Behaviour Support Is All About Asking The Right Question

In Positive Behaviour Support, the questions we ask matter just as much as the strategies we write. They shape not only the direction of a plan, but also the mindset of everyone involved in implementing it.

Too often, the first question we jump to is: “How do we reduce this behaviour?”
It seems logical. The behaviour could be disruptive, stressful, or unsafe, of course we want it to stop. But when we frame our thinking around stopping, our solutions tend to lean towards control. Blocking. Redirecting. Reducing. On paper, it can look neat and tidy. In real life, it often leaves the person we are supporting no better off, sometimes even worse.

The more powerful question is: “Why is this behaviour happening?”

That single shift changes the way we see everything. Instead of focusing only on the behaviour, we start looking at the context. The environment. The needs that aren’t being met. We move from treating the behaviour as the problem to recognising it as communication. And when behaviour is seen as communication, our job isn’t to silence it, it’s to listen.

Asking “why” opens the door to skill-building. We start teaching people new ways to express themselves, safer ways to cope, and more effective ways to get their needs met. Instead of writing plans that manage behaviours out of existence, we write plans that build futures.

This is the heart of PBS. If you ask the wrong question, you’ll write the wrong plan. But when you ask the right one, the path forward often becomes obvious, practical, respectful, and human.