It is easy to label a behaviour as "difficult" or "defiant". But that label misses the point. Behaviours of concern are rarely random. They are a form of communication. They tell you that a person's nervous system is overwhelmed, or that a basic need is not being met.
Understanding what sits behind the behaviour changes everything. It shifts you from managing symptoms to addressing causes. That shift is what genuine support looks like.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission describes behaviours of concern as behaviours that pose a risk of harm to the person, to others, or to property. Screaming, self-harm, refusing care, or breaking objects all fall into this category.
These behaviours usually have a function. According to guidance drawn from the NDIS Commission's Compendium of Resources for Positive Behaviour Support, the drivers of behaviours of concern generally fall into four categories: social or cultural factors, the nature of a task or activity, physical or environmental discomfort, and biological or physiological states such as illness, pain, or medication effects.
A person may be trying to escape a demand, seeking attention or interaction, avoiding pain, or simply reacting to sensory overload. Often more than one factor is at play at the same time.
You are not looking at bad behaviour. You are looking at a signal.
Many NDIS participants, particularly autistic people and people with intellectual disability, process sensory information differently to what is typically expected. This is not a preference. It is how their nervous system is wired.
Sensory processing differences generally show up in two ways. Hypersensitivity to avoid involves a nervous system that reacts strongly to input such as noise, light, touch, or crowds, prompting the person to withdraw or escape. Hypersensitivity to seek is the opposite: the person actively seeks out intense sensory input, such as movement, pressure, or sound, because their system craves it.
Research summarised through the Sensory Behaviour Schedule, referenced in the NDIS Commission's own assessment guide, measures sensory abnormalities across visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive domains in adults with autism spectrum disorder. Occupational therapy case studies have also shown that sensory-based strategies and environmental modifications can meaningfully reduce behaviours of concern when applied alongside interdisciplinary support.
Think about a support environment that is loud, bright, and unpredictable. For someone with hypersensitivity, that is not a minor inconvenience. It can feel like an assault on their system. Behaviour that looks like an outburst is often the only way that person has to say "this is too much".
Sensory overload is one part of the picture. Unmet needs are the other.
An unmet need can be as basic as hunger, thirst, needing the toilet, or wanting to rest. It can also be more complex: wanting to communicate, needing to move to a different environment, or wanting a particular activity or object.
Communication barriers make this harder to spot. If someone cannot easily tell you they are in pain, or that they want something to stop, a behaviour becomes the message. Environmental barriers add another layer, including inflexible routines, lack of privacy, or spaces that do not allow for choice and control.
There is also the question of autonomy. NDIS participants frequently report that having genuine choice and control over their supports and environment is central to their wellbeing. When autonomy is restricted, either by routine, by physical space, or by the actions of support staff, stress builds. That stress has to go somewhere.
Unrecognised physical discomfort deserves particular attention, especially for participants with limited verbal communication. A person with complex support needs who cannot describe pain from an ear infection, constipation, or an ill-fitting shoe may have no way to express that discomfort other than through behaviour. Clinical audits of adults with intellectual disability transitioning into NDIS-funded support have found high rates of chronic health conditions alongside behaviours of concern, underlining how physical health and behaviour are closely linked.
Once you accept that behaviour is information, your response needs to change.
Positive Behaviour Support, the model used across the NDIS system, starts from this premise. Rather than trying to suppress a behaviour, it asks what the behaviour is achieving for the person and what unmet need or sensory trigger sits underneath it.
A few practical steps make a real difference:
- Look at the environment first. Is it too loud, too bright, too unpredictable, or lacking any private space to retreat to.
- Check physical wellbeing. Rule out pain, illness, hunger, tiredness, or medication side effects before assuming the behaviour is purely emotional or environmental.
- Build in communication supports. Visual schedules, alternative communication tools, or simply slowing down and giving more time to respond can reduce frustration.
- Increase choice and control wherever possible. Small decisions, like what to eat or when to start an activity, restore a sense of autonomy.
- Involve a behaviour support practitioner for a proper functional assessment when behaviours are frequent, intense, or placing anyone at risk. A comprehensive behaviour support plan should be based on this assessment and developed with the person, their family, and their support team.
Proactive accommodation matters more than reactive management. Waiting for a crisis and then responding is far less effective than adjusting the environment, routine, and communication supports before distress builds.
Behaviours of concern are not something to fix in isolation. They are the visible tip of something happening underneath, whether that is sensory overload, an unmet physical need, a communication gap, or a loss of autonomy.
Guardians, parents, and support providers who take the time to ask "what is this behaviour telling me" rather than "how do I stop this behaviour" tend to see better outcomes for the people they support.
For new NDIS participants and their families still learning the system, this reframe is worth holding onto early. A trustworthy provider will always start with understanding the person, not managing the behaviour. That approach protects dignity, respects autonomy, and, over time, reduces the frequency and intensity of the behaviours themselves.