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Understanding Behaviour

Behaviour refers to everything that people do. We all react to situations and communicate through our behaviour.

For people who have difficulties with other forms of communication, behaviour – things that they do – can be the most effective form of communication. 

To call something behaviour you need to be able to see it, count it and describe it. So, a behaviour (running out of the building) is different from an emotion (feeling scared) and also different from a thought/motivation “get me out of here!”

Using Positive Behavioural Support as a model of change with people who have Down’s syndrome

This publication provides an overview of understanding behaviour and an introduction to Positive Behavioural Support.

Learn More About Behaviour

Behaviour can be positive, helpful and useful to the person. It can include skills like asking for help, waiting in a queue, getting on with work, doing chores, exercising to work off energy, listening to music to calm down… and many other things.

However, behaviour can be problematic to the individual or to other people around them. Our Supporting Behaviour Positively series of resources provide detailed guidance for supporting a person’s behaviour with practical resources that take them through the steps. The resources are suitable for parents and practitioners supporting children or adults. One of the resources is designed for people to run their own behavior planning workshop.

We have provided additional information resources below to supplement the Supporting Behaviour Positively series. This is because a person’s health, emotional wellbeing, social inclusion, relationships and experiences at home, school, work and in the community are all important factors to consider.

Helpline: Please call or email our Helpline to discuss how to support a person’s behavior on 0333 1212 300 or email info@downs-syndrome.org.uk

Training: Email training@downs-syndrome.org.uk for further information about our understanding and supporting behaviour training.

David poster