Staying True to Our PBS Roots in a Changing World

Abstract

The field of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) has grown and changed significantly in the past 25 years and should be expected to continue that trend for the next 25 years. These changes cannot always be predicted, but they can be managed by considering some current changes to the definition of PBS (Kincaid et al., 2016). This paper discussed how PBS can remain close to its empirical and philosophical roots by attending to five key features that include (a) research-based assessment, intervention, and data-based decision making; (b) building social and other functional competencies, creating supportive contexts, and preventing the occurrence of problem behaviors; (c) being respectful of a person’s (or group’s) dignity and overall well-being; (d) being open to data from a variety of fields and evidence-based procedures; and (e) application within a multi-tiered framework at the level of the individual and the level of the larger systems (e.g., families, classrooms, schools, social service programs, and facilities). The paper also considers some strategies for keeping the critical components of PBS in the minds of researchers and readers.