What Happens at Your Child’s Private Behaviour Support Assessment?

A private Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) assessment is quite different from a clinical appointment. Rather than examining your child, the specialist’s focus is on understanding the behaviour — what triggers it, what purpose it serves, and what changes in the environment or approach can make a real difference. Here is what to expect at each stage.

Before the Assessment Begins

Most PBS specialists will send you a pre-assessment questionnaire asking about your child’s history, diagnoses, current behaviour concerns, and what has already been tried. This helps them prepare and make the most of the time together. Gather any relevant documents: existing reports from school, CAMHS, or a paediatrician, your child’s current EHCP or provision map if they have one, and any previous behaviour plans that have or have not worked.

The Initial Consultation

The first session is usually a detailed conversation with parents or carers — and sometimes the school SENCO — to build a full picture of the behaviour. The specialist will want to know what the behaviour looks like in detail, when it is most and least likely to occur, what typically happens before and after the behaviour, how the behaviour is currently being managed, and the impact on your child and family. This is not an interrogation — it is collaborative fact-finding, and your lived experience as a parent is the most valuable data the specialist has.

Observation

Wherever possible, the specialist will observe your child in the settings where the behaviour occurs — usually school, home, or both. They are looking at the context, not judging your child or your parenting. School observations typically involve watching a lesson or transition and speaking briefly with the teacher or support staff. Home observations may involve watching a mealtime, homework session, or another trigger situation.

The Functional Behaviour Assessment Report

After gathering all the information, the specialist will produce a functional behaviour assessment (FBA) report. This explains what the data shows about the function of the behaviour — in other words, what your child is communicating or achieving through it — and forms the basis of the support plan. This is a document you can share with school, your child’s NHS team, and the local authority.

The Positive Behaviour Support Plan

The PBS plan is the practical heart of the work. It sets out specific strategies for reducing triggers, teaching your child alternative skills, and responding consistently when the behaviour does occur. Crucially, it also identifies quality-of-life improvements — changes that make life better for your child, which in turn reduces the motivation for challenging behaviour. The specialist will walk you and school staff through the plan and ensure everyone involved knows how to implement it.