Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is an evidence-based approach that can be very helpful for children with ADHD. It focuses on promoting positive behaviours while reducing negative ones through proactive strategies, teaching new skills, and creating supportive environments.
Table of Contents
Here’s how PBS can specifically help children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):
1. Clear Expectations and Structure
- Why it helps ADHD: Children with ADHD often struggle with impulsivity, attention, and following instructions. PBS emphasizes clear, consistent, and simple expectations that are explicitly taught and reinforced. Having predictable routines and structure can help reduce anxiety and provide the child with a sense of stability.
- How it works: The child is more likely to succeed if they know exactly what is expected of them, when, and how. This reduces the likelihood of frustration or inappropriate behaviours.
2. Positive Reinforcement
- Why it helps ADHD: Children with ADHD often experience challenges with motivation, especially when tasks are difficult or require sustained attention. PBS uses positive reinforcement to encourage desired behaviours, making it more likely that the child will engage in those behaviours in the future.
- How it works: Instead of focusing on punishment for undesirable behaviours, PBS emphasizes rewarding good behaviours. For example, praising the child for sitting quietly for a set amount of time or completing a task can increase the frequency of those behaviours.
3. Individualized Strategies
- Why it helps ADHD: Each child with ADHD may exhibit different strengths, challenges, and needs. PBS provides a framework for developing individualized interventions that are tailored to the child’s specific behaviour and learning style.
- How it works: A child with ADHD may have trouble with attention, impulse control, or emotional regulation. PBS allows teachers, parents, or caregivers to identify and address the underlying causes of challenging behaviour (e.g., frustration, boredom, overstimulation) and apply specific strategies to address those causes. For example, if a child becomes distracted after 10 minutes of work, the intervention could involve breaking tasks into shorter, more manageable parts with breaks in between.
4. Teaching Self-Regulation Skills
- Why it helps ADHD: ADHD often involves difficulties with self-regulation, including managing emotions, controlling impulses, and maintaining attention. PBS emphasizes teaching children’s strategies to better understand and control their behaviours
- How it works: Children are taught skills such as deep breathing, counting to ten, or taking a sensory break when they feel overwhelmed. These skills are explicitly modelled, practiced, and reinforced to help the child manage their emotions and impulses more effectively.
5. Proactive Approaches
- Why it helps ADHD: Traditional behaviour management techniques may focus on reacting to negative behaviour after it occurs. PBS, on the other hand, emphasizes preventing negative behaviours before they arise by identifying triggers and changing the environment or routine to better meet the child’s needs.
- How it works: If a child with ADHD becomes disruptive during transitions or when they are asked to do tasks, they find challenging, PBS may involve preparing the child ahead of time, using visual schedules, or providing additional prompts or supports during transitions to avoid frustration and disruptive behaviour.
6. Increased Collaboration and Consistency
- Why it helps ADHD: Children with ADHD benefit from consistency and structure across different environments (home, school, etc.). PBS encourages collaboration between teachers, parents, and other caregivers to ensure that the child receives the same messages and reinforcement in all settings.
- How it works: A behaviour support plan developed under PBS might include input from multiple stakeholders (teachers, parents, counsellors) to ensure that everyone involved is reinforcing the same positive behaviours in the same way. This consistent approach helps the child generalize positive behaviours across contexts.
7. Focusing on Strengths
- Why it helps ADHD: PBS encourages a strengths-based approach, recognizing that children with ADHD have unique talents, skills, and abilities. By focusing on these strengths, PBS can boost the child’s self-esteem and increase their motivation to engage in positive behaviour.
- How it works: Children with ADHD may excel in areas like creativity, energy, or problem-solving. PBS helps to identify and build on these strengths, creating opportunities for success and reinforcement of positive behaviours.
.
8. Building Social Skills
- Why it helps ADHD: Social challenges can be a significant issue for children with ADHD, who may struggle with impulsive behaviour, taking turns, or reading social cues. PBS includes teaching and reinforcing positive social behaviours.
- How it works: Through role-playing, social stories, or structured group activities, children with ADHD can be taught how to interact more effectively with peers, manage conflicts, and improve their communication skills. This can lead to better relationships and fewer social difficulties.
9. Reducing the Use of Punishment
- Why it helps ADHD: Punitive approaches may not work well for children with ADHD and can lead to increased frustration or behavioural escalation. PBS focuses on teaching alternative, more effective behaviours rather than punishing undesirable behaviours.
- How it works: Instead of punishing impulsive outbursts or inattentiveness, PBS provides the child with tools to improve behaviour and teaches them how to respond in more positive ways. This reduces the negative cycle of misbehaviour and punishment.
Conclusion
In summary, Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) helps children with ADHD by creating an environment where positive behaviours are consistently encouraged and supported. It fosters a sense of safety, structure, and success, which in turn can lead to improved behaviour, better emotional regulation, and enhanced social relationships. PBS helps children with ADHD not just by managing their behaviours, but by equipping them with the skills they need to thrive in school, at home, and in social situations.
Transform Life is a NDIS registered organisation that provide support for your autistic child, as well as support to you as a parent to best navigate the challenges your child and family face on a daily basis.
Book your consult with an experienced Therapist at Transform Life to explore how OT, PBS and Speech Therapy can support you and your family.
