Challenging Behaviour and Positive Behaviour Support
Early childhood positive behavior support strategies address the growing concern that young children who engage in challenging behavior are more likely to be excluded from preschool and early childhood settings. Behaviors such as biting, pulling hair, tantrums, and noncompliance that do not decrease naturally over time in preschool settings may set the stage for children engaging in these behaviors to experience increasingly negative outcomes as they grow older.
In the past, reactive strategies tended to be the predominant response to the occurrence of challenging behavior. Increasingly, however, family members, researchers, and preschool teachers have been seeking prevention-based and early-intervention strategies for creating proactive and positive environments for social grown and emotional regulation in young children.
What is Positive Behavior Support?
Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a set of research-based strategies used to increase quality of life and decrease problem behavior by teaching new skills and making changes in a person’s environment. Positive behavior support combines:
- Valued outcomes;
- Behavioral and biomedical science;
- Validated procedures; and
- Systems change to enhance quality of life and reduce problem behaviors
At Launch we have an in house Challenging Behaviour Specialist with a Master’s degree in Applied Behaviour Analysis and Positive Behaviour Support. All our staff receive intensive training and our ethos adopts the foundations of PBS.