Positive Behavior Support An Overview The Beginning Positive behavioral support (PBS) is a tool which began in the 1960s to aid in the enhancement of the lives of people with disabilities. The advent of PBS paralleled the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Progress in the field of developmental disabilities owes gratitude for the human and civil rights gained by many of that time through their extreme personal sacrifice. By the 1970s serious work was underway to bring to an end the exclusion of people with developmental disabilities from mainstream society. Children with disabilities were brought into community schools. People with disabilities started an exodus from institutions and although that exodus still continues today many of those large institutions no longer exist. PBS was an essential tool for these early efforts. At that time in history, PBS embraced views of behavior modification that were different from those used now. The continued growth and evolution of PBS to a community, functional‐based approach was due to the emphasis of vision and values by those committed to PBS and the individuals and families it benefits. Many leading researchers and advocates refused to allow PBS to be a static formula to pull off the shelf now and then but instead aligned it to well‐designed planning. The resulting plans drew on what we know about the study of behavior. PBS is now a comprehensive process that embodies the best that we know about supporting people with developmental disabilities to be capable citizens in their community. The Definition The definition of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is multi‐faceted. PBS allows individuals with challenging needs to increase social, personal, and professional quality in their lives through assessment and re‐engineering of environments which in turn reduces the need to express those needs through challenging behavior. PBS blends values concerning the rights of people with disabilities with a practical science about how learning and behavior change occur (Horner, 2009). PBS is an extraordinary blend of Vision, Values, and Science. In this blend science is guided by our values and vision while the resulting practices are guided by our science. This creates practices that are doable, durable, and available to all that wish to learn about this approach. The outcome is a society with the opportunities and supports that allow all members access to a high quality of life. (Horner, 2009) © 2009 Oregon Technical Assistance Corporation/Growing Resources in Oregon DHS – Seniors and People with Disabilities 1 The Purpose Challenging behavior continues to be the primary reason why individuals in our society are excluded from school, home, recreation, community, and work. Challenging behavior varies in intensity, exists in every home and community context, and places individuals at risk physically, emotionally, and socially. The focus of PBS is to create effective environments and a better quality of life. It is not about decreasing challenging behavior. We, instead, want to create opportunities for unfettered joy for individuals with disabilities. We want to increase the quality of life by decreasing the barrier to that life when challenging behavior exists. (Horner, 2009) The success of PBS lies in an unwavering commitment to the best interests of individuals and their families. What we do in the name of PBS is not about a model, a brand or a manual. It is about the thoughtful construction of effective places to live, learn, work and play. We highly value and support the choices of individuals within the context of their families. We honor the guidance and support provided FROM families. (Horner, 2009) The Process In PBS, we understand underlying principles about human behavior to further comprehend challenging behavior. Behavior is governed by where it happens and the circumstances of that moment. It can be interpreted as being communicative, purposeful, and meaningful for the person. It is affected by internal events (e.g., neurological processes, physiological conditions, or emotional states). It is influenced by factors outside the immediate context, including relationships, activity patterns, and lifestyle issues. Recognizing characteristics of PBS in real work is important as PBS Plans are developed for challenging behavior so the plan is efficient and effective. A central characteristic of PBS is assessment‐based interventions that are directly linked to the reason why (the hypothesis) the challenging behavior occurs. Comprehensive interventions and support strategies emerge from the PBS assessment through multiple interventions such as proactive strategies of teaching alternative skills and adapting the environment. A strong, supportive PBS Plan will emphasize lifestyle enhancement and inclusive settings as both the context for and long‐range goals of intervention. It will reflect person‐centered values that honor the dignity and preferences of the individual. It is designed for use in everyday settings using typically available resources. Generally it gives a broad view of intervention success that includes (a) increases in the use of alternative skills, (b) decreases in the incidence of challenging behavior, and (c) improvements in quality of life. (Florida, 2009) © 2009 Oregon Technical Assistance Corporation/Growing Resources in Oregon DHS – Seniors and People with Disabilities 2 Summary Principles of Positive Behavior Support • All people are part of the community • All people have similar needs • All people need support or assistance in meeting their needs • Support involves more than just focusing on challenging behaviors • Addressing broader lifestyle issues requires a committed team approach • Deals with people as individuals rather than labels, diagnoses, or conditions • Requires plans that really work and are updated/reviewed continuously. • Monitors the progress of the plan and intervention implementation. Answers the question: “are we doing what we said we would do?” References: Expanding the Science, Values and Vision of Positive Behavior Support Rob Horner, University of Oregon www.pbis.org 2009 Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS) conference University of South Florida, College of Behavioral & Community Sciences Florida's Positive Behavior Support Project: Team Training and Technical Assistance Positive Behavior Support: An Overview Positive Behavior Support Project University of South Florida © 2009 Oregon Technical Assistance Corporation/Growing Resources in Oregon DHS – Seniors and People with Disabilities 3