Five fast facts about Positive Behaviour Support on the Gold Coast

Melody Dexter

Positive Behaviour Support is now easier to access on the Gold Coast! We support NDIS participants throughout Queensland, from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Ipswich through to Hervey Bay, Cairns and Townsville. If you’re ready to make a referral for Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) on the Gold Coast, you’re always welcome to jump into our online referral form to get the ball rolling and we’ll be with you every step of the way.

If you live on the Gold Coast and would like to learn more about Positive Behaviour Support, read on to find out more.

Five fast facts about Positive Behaviour Support on the Gold Coast:

1. Positive Behaviour Support focuses on positive alternatives and prevention

All behaviour is communication — this means that behaviours of concern are a method of communicating. Through Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), we seek to teach more positive ways of communicating and also consider what we can do to prevent behaviours of concern from occurring.

For example, if you’re a parent of a child who is nonverbal, and they consistently push their meals off the table, we consider what they are trying to communicate.

Your PBS practitioner might:

use a communication book to ask your child what they are trying to communicate;
request a dental or GP check up, to check for any medical reasons or to assess if pain might be making meal times challenging; and/or
ask you to keep a chart of when the meals are pushed off the table, which meals are pushed off the table and what type of food is being offered.

Through observations, assessments and interviews, we can then respectfully guess why they are pushing their meals off the table, and suggest positive alternatives and how to prevent this behaviour.

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2. Positive alternatives might include communication strategies, skill-building or environmental modifications

Behaviours of concern and positive alternatives will vary greatly with each individual. One common factor in Positive Behaviour Support is that positive alternatives often include teaching communication strategies, new skills and recommending changes to a person’s environment.

Using our earlier example, if your child was trying to communicate that they would prefer to choose their own meal, we might help you create a communication board with meal choices and teach your child and family members how to use this board. Here’s an example of our communication book and here’s an example of a meal time communication board.

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3. Collaboration is pivotal as we gather information

Research shows that working collaboratively with a person’s support network is an essential part of an effective Behaviour Support Plan. We work collaboratively as we collect information for each person’s Behaviour Support Plan. With your consent, we contact members of a person’s support team, such as other family members, support workers, GPs, teachers, doctors and allied health providers such as occupational therapists and speech therapists. We might ask for reports, conduct interviews or seek assistance in collecting data.

In our example above, family members, the GP and dentist all play a key part in helping identify why your child might be pushing meals off the table.

Our behaviour support practitioners work with a person’s support team regardless of where they’re located. If they’re on the Gold Coast, we can easily meet in person, or alternatively we can communicate through phone calls, video calls and/or email.

4. Implementation is a team effort

Implementing recommendations in a Behaviour Support Plan is a team effort. When funding allows, we provide training and guidance on how to put a plan into action. This can take various forms, such as in-person or video demonstrations, in-person training with accommodation providers, or even the provision of customised resources.

5. Support can take time

Ideally, eventually, a person will no longer need Positive Behaviour Support — eventually you will not need our services — this is a sign of successful Positive Behaviour Support. We work with a number of NDIS participants who are working through their second, third or fourth Behaviour Support Plan, and we can see a tangible difference in their lives, and in the lives of the important people in their lives, such as family. Disability and behaviours of concern can be complex; by measuring the effectiveness of our work, we can review and refine Behaviour Support Plans and recommendations to ensure the best outcome possible for our clients.

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About Positive Behaviour Support on the Gold Coast

We provide Positive Behaviour Support in many parts of the Gold Coast, from Coomera and Paradise Point, to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, Carrara, Southport and south at Burleigh Heads.

One of the benefits of our service is that we come to you! Your PBS practitioner will travel to a location of your choice, such as your home, workplace, school or day program. We can even include family members and support members who are not in the same location, through phone and video calls.

How to access Positive Behaviour Support on the Gold Coast

If you live on the Gold Coast and you’d like to benefit from Positive Behaviour Support, make an online referral on our website. Our referral form will ask for information such as contact details, diagnosis and about the behaviours which are causing concern.

Our team will be with you every step of the way, assisting with paperwork, helping source important information and communicating with you until you are matched with a behaviour support practitioner. From there, your PBS practitioner will contact you within five days of being allocated to work with you and will be in regular contact throughout your PBS journey.

If you have any questions about Positive Behaviour Support, you are more than welcome to contact us on 1300 694 625 or by using our contact form.

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