Reading the Behaviour: How Property Damage and Physical Aggression Present Across Functions - Presented by Will Baker

This session equips PBS practitioners to look beyond topography and recognise how property damage and physical aggression can each present across the four core behavioural functions: escape/avoidance, access to tangibles, access to attention, and sensory/automatic reinforcement. Using case vignettes, the presentation will unpack how the same behaviour can look identical on the surface but serve entirely different purposes for different individuals — and how the two behaviours often co-occur or escalate together within the same functional pathway. Practitioners will leave with a clearer framework for hypothesis-generation before assessment even begins, reducing the risk of assuming function based on appearance alone.