What Is a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA) in Positive Behaviour Support?
A plain-language guide for NDIS participants, families, carers, and support coordinators - covering what FBA is, how it connects to PBS, what the process looks like, and how to access it.
Understanding FBA and PBS - Why It Matters
If someone in your life - a child, an adult family member, or an NDIS participant you support - displays behaviours that are causing concern, you have probably come across the terms FBA and PBS. They are often used together, sometimes interchangeably, which can make things confusing.
This guide untangles them both. We will explain what a Functional Behaviour Assessment is, why it is the critical first step in any Positive Behaviour Support plan, what the process looks like in practice, and how Capability Support Services delivers FBA and PBS for NDIS participants across the Gold Coast, Brisbane,Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay and Australia-wide via telehealth.
Quick summary: FBA (Functional Behaviour Assessment) is the assessment - it finds out why a behaviour happens. PBS (Positive Behaviour Support) is the framework of strategies built from that evidence. You cannot write a quality Behaviour Support Plan without an FBA first.
What Is a Functional Behaviour Assessment (FBA)?
A Functional Behaviour Assessment is a structured, evidence-based process used by a qualified NDIS behaviour support practitioner to understand why a person engages in a behaviour of concern.
The word functional is key. It means we are asking: what function or purpose does this behaviour serve for this person? Every behaviour - even distressing or dangerous behaviour - serves a function. Common functions include:
| Function | What It Looks Like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Getting something they want - an object, activity, or sensory experience | Grabbing a preferred toy, pushing towards a screen |
| Escape / Avoidance | Getting away from something uncomfortable - a task, sensory input, or person | Throwing work materials to end a session |
| Attention | Getting a response from another person - any response, even negative | Calling out repeatedly, hitting a sibling |
| Sensory / Automatic | The behaviour itself provides sensory input or relief | Rocking, head banging, skin picking |
| Communication | Expressing an unmet need when other communication is unavailable | Aggression when unable to convey pain or hunger |
Understanding the function changes everything. A behaviour that looks the same on the surface can have completely different causes in different people - and the support strategies need to match the function, not just the behaviour.
FBA vs PBS - What Is the Difference?
These two terms are closely linked but they are not the same thing:
- FBA (Functional Behaviour Assessment) is the assessment process - the investigation that gathers data to understand why a behaviour is occurring. It is the foundation.
- PBS (Positive Behaviour Support) is the broader values-led framework of evidence-based strategies that uses the FBA findings to support the person.
- BSP (Behaviour Support Plan) is the written document - the actual plan produced by the PBS practitioner, informed by the FBA, outlining the strategies for the participant and their support network.
Think of it this way: the FBA is the diagnosis. The BSP is the treatment plan. PBS is the clinical approach governing both.
NDIS requirement: Under the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission framework, a Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) must be underpinned by a behaviour support assessment - which includes a Functional Behaviour Assessment. This applies particularly when any restrictive practice is involved. A BSP written without a proper FBA does not meet the standard.
What Does the FBA Process Actually Look Like?
At Capability Support Services, our behaviour support practitioners follow the NDIS Commission's best-practice framework for FBA. Here is what the process looks like step by step:
Initial Intake and Planning
Your first contact with our team. We understand your situation, confirm NDIS funding, and assign an accredited behaviour support practitioner who is the right fit for the participant's needs and your location.
Records Review
The practitioner reviews any existing documentation - previous plans, therapy reports, school records, medical history - to build a picture of the person before any observations take place.
Interviews and Stakeholder Consultation
Structured interviews with the participant (in a way that is accessible to them), family members, carers, support workers, teachers, and other practitioners. This gathers perspectives from everyone who knows the person in different environments.
Direct Observation
The practitioner observes the participant in the environments where the behaviour occurs - at home, school, a day program, or the community. The NDIS funds home, school, and community observations. We collect ABC data: Antecedent (what happens before), Behaviour (what the person does), Consequence (what happens after).
Data Analysis and Hypothesis Development
All data is analysed to identify patterns. The practitioner develops a behaviour hypothesis - a clear, evidence-based statement of why the behaviour is occurring and what function it serves.
FBA Report and Behaviour Support Plan
The completed FBA informs the written Behaviour Support Plan (BSP). The BSP includes proactive strategies, reactive strategies, skill-building goals, and - if required - an interim or comprehensive restrictive practices authorisation. The BSP is shared with the participant, their family, support network, and other relevant providers.
Implementation Support and Review
Our PBS practitioners provide training and coaching so that everyone in the person's life understands and can implement the plan consistently. Plans are reviewed regularly as the person's needs change.
How Is FBA and PBS Funded Under the NDIS?
Behaviour support - including Functional Behaviour Assessments - is funded under your NDIS plan as a Capacity Building support. Specifically:
- CB - Improved Relationships (Behaviour Support): Covers FBA, BSP development, review, and specialist behaviour support hours
- CB - Improved Daily Living (Therapeutic Supports): May also contribute depending on how your plan is structured
- Core Supports: Cannot be used for specialist behaviour support as of the July 2025 NDIS changes
Capability Support Services invoices your NDIS plan directly. You do not pay out of pocket for NDIS-funded behaviour support sessions.
Not sure if behaviour support is in your plan? Call our team on 1800 299 399 - we can help you check your plan's funding categories before any commitment is made.
Who Needs an FBA?
An FBA is appropriate when a person's behaviour is:
- Putting themselves or others at risk of harm
- Resulting in school exclusion, placement breakdown, or loss of community access
- Impacting their ability to learn, develop relationships, or participate in daily life
- Leading to the use - or consideration - of any restrictive practice
- Not improving despite other interventions being tried
FBAs are conducted across all ages and disability types - children with autism, adults with intellectual disability, people with acquired brain injury, individuals with complex communication needs, and more. If you are unsure whether an FBA is the right step, our practitioners can advise you.
FBA and Restrictive Practices - What You Need to Know
Under the NDIS, a restrictive practice is any practice that restricts the rights or freedom of movement of a person with disability. Examples include physical restraint, seclusion, environmental restraint (locking doors), mechanical restraint, and chemical restraint (using medication to manage behaviour).
The NDIS Commission has strict rules here: restrictive practices can only be used as a last resort, must be authorised by the relevant state authority, and must be embedded within a registered behaviour support practitioner's BSP - which requires a completed FBA.
If your child or the person you support is subject to any restrictive practice, the Legislation requires a FBA and BSP to be in place. Capability Support Services can help families and providers meet this requirement.
PBS and FBA at Capability Support Services
Capability Support Services is a registered NDIS provider with Behaviour Support as one of our six approved registration groups. Our approach to PBS is grounded in a framework called Capable Environments - a values-driven, person-centred model that looks at how the environment around a person can be shaped to support positive behaviour, rather than placing all the focus on the individual.
- Accredited behaviour support practitioners, not junior staff
- Mobile - we come to you across Gold Coast and Brisbane
- Telehealth behaviour support available nationally
- Expanding to rural and remote outreach for face-to-face FBA and PBS
- Multidisciplinary - our PBS team works alongside OT, speech pathology, and psychology for holistic outcomes
- Transparent - families and carers are involved at every stage
Frequently Asked Questions
An FBA is a structured process used by a qualified NDIS behaviour support practitioner to find out why a person engages in behaviours of concern. It looks at what happens before the behaviour (antecedents), the behaviour itself, and what happens after (consequences) - identifying the function or purpose the behaviour serves for that individual.
Yes. Functional Behaviour Assessments are funded under the NDIS Capacity Building - Improved Daily Living (Behaviour Support) category. Capability Support Services can invoice your plan directly. No out-of-pocket cost for funded sessions.
FBA (Functional Behaviour Assessment) is the assessment process - it gathers data to understand why a behaviour happens. PBS (Positive Behaviour Support) is the broader clinical framework. The FBA is the evidence base that the Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) is built on. You need an FBA before a quality BSP can be written.
An FBA typically takes 2 to 6 weeks from first contact to a completed report. This includes observations, interviews with the participant, carers, and support workers, records review, and data analysis. The NDIS Commission requires that FBAs are thorough and evidence-based.
An FBA must be conducted by a registered behaviour support practitioner - a person assessed and approved by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Capability Support Services has registered practitioners on the Gold Coast and Brisbane, with telehealth FBA available nationally.
If your child displays behaviours of concern affecting their safety, learning, or participation, an FBA is likely the right starting point before a Behaviour Support Plan is written. It is also required any time a restrictive practice is being used or considered. Contact us to discuss your child's specific situation.
Certain parts of the FBA process - interviews, consultation, report writing, training sessions - can be delivered via telehealth. Direct observation typically requires an in-person visit. Capability Support Services offers hybrid FBA delivery, with telehealth for eligible components and face-to-face observation where needed.
Need a Behaviour Support Plan on the Gold Coast?
Our registered NDIS behaviour support practitioners are ready to help. Contact us for a free initial conversation - no referral required.
About Capability Support Services: Registered NDIS provider based in Coomera, Queensland. We deliver FBA, PBS, occupational therapy, speech pathology, psychology, and exercise physiology across Gold Coast, Brisbane, and Australia-wide via telehealth. Learn more
