Autism and Behaviour

Behaviour is communication.

Sometimes, when there’s a mismatch between supports, environments and the needs of a person, challenging or concerning behaviours can arise.

Positive Behaviour Support can help.

What is Positive Behaviour Support?

Behaviours of concern occur for a reason. Often times, it is a method of communication for important information about a person’s stress, needs and skill development. When people are unable to communicate easily or are misunderstood, behaviour becomes a necessary way of communicating.

Positive Behaviour Support, or PBS, aims to understand why behaviours of concern occur.

Learn more

Watch this video to learn more about Positive Behaviour Support.

Aspect’s approach to PBS

We employ registered Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners to help support people on the autism spectrum, their families and carers.

Our PBS Practitioners seek to understand behaviours of concern from multiple perspectives. They then work with the person, person's family and support network to develop goals for meaningful change.

Our Practitioners also work with the person’s support staff, such as teachers and allied health professionals (e.g. occupational therapists and speech pathologists), to understand and develop a PBS support plan.

Aspect PBS works alongside Autistic people and their support networks to understand what the behaviours are telling us. We then develop a Behaviour Support Plan, adapt environments and build skills that support safety, wellbeing and quality of life.

This allows the Autistic person to feel more understood and able to communicate their needs, and their support network to be empowered and equipped to assist them.

Additional Services

Functional Behaviour Assessments

Our PBS practitioners provide Functional Behaviour Assessments. These assessments observe why the behaviours of concern are occurring, and identify important information about the person’s stressors and unmet needs. The assessment informs safety planning and positive outcomes, developed in collaboration with the person and their support network.

PBS Screening Clinic

If you are currently seeking behaviour support but do not have NDIS funding under “Behaviour Support” or “Improved Relationships”, Aspect runs an online screening clinic. A report and initial strategies are also provided which can be helpful for participants, families, teachers and their support network, in order to seek funding from the NDIS.

The online sessions are facilitated by NDIS registered behaviour support practitioners.

Intake form and fees

Additional resources

Browse these helpful resources on PBS and PDA (pathological demand avoidance) to learn more about our approach. These information sheet and podcasts are grounded in our experience delivering autism-specific supports, and developed in consultation with people on the autism spectrum.