How We Recognise Progress

Progress is easy to notice when change is dramatic. A person begins speaking after years without words. A child who could not enter a classroom returns to school. A behaviour that happened every day stops completely.

But much of the most meaningful progress is quieter.

It may be the moment someone asks for help before becoming overwhelmed. It may be a parent noticing an early sign and responding differently. It may be a support worker giving the person time to process instead of repeating a demand. It may be an incident that still happens, but is shorter, less intense or easier to recover from.

We recognise progress by looking at the whole person and the life they are living—not only whether a behaviour has disappeared. Meaningful progress can include greater safety, communication, regulation, independence, participation, choice, connection and quality of life. It can also include positive changes in the environment and in the way other people understand and support the person.

Progress is rarely a perfectly straight line. People have difficult days. Life circumstances change. Skills that are available in one setting may still be developing in another. Recognising progress well means looking for patterns over time, listening to the person and measuring what actually matters.

What Does Progress Mean in Behaviour Support?

In behaviour support, progress is movement towards outcomes that matter to the person. Those outcomes may include learning a useful skill, experiencing fewer or less harmful behaviours of concern, participating more fully in everyday life, having more choice and control, or living in an environment that better supports wellbeing.

Progress should not be defined only by convenience for other people.

A person becoming quieter is not automatically progress. They may have learned a regulation skill—or they may have stopped communicating because they do not feel heard. A child completing every instruction is not necessarily progressing if the apparent compliance comes with fear, distress or loss of choice.

A more useful question is:

Is this change helping the person live a safer, more connected and meaningful life, in a way that respects their rights, preferences and goals?

Current NDIS Commission guidance identifies quality-of-life improvement as the primary goal of Positive Behaviour Support. Reducing the likelihood and impact of behaviours of concern is important, but it sits within the larger purpose of supporting a good life as defined with the person.

Why Can Progress Be Difficult to See?

Families and support teams often spend the most time with a person. This provides valuable insight, but it can also make gradual change hard to notice. When improvement happens one small step at a time, each step can become the new normal before anyone pauses to recognise it.

Progress may also be missed because:

attention is focused only on the most visible behaviour
people compare the person with others rather than with their own starting point
a recent incident overshadows several weeks of improvement
the goal is too broad, such as “manage emotions better”
different supporters notice different parts of the person’s life
skills appear first in familiar settings and have not yet generalised
the person’s effort is hidden even when the outward result looks similar
improvement in supporters or the environment is not counted

Sometimes the original goal itself needs review. A goal chosen by adults may not reflect what matters to the person, or it may focus on stopping behaviour without addressing communication, participation or the underlying part of life the person finds difficult.

Progress Begins With the Person’s Own Goals

We cannot recognise meaningful progress without knowing what the person wants more—or less—of in their life.

Depending on the person, that might be:

feeling safer at home
being understood more often
making friends or feeling less lonely
going to school, work or community activities
having more control over daily routines
learning to cook, travel or complete personal-care tasks
coping with change without becoming as overwhelmed
having a reliable way to say “no”, “help” or “I need a break”
reducing situations that result in injury, fear or crisis

The person’s participation should be supported through their preferred communication method. This may involve conversation, AAC, writing, visuals, gesture, observation, supported decision-making or input from people who know their communication well.

Presuming that the person has preferences and something to communicate does not mean assuming we already know what those preferences are. Good support creates genuine opportunities for the person to show us.

What Are the Signs of Meaningful Progress?

No single list will fit every person. However, progress is often visible across several connected areas.

Area	Possible Signs of Progress
Communication	Asking for help, expressing a preference, saying no safely, communicating discomfort earlier, or using AAC more reliably
Regulation	Recognising early signs, accepting co-regulation, choosing a helpful strategy, recovering sooner, or returning after taking space
Skills	Trying an alternative response, completing another step independently, solving a problem or using a skill in more than one setting
Participation	Joining an activity, remaining for longer, returning to school or work, accessing the community, or engaging in valued interests
Choice and control	Making decisions, expressing boundaries, contributing to plans or having preferences respected
Relationships	Seeking connection, trusting a supporter, repairing after conflict, tolerating feedback or building safer social interactions
Safety	Less injury, reduced intensity or duration of incidents, earlier support, safer alternatives or reduced restrictive practices
Quality of life	Greater comfort, belonging, meaningful activity, independence, predictability, wellbeing or enjoyment
Support environment	More consistent responses, clearer communication, fewer unnecessary demands, improved supporter confidence or better coordination

The right indicators are the ones connected to the individual’s priorities and support plan. For one person, independently making breakfast may be a major outcome. For another, accepting help with breakfast may represent increased trust and participation.

Small Changes Can Represent Major Progress

Outwardly small changes can require a great deal of learning.

Imagine a person who usually reaches peak distress without warning. One day, they push a task away before escalating. That action may still look abrupt, but it could be the beginning of earlier communication. With support, it may develop into pointing to a break symbol, saying “not yet” or moving safely to a quieter place.

Progress might unfold like this:

The person experiences distress after a difficult demand.
They begin showing recognisable early signs.
A supporter notices and offers an accessible option.
The person accepts help on some occasions.
They begin requesting the option with a prompt.
They request it independently in a familiar setting.
They gradually use the skill with other people or in other environments.

If we measure only whether distress occurred, we may miss six stages of learning.

Recognising these steps does not mean pretending the remaining difficulty is unimportant. It means accurately acknowledging movement while continuing to build the next skill.

Progress Is Not Always a Straight Line

Human development rarely moves steadily upwards. A person can make significant gains and still have difficult days, return to an old response or need more support during change.

Capacity can be affected by:

pain, illness, fatigue or poor sleep
grief, trauma, anxiety or relationship conflict
a change of home, school, work or support staff
sensory overload or an unpredictable environment
increased demands
loss of access to familiar communication or regulation supports
ordinary fluctuations in motivation, emotion and energy

FABIC clinicians spoke about being present for both the advances and the setbacks. One described progress as something that continues through fluctuations, including relationship breakdowns, hospital incidents and changes in the home environment. Another emphasised removing attachment to what the practitioner wanted the client to achieve and allowing participation to occur on the person’s terms.

A difficult event does not automatically cancel previous learning. Useful questions include:

Was this incident shorter or less intense than similar incidents in the past?
Did the person communicate anything earlier?
Did they accept support or recover differently?
Was the situation more demanding than usual?
What skill remained available, even if it was not enough this time?
What can the event teach us about the next support needed?

Patterns over time tell us more than one unusually good or difficult day.

Reduction in Behaviour Is Only One Part of the Picture

Frequency, duration and intensity can be important measures—particularly when behaviour presents a risk of harm.

Frequency: How often does it happen?
Duration: How long does it last?
Intensity: What is the level of distress, disruption or risk?

A behaviour may continue at the same frequency while becoming much shorter and safer. Alternatively, it may happen less often but become more intense. Looking at only one measure can create an incomplete picture.

Behaviour data should sit alongside information about the person’s wellbeing, communication, skills and quality of life. A plan cannot be called successful simply because behaviour has reduced if the person has also lost access to relationships, meaningful activities, autonomy or communication.

The NDIS Commission’s behaviour support assessment guidance recommends considering quality-of-life and wellbeing measures in addition to behaviour data so that progress is understood holistically.

Progress Can Appear Before a Behaviour Decreases

Sometimes the foundations of change develop before the visible behaviour reduces.

For example:

the person begins trusting the practitioner enough to remain in the room
supporters become more accurate at recognising triggers
a communication system becomes available across settings
the person starts practising a replacement skill when settled
the team stops using labels and records behaviour more objectively
routines become more predictable
health or sensory factors are finally identified

These changes may not create an immediate drop in incidents, but they establish the conditions required for more sustainable change.

Trust is particularly easy to overlook because it may be communicated subtly. In one clinician’s example, a non-speaking client showed growing comfort through small smiles, a more relaxed body and increased willingness to accept support with outings. Those changes mattered because they reflected a relationship in which future participation and learning could become safer.

Progress May First Be Seen in the Support Team

Behaviour does not occur in isolation. Families, carers, educators and support workers are part of the environment around the person, and their learning can be an important early outcome.

Support-team progress might include:

responding to early signs rather than waiting for crisis
using fewer words when the person is overwhelmed
giving adequate processing time
recognising communication beyond speech
offering real choices instead of entering power struggles
describing behaviour without judgement or assumptions
following the plan more consistently
sharing information across settings
feeling more confident and less reactive
repairing relationships after difficult moments

One clinician described helping a parent understand why behaviour occurred in public and how to avoid “locking horns” during dysregulation. The parent became less anxious and more able to support her child outside the home, while the child’s dysregulation also began to reduce.

This is not about making families responsible for everything that happens. It recognises that when supporters become more equipped, the person experiences a more predictable and responsive environment.

Independence Does Not Mean Doing Everything Alone

Progress is sometimes measured by how little help a person receives. But genuine independence is not the absence of support. It is having the right support to exercise choice, participate and do as much as possible in a way that is safe and meaningful.

Progress towards independence might involve:

completing one additional step in a routine
choosing when or how support is provided
knowing when to ask for assistance
using a visual, checklist or communication device
moving from physical assistance to a verbal or visual prompt
making a decision with supported decision-making
participating in a task that was previously completed by others

For some people, needing fewer prompts will be meaningful. For others, progress may mean accepting necessary support without the same distress. The measure should reflect the person’s goals rather than a single idea of what independence must look like.

How Do We Measure Progress Without Reducing a Person to Data?

Good measurement combines numbers, observation and lived experience.

Source of Information	What It Can Tell Us
The person’s feedback	Whether life feels safer, more manageable, more connected or more aligned with their goals
Behaviour measures	Changes in frequency, duration, intensity, recovery or context
Skill measures	Whether a skill is attempted, used with prompts, used independently or generalised
Participation measures	Access to relationships, education, work, community, recreation and daily routines
Quality-of-life information	Wellbeing, choice, belonging, rights, comfort, meaningful activity and satisfaction
Implementation information	Whether agreed supports were available and used consistently enough to evaluate them fairly
Supporter observations	Changes across environments, relationships and routines that one observer may not see

Numbers can reveal patterns that memory misses. Stories can reveal meaning that numbers miss. Neither should stand alone.

Data collection should be proportionate and relevant. The person should not feel that every part of their life is being watched simply because they receive support. Information must be handled respectfully, with attention to consent, privacy and the stated purpose of the plan.

Start With a Clear Baseline

It is difficult to recognise change if the starting point was never described clearly.

A baseline records what was happening before a strategy or skill-building plan began. Depending on the goal, it may include:

how often a behaviour occurred
how long it usually lasted
the level of risk or intensity
how long recovery took
which settings or situations were involved
which skills the person could use independently or with support
the person’s participation in everyday life
quality-of-life and wellbeing information
how consistently existing supports were implemented

Descriptions should be observable. “Had a terrible week” is understandable, but it is hard to compare. “Three incidents involved hitting, each lasted between two and five minutes, and the person accepted a break prompt twice” provides a clearer picture.

A baseline is not a label attached to the person. It is a reference point that helps the team see whether support is making a meaningful difference.

Recognise the Difference Between Acquisition, Fluency and Generalisation

A skill is not fully learned the first time it appears.

Acquisition: the person is beginning to learn the skill.
Fluency: the skill becomes easier, more accurate or more reliable.
Generalisation: the person can use the skill with different people, in different places or under different conditions.
Maintenance: the skill remains available over time.

A child may request a break with their behaviour practitioner but not yet do so in a noisy classroom. An adult may communicate disappointment well during a planned session but lose access to the skill during an unexpected change at home.

This does not mean the earlier success was false. It shows which stage of learning comes next.

Supporters can help by practising in manageable situations, using consistent prompts, acknowledging the communication and gradually extending the skill without removing support too quickly.

How the Body Life Skills Program Helps Us See Progress

The FABIC Body Life Skills Program gives us three connected places to recognise change:

Part	What Progress May Look Like
BODY	The behaviour happens less often, is less intense, ends sooner, becomes safer, or is preceded by clearer communication.
LIFE	The person understands a situation more clearly, encounters fewer avoidable barriers, participates in more of life or experiences a more supportive environment.
SKILLS	The person—or the people supporting them—learns and increasingly uses a more effective way to respond.

This matters because visible behaviour may be the last part to change. Progress in LIFE and SKILLS can begin well before the BODY response becomes consistently different.

For example, a person may still shout when plans change, but they now look at the visual schedule, ask what happens next and recover in ten minutes instead of an hour. The behaviour has not disappeared, yet meaningful progress is present across all three areas.

How Families and Support Teams Can Track Progress

Tracking does not need to become a complicated daily project. A simple and consistent method is often more useful than a detailed system nobody can sustain.

1. Choose a Small Number of Meaningful Outcomes

Identify what matters most to the person and which changes would improve safety or quality of life. Avoid trying to measure everything at once.

2. Describe Each Outcome Clearly

Replace “be more independent” with something observable, such as “selects clothes and completes three steps of the morning routine using a visual checklist”.

3. Record the Starting Point

Establish the baseline so that gradual changes are not lost.

4. Include the Person’s View

Ask what feels different, helpful or unhelpful using their accessible communication method. A technically successful outcome is not enough if the person experiences it as distressing or meaningless.

5. Notice Skills as Well as Incidents

Record help-seeking, early communication, safe refusal, recovery, participation and use of alternative skills—not only behaviours of concern.

6. Add Context

Note relevant changes in sleep, health, relationships, staffing, routine and environment. Context helps distinguish a change in capacity from a failure of learning.

7. Review Patterns at Agreed Times

Looking at information weekly, fortnightly or monthly can reveal patterns that are invisible day to day. The appropriate interval depends on risk, goals and how often the relevant situation occurs.

8. Celebrate Without Creating Pressure

Acknowledge effort and meaningful gains in a way the person appreciates. Some people enjoy praise or visible tracking; others find attention uncomfortable. Recognition should support the person, not turn every success into a performance.

How Do We Talk About Progress Respectfully?

The language used in reviews can shape how the person is seen.

Less Helpful	More Useful
“He was good all week.”	“He requested a break on four occasions and returned to the activity each time.”
“She regressed.”	“After the move, she needed more prompting and had less access to her usual regulation strategies.”
“They are finally compliant.”	“They understand the routine, make choices within it and complete more steps with less support.”
“The plan fixed the behaviour.”	“The person has developed skills, and changes in support have reduced the frequency and impact of the behaviour.”

Progress belongs to the person. Practitioners and supporters can offer assessment, environments, teaching and encouragement, but they should avoid taking ownership of another person’s achievement.

When Needing Less Professional Support Can Be Progress

Effective support should build capacity rather than create unnecessary dependence.

Over time, progress may mean:

the person uses skills with fewer prompts
family members and workers feel more confident responding
the support team can solve routine difficulties together
appointments become less frequent
professional input shifts from crisis response to planned review
the person has greater choice about when support is wanted

Less support is only progress when it reflects increased capacity, stable systems and the person’s goals. Removing help because funding, staffing or patience has run out is not independence.

What If There Does Not Seem to Be Any Progress?

A lack of meaningful change is information. It is not proof that the person is incapable, unwilling or “too complex”.

Review questions may include:

Was the original goal chosen with the person?
Is the goal meaningful and realistically sized?
Do we understand the function and context of the behaviour accurately?
Have pain, health, sleep, medication, trauma or sensory factors been considered?
Can the person understand and access the strategy?
Was the replacement skill explicitly taught and practised?
Are supporters implementing the plan consistently?
Has the environment or the person’s life changed?
Are we measuring the right outcomes?
What does the person say about the support?

If risk is increasing, new behaviours emerge, quality of life decreases or strategies appear to worsen distress, seek a timely professional review. Continuing an ineffective approach more forcefully is not the same as consistency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Progress Mean the Behaviour Must Stop Completely?

No. Complete reduction may be an appropriate goal for a behaviour that creates serious harm, but progress can occur before that point. Reduced intensity, shorter duration, safer communication, earlier support and improved recovery can all be meaningful.

How Long Does Behaviour Change Take?

There is no universal timeframe. It depends on the person, goal, complexity, learning opportunities, environment and consistency of support. Some changes appear quickly; others require repeated practice and review over months or longer.

Is a Setback the Same as Regression?

Not necessarily. A setback may reflect temporary stress, illness, change or reduced access to support. Look at the wider pattern and context before concluding that skills have been lost. If the change is sudden, significant or persistent, review it with relevant professionals.

Can Expressing “No” Be Progress?

Yes. A person who previously communicated refusal through significant distress may begin using words, AAC, gesture or another safer method. The answer may be inconvenient, but clearer self-advocacy can represent important progress in communication and choice.

What If Progress Happens at Home but Not at School or Work?

The skill may still be developing or the environments may place different demands on the person. Compare communication, sensory conditions, relationships, expectations and available prompts. Generalisation usually requires intentional support rather than an assumption that a skill will automatically transfer.

Should Families Collect Data Every Day?

Only when the information is useful, proportionate and part of an agreed plan. A simple record completed consistently is often more valuable than an exhausting system. The practitioner should clarify what to record, why it matters and how it will inform decisions.

Who Decides Whether Progress Is Meaningful?

The person should be central to that decision, supported to participate in an accessible way. Families, practitioners and other supporters can contribute important observations, particularly around safety and functioning, but progress should remain connected to the person’s rights, preferences and quality of life.

How FABIC Can Help

FABIC supports children, young people and adults to understand behaviour, develop practical skills and recognise meaningful change over time.

Support may involve Functional Behaviour Assessment, individualised behaviour support planning, psychology, counselling, occupational therapy, speech pathology and collaboration with families, schools, carers and support teams.

Through the Body Life Skills Program, FABIC looks beyond the visible behaviour to understand the part of LIFE being presented and the SKILLS needed for a more successful response. Progress can then be recognised across the person’s behaviour, circumstances, learning, relationships and everyday quality of life.

Learn more about FABIC Behaviour Support Practitioner services.

Progress may be a person learning a new skill. It may be a supporter learning to notice sooner. It may be an environment becoming less overwhelming, a relationship becoming safer or a difficult moment ending differently.

When we only look for the final outcome, we can miss the courage, effort and learning taking place along the way. When we recognise the smaller changes accurately, we gain better information, more realistic hope and a clearer understanding of what support should come next.

If you would like help understanding progress, reviewing current strategies or developing an individualised behaviour support plan, FABIC’s team is here to help.

BOOK IN WITH FABIC TODAY

General information only: This article is educational and does not replace individual medical, allied-health, legal, crisis or behaviour support advice. Follow any current behaviour support, health or safety plan developed for the person. If there is an immediate risk of serious harm or a medical emergency, call Triple Zero (000).

References and Further Reading

FABIC. FABIC Ethos and Principles of Client Care.
FABIC. The Body Life Skills Program.
FABIC. Positive Behaviour Support Explained: Strategies, Examples and When to Use It.
FABIC. Why Do People Behave the Way They Do? Understanding What Sits Beneath Behaviour.
FABIC. What Is a Functional Behaviour Assessment, and What Actually Happens?.
FABIC. Why Individualised Support Matters: The Same Diagnosis Does Not Mean the Same Needs.
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework, Version 3.
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Behaviour Support Assessment, Including Functional Behaviour Assessment: Practice Guide.
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Behaviour Support and Restrictive Practices.
World Health Organization. WHOQOL: Measuring Quality of Life.

Fabic Team

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