Episode 16 - Why behavior plans fail in real life

Show Notes

Why Behavior Plans Fail in Real Life: It Starts with Understanding Behavior Differently

When I first entered the intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) field in 1989, discovering behavior support felt like unlocking a secret code. Suddenly, the patterns I had observed in human behavior had names, structure, and meaning. It changed not only how I supported people professionally—it transformed how I raised my own children.

At its core, the purpose of the developmental disabilities field is simple: teach new skills, increase independence, and help people build the lives they choose for themselves. Every service we provide should move people toward greater freedom, opportunity, and self-determination.

That is what makes this work so meaningful.

The Real Purpose of Behavior Support

Despite our best intentions, service delivery doesn't always go according to plan. Challenges arise, misunderstandings happen, and behaviors can become difficult to interpret.

Here's the most important principle to remember: Behavior is communication.

When communication breaks down, behavior becomes the way people express unmet needs, discomfort, frustration, fear, or confusion.

Unfortunately, behavior support hasn't always been viewed this way.

Where Behavior Support Went Wrong

Early in my career, behavior support—often called behavior management—focused primarily on controlling behavior. The goal was to make people appear more socially appropriate, reduce challenging behaviors, and determine whether they were "ready" to move into less restrictive environments.

Looking back, that philosophy missed the point.

People shouldn't have to earn the right to live fuller, more independent lives by suppressing the very behaviors they use to communicate.

When we focus only on stopping behaviors, we risk silencing the person behind them. Instead of asking, "How do we stop this behavior?" we should be asking:

"What is this person trying to tell us?"

That shift in perspective changes everything.

Behavior Support Is Really Communication Support

Effective behavior support is not about controlling people—it's about understanding them.

When we recognize behavior as communication, we move away from reacting to problems and toward discovering the unmet needs, environmental factors, or barriers that are driving them.

That simple mindset shift is the foundation of behavior plans that actually work.