Alternative (adaptive) behaviour

Teaching adaptive skills to enable the person to achieve the same purpose as the challenging behaviour, but in a safer and more socially acceptable way, is referred to as teaching ‘functionally equivalent alternative behaviour’. Adaptive skills include:

• developing the person’s skills to better communicate their needs
• enabling the person to more independently meet their own needs
• helping the person to cope when their needs cannot be met at the time and in a way they might prefer
• developing the person’s problem-solving skills.

Behaviour support practitioners may use task analysis, systematic instruction techniques and schedules of reward and reinforcement as part of a comprehensive educational program designed to teach ‘functionally equivalent alternative behaviour’.

Punishment strategies have generally been found to be ineffective in producing long-term positive behaviour change in people with developmental disability; they are unethical and in some circumstances illegal. The use of punishment can precipitate new challenging behaviour, and adversely affect the relationship between the person with disability and family members or carers; this can also erode the therapeutic rapport and undermine the capacity to deliver educational strategies.

Family members or carers providing support to the person with developmental disability may need to learn adaptive skills to better communicate with the person and respond to their needs and preferences, and to cope effectively when things don’t go as planned. Refer family members or carers for education or counselling services as appropriate.