Behaviour Support and the Multidisciplinary Approach.


BY MELISSA SLIMMING

The Role of Behaviour Support in Collaboration with Allied Health Professionals and Disability Providers

Introduction

In the field of disability services, effective behaviour support often requires a multidisciplinary approach. Collaborating with allied health professionals and disability providers ensures that individuals with disabilities, including those supported under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), receive comprehensive care tailored to their unique needs. 2include believe of the importance and benefits of working in close collaboration with other health professionals and disability service providers to enhance the outcomes for our 2include participants.

1. Holistic Approach to Support

Behaviour support, when integrated with allied health services such as occupational therapy (OT), speech pathology, psychology, and physiotherapy, offers a holistic approach to participant care. Many NDIS participants experience multiple challenges related to their disability, such as communication difficulties, physical impairments, or sensory processing issues, which can directly or indirectly influence behaviour.

By working together, professionals from different disciplines can share insights, ensuring that all factors affecting the participant's behaviour are addressed. For example, an occupational therapist might provide input on sensory sensitivities that trigger certain behaviours, while a speech pathologist could offer communication strategies to reduce frustration-driven behaviours.

This collaboration allows our 2include behaviour support practitioners to create more well-rounded Behaviour Support Plans (BSPs) that consider not just the participant's behaviour but their overall physical, emotional, and cognitive needs.

2. Tailored Interventions for Complex Needs

Many individuals receiving NDIS support have complex and multifaceted needs that require coordinated care across multiple areas. Behaviour support practitioners, when working with allied health teams, can ensure that interventions are targeted and adaptable across various domains of the participant's life.

For instance:

  • A psychologist might collaborate with a BCBA to address emotional regulation challenges.

  • A physiotherapist might work alongside the behaviour support team to develop physical activity plans that can help manage agitation or anxiety through movement.

  • Speech therapists might develop augmentative communication systems to support participants who cannot verbalise their needs, reducing frustration-driven behaviour.

Through such collaboration, the interventions become more personalised and effective across multiple areas of a participant’s life, including home, school, work, and community settings.

3. Streamlined Communication and Care Coordination

One of the greatest advantages of collaboration between 2inculde and allied health providers is streamlined communication and care coordination. When professionals from various fields work together, they ensure that information about the participant’s progress, challenges, and adjustments to intervention plans are shared efficiently.

This reduces the likelihood of conflicting approaches or duplicating services. For example, behaviour support strategies can be aligned with therapeutic goals set by an occupational therapist or a psychologist, allowing for consistent support across all environments.

Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings with allied health professionals and disability service providers ensure that the entire care team is working towards the same objectives, providing unified care and ensuring the participant’s goals are addressed from multiple perspectives.

4. Training and Capacity Building for Disability Providers

Behaviour support practitioners can play a critical role in training disability service providers and support workers who directly interact with participants. By collaborating with allied health professionals, 2include can ensure that training is comprehensive, covering a range of needs, such as behaviour management techniques, communication strategies, or adaptive equipment use.

For example, a speech pathologist and a behaviour support practitioner might work together to train disability support staff on how to use communication devices with a participant who has limited verbal communication. Similarly, an occupational therapist may collaborate with 2include staff to educate disability providers on managing sensory overload, which may trigger challenging behaviours.

This training empowers disability service providers to apply consistent behaviour support strategies, reducing incidents of challenging behaviour and improving participant outcomes.

5. Preventing and Reducing the Use of Restrictive Practices

A key aim of behaviour support under the NDIS is to reduce and ultimately eliminate the use of restrictive practices, such as restraint or seclusion. Allied health professionals and disability providers can offer crucial insights that help behaviour support practitioners find alternative interventions that promote participant autonomy and dignity.

For example, an occupational therapist may identify sensory stimuli that contribute to behavioural escalations and suggest environmental modifications that reduce the need for restrictive practices. In turn, a psychologist may provide input on trauma-informed care approaches that respect the participant’s emotional and psychological needs while addressing behaviour support goals.

The combined expertise of these professionals leads to more evidence based and person-centred approaches that focus on positive behavioural outcomes without relying on restrictive methods.

6. Enhanced Outcomes for Participants

When 2include collaborate with allied health providers and disability services, the quality of life for NDIS participants is significantly enhanced. This multidisciplinary approach ensures that behaviour interventions are not applied in isolation but are integrated with the participant's overall goals for health, wellbeing, and independence.

By addressing the underlying causes of behaviours, whether they are related to communication barriers, sensory sensitivities, or mental health challenges, this collaborative approach ensures that participants receive more comprehensive, effective, and sustainable support.

Conclusion

Collaboration between 2include, allied health professionals, and disability providers is crucial in delivering effective, person-centred care for NDIS participants. This multidisciplinary approach ensures that interventions are comprehensive, evidence-based, and tailored to each participant's unique needs. By working together, these professionals can provide a more integrated and holistic approach to behaviour support, helping participants achieve greater independence, emotional wellbeing, and improved quality of life.

Recommendations

  • Foster regular communication and case coordination between support coordinators, behaviour support practitioners and allied health teams to ensure consistency in participant care.

  • Increase capacity building and training for disability providers, ensuring that behaviour support strategies are understood and implemented consistently.

  • Encourage NDIS providers to focus on reducing restrictive practices through collaboration and the use of positive, person-centred interventions.

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