CorePBS Toolkit · Interactive BSP · Example only

Comprehensive Behaviour Support Plan

A fictional, implementation-ready training example showing how a behaviour support plan can become clearer, faster to navigate and easier for teams to use.

ParticipantJamie Taylor
Age16 years · fictional
PractitionerExample Practitioner
StatusDemo only · no real data

About Jamie

The person before the behaviour: identity, relationships, interests and strengths.

Demo note: This is a fictional example client created to show the interactive format. It does not contain real participant information.
Jamie Taylor
16 years · Regional NSW · Year 11 support unit · Community Skills Program
Moderate IDDown SyndromeDLDADHDAAC
Living situationLong-term foster placement with Maria and Ben Taylor. Jamie refers to them as Mum and Dad and experiences this home as a stable base.
School / programLocal High School Support Unit Monday to Wednesday. Community Skills Program Thursday and Friday.
Strengths
WarmSocialHelpfulCheeky humourEmotionally attuned
Interests
Paw PatroliPadSwimmingScooterBoard games

Communication Profile

Communication access is a core behaviour support strategy, not an optional extra.

Communication rules for staff
  • Use short, clear sentences and pair spoken instructions with visuals.
  • Keep the AAC device available, charged and visible. Never remove it as a consequence.
  • Offer AAC at early signs of communication breakdown, not after escalation.
  • Prompt full sentences gently: “Can you help me?” or “I need a break.”
  • Reduce language load during escalation. Avoid “why did you do that?” when processing is offline.
What communication breakdown may look like

Reduced speech clarity, repeated noises, moving around, refusal, crying, fixation on a peer or adult, or increased attempts to gain attention.

Diagnostic and Functional Profile

Jamie’s behaviour makes sense when viewed through developmental level, communication, social motivation and co-regulation needs.

Foundational profile
  • Moderate intellectual disability
  • Down Syndrome
  • Speech sound disorder
  • Developmental language disorder
  • ADHD
How this compounds
  • Communication breakdown escalates rapidly
  • Social drive exceeds social repertoire
  • Impulse may occur before safety reasoning
  • Abstract rules need explicit teaching
Observable support needs
  • Classroom dysregulation
  • Safeguarding vulnerability
  • Transition support
  • Boundary and consent teaching
  • AAC and visual supports

Functional Formulation

Tap each panel to expand.

Primary formulation: communication breakdown + strong social connection needs + developmental vulnerability + intermittent reinforcement of escalation. Relationship, predictability, communication access and early co-regulation are the treatment pathway.
Presenting

Jamie’s behaviours are best understood as communication of unmet needs within his developmental profile. They are not malicious or wilful. They often occur when Jamie lacks accessible words, AAC support, social scripts, supervision or a regulated adult.

Predisposing

Intellectual disability, Down Syndrome, speech sound disorder, DLD and ADHD create vulnerabilities in processing, communication, impulse control, motor planning, social reasoning and safety awareness.

Precipitating

Common triggers include another student receiving attention, unstructured time, transitions without visual warning, communication breakdown, preferred item removal, storms, fatigue and unfamiliar people.

Perpetuating

Escalation may be reinforced when peer laughter, adult redirection or one-to-one co-regulation only occurs after louder behaviour. Inconsistent AAC access and shame-based correction can maintain the pattern.

Protective

Jamie has a stable placement, strong family relationships, settled routines, emerging AAC use, speech pathology involvement, humour, empathy and a strong response to trusted adults.

Behaviours of Concern

Each behaviour card includes operational definition, risk and replacement pathway.

1. Classroom dysregulation
Operational definitionLoud noises, comments, mimicking peers, refusing instructions, moving around class, distress, crying or fixation when another student receives attention.
Frequency / durationLow-intensity attempts daily; full dysregulation weekly; up to 30 minutes.
IntensityMild to severe
Replacement pathwayTeach Jamie to access adult attention and co-regulation earlier through AAC, full verbal requests, meaningful roles and private prompts.
2. Exploitation vulnerability
Risk presentationPhysical affection toward unfamiliar adults, openness to strangers and reduced recognition of unsafe situations.
Risk increases duringUnstructured community access, loosely supervised device use and interactions with unfamiliar adults.
IntensityHigh vulnerability
Protective pathwayTeach safe adults, public/private rules, help-seeking scripts and what to do if someone asks for secrecy.
3. Wandering / unsafe movement
Operational definitionImpulsive movement out of supervised areas, doorway or gate exits, wandering during outings or transitions.
Current statusLargely historical in the home environment; risk remains in novel community settings.
IntensityLow current / high if unsupervised
Replacement pathwayTeach “stop”, “wait”, “not ready”, “can I go?” and “come with me”. Use visuals and calm line-of-sight responses.
4. Boundary crossing
Operational definitionPublic hugging/kissing of unfamiliar adults, close proximity, touching peers without invitation, verbal fixation or playful swearing.
FunctionConnection seeking, not aggression.
RisksMisinterpretation, peer rejection, disciplinary response, social isolation and loss of dignity.
Replacement pathwayTeach greetings, personal space, consent, conversation starts and endings, and age-expected ways to show interest.

Behaviour Support Goals

Goals prioritise quality of life, communication, safe relationships and implementation fidelity.

Goal 1 · Functional AAC use

Jamie will use AAC or a full verbal request to communicate help, break, preference or frustration during communication breakdown across school, home and community.

Goal 2 · Safe greetings and personal space

Jamie will use appropriate greetings and respect personal space across school and community settings with explicit teaching and supported practice.

Goal 3 · Safe community participation

Jamie will remain within agreed supervision boundaries during community outings, particularly during transitions to new programs or environments.

Goal 4 · Emotional recognition and early help seeking

Jamie will identify early body and feeling cues and use taught requests to seek co-regulation before escalation.

Goal 5 · Support network capability

The support network will receive training in communication tools, early signs, de-escalation and plan fidelity.

Proactive Strategies

Prevention is the largest part of the plan.

Enabling environment

  • Predictable visual schedule
  • Transition countdowns
  • One step at a time
  • Meaningful classroom and program roles

Communication access

  • AAC visible and charged
  • Offer AAC early
  • Model full sentences
  • Use visuals and sentence models

Connection before correction

  • Warm greeting rituals
  • Validate before redirecting
  • Repair after rupture
  • Avoid planned ignoring at early escalation

Safeguarding

  • Maintain supervision
  • Teach safe adults
  • Monitor online exposure
  • Plan transition to adulthood early

Sensory regulation

  • Movement breaks
  • Soft toys for transitions
  • Reduce noise and demands during dysregulation
  • Monitor pain, fatigue and sleep

Staff consistency

  • Same prompts across settings
  • Shift handovers
  • Practical coaching
  • Fidelity review

Skill Development

Replacement skills are matched to the function of behaviour.

Functional requests and AAC help-seeking

Teach: “Can you help me?”, “I need a break”, “I don’t like this”, “Wait”, “Stop”, “Can I go?” and “I want...” using verbal speech, AAC, visuals and modelling.

Safe greetings and personal space

Teach high five, wave, verbal hello, side-by-side standing, asking before hugs and named safe people for affection.

Emotion words and body cues

Adults narrate observable cues and pair body sensations with simple emotion words and choices.

Safe community movement

Teach agreed boundaries, visual check-in points, transition scripts and how to communicate intent before moving away.

Response Strategies

Tap each stage of the escalation ladder.

Do not use: public reprimand, shame, chasing, removing AAC, threats, consequence-heavy responses or planned ignoring at early escalation.
Stage 1 · Baseline / settled
  • Use visual schedule and meaningful roles.
  • Offer connection before correction.
  • Prompt full sentences gently.
  • Keep AAC visible and charged.
Stage 2 · Early warning
  • Lower voice and reduce words.
  • Offer AAC positively: “Words or device?”
  • Name feeling and offer a small choice.
  • Redirect privately.
Stage 3 · Escalation
  • One calm adult leads.
  • Reduce audience.
  • Do not ask why or lecture.
  • Use short statements: “I am here. You’re safe. Help or break?”
Stage 4 · Crisis / imminent risk
  • Prioritise safety using least restrictive options.
  • Call relevant supports or emergency services as indicated.
  • Use physical intervention only where imminent safety risk exists and no less restrictive option is available.
  • Record and debrief promptly.
Stage 5 · Recovery and repair
  • Offer quiet, drink, toileting check and comfort item.
  • Repair relationship: “We’re okay. I’m glad you’re here.”
  • Teach later, not immediately.
  • Log antecedent, response and what helped.

Restrictive Practices

Current regulated restrictive practices: none recorded in this fictional demo.
  • Historical environmental restriction has been faded and is not current.
  • Communication, supervision, environmental design and skill teaching are the current least restrictive safeguards.
  • Any proposed restrictive response would require clinical review, authorisation and last-resort justification.

Implementation, Training and Monitoring

Mobile view uses stacked cards; desktop view uses a table.

Area: Staff training
What to do: Train carers, school staff, program staff and support workers in AAC, early warning signs, de-escalation, safeguarding and fidelity.
Frequency: Initial training, quarterly refreshers and onboarding.
Area: Daily communication
What to do: Use a home-school or shift communication channel covering sleep, mood, triggers, AAC use and what helped.
Frequency: Daily / each shift.
Area: Data collection
What to do: Track escalation, AAC requests, boundary teaching, incidents and restrictive practice zero-use.
Frequency: Ongoing; reviewed monthly.
Area: Team review
What to do: Review fidelity, risk, progress and required adjustments with the team.
Frequency: Monthly or triggered by incidents.
AreaWhat to doFrequency
Staff trainingTrain carers, school staff, program staff and support workers in AAC, early warning signs, de-escalation, safeguarding and fidelity.Initial training, quarterly refreshers and onboarding.
Daily communicationUse a home-school or shift communication channel covering sleep, mood, triggers, AAC use and what helped.Daily / each shift.
Data collectionTrack escalation, AAC requests, boundary teaching, incidents and restrictive practice zero-use.Ongoing; reviewed monthly.
Team reviewReview fidelity, risk, progress and required adjustments with the team.Monthly or triggered by incidents.

Practitioner Declaration

  • This plan has been developed by an example practitioner for demo purposes.
  • The plan uses fictional information only.
  • The plan is designed to support implementation, review and training.
  • Information should be checked and individualised before use with any real participant.
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