Practical Applications of the UN-CRPD in Behaviour Support

Behaviour support is most effective when it aligns with human rights principles, ensuring that individuals have autonomy, dignity, and the freedom to live in ways that reflect their values. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN-CRPD) provides a powerful framework for achieving this, moving beyond deficit-based models of support and towards approaches that prioritise inclusion, participation, and self-determination.

By applying behavioural science in a way that upholds the principles of the UN-CRPD, practitioners can create meaningful, rights-based support systems that empower individuals rather than restrict them.

Shifting the Behaviour Focus: From Control to Autonomy

Traditional models of behaviour support have often centred on compliance - teaching individuals to follow rules, conform to social norms, and reduce behaviours deemed “challenging.” The UN-CRPD challenges this by reinforcing the right of every person to make decisions about their own life. Behavioural science, when applied ethically, provides the tools to support autonomy rather than control behaviour.

This means:

• Prioritising skills that increase independent decision-making rather than reinforcing compliance for its own sake.

• Recognising that behaviour is communication and working to understand unmet needs rather than suppressing responses.

• Providing multiple ways for individuals to engage with their environment rather than enforcing a single “acceptable” way to behave.

Support should enable participation rather than restrict it. This requires an ongoing shift in how behavioural goals are set, ensuring they align with the person’s own values and aspirations rather than external expectations.

Environmental Adaptations: Changing Systems, Not People

A core principle of the social model of disability, which the UN-CRPD endorses, is that barriers exist in the environment, not in the individual. Behavioural science has long recognised that behaviour is shaped by environmental contingencies. So, instead of expecting people to adapt to rigid structures, effective support involves modifying the environment to promote success.

This can be applied in practical ways:

• Adjusting expectations: Instead of requiring individuals to fit into existing structures, change systems to accommodate different needs (e.g., offering alternative communication methods).

• Shaping supportive contingencies: Reinforcing small steps toward autonomy rather than focusing only on outcomes.

• Promoting choice and control: Ensuring individuals have the opportunity to opt in or out of activities and decisions that impact their lives.

When environments reinforce autonomy and participation, restrictive practices become unnecessary. Behaviour support should focus on enhancing a person’s ability to navigate their world, not forcing them to comply with predetermined norms.

Reducing Restrictive Practices Through Functional Support

The UN-CRPD explicitly calls for an end to coercive and restrictive practices, which are often justified under the guise of safety or behaviour management. Behavioural science offers a clear alternative: teaching practical, functional skills that replace the need for restrictions.

This includes:

• Identifying functionally equivalent replacement behaviours (e.g., self-advocacy instead of engaging in distress behaviours).

• Using reinforcement-based strategies that promote skill development and self-regulation rather than punishing or suppressing behaviour.

• Training support networks (families, caregivers, educators) to understand behaviour as a response to the environment rather than something to be “fixed.”

When individuals have the skills, resources, and autonomy to meet their needs effectively, the use of restrictive interventions naturally decreases.

A Rights-Based Approach to Behaviour Support

Aligning behaviour support with the UN-CRPD means committing to practices that:

✔️ Respect autonomy – Ensuring individuals have the right to make choices, even when they differ from what others might choose for them.

✔️ Promote dignity – Avoiding practices that shame, isolate, or coerce.

✔️ Support participation – Creating conditions where all people can engage meaningfully in their communities.

✔️ Encourage self-advocacy – Teaching skills that allow individuals to express their needs and preferences effectively.

This is not just a theoretical shift—it’s a practical one. Every interaction, intervention, and support plan should be examined through the lens of how it upholds a person’s rights rather than how it modifies their behaviour to fit an external standard.

Which area of behaviour support do you think needs the most change to align with human rights?

• Reducing restrictive practices
• Increasing autonomy and choice
• Supporting self-advocacy skills
• Improving environmental adaptations