development of plans such as a: Behaviour Intervention & Support Plan (BISP)
• Restricted Practices Authorisation (RPA) processes
• Training in any plans or related skills/knowledge.

Improved Daily Living provides funding for therapy and counselling services.

Get in touch below to learn more about what our Behaviour and Allied Health Services clinicians can offer, and how you can use your NDIS funding to get support for challenging behaviours.