(Internalising) challenging behaviours and trauma-informed Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

Notwithstanding their empirically validated credentials and social justice orientations, a mono-dimensional approach to Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (PBIS) cannot singlehandedly meet the unique needs of minoritised children and young people who have experienced acute, cumulative, or complex traumas. Experiences of trauma have been empirically proven to have a debilitating effect on minoritised children’s learning and socio-emotional functioning. This causal effect necessitates the development of trauma-informed multitiered models of intervention to mitigate the adverse effects of trauma and to support these students’ behaviour and learning. The article discusses the necessity of developing trauma-informed and intersectionality-based PBIS, while providing some insights into how trauma- informed education and care should be incorporated in PBIS planning and implementation strategies at the school and community levels. These analytical insights complement earlier work on promoting an ecological/interactional approach to understanding students’ developmental trajectories and their impact on academic and social behaviours, as well as more recent equity-focused PBIS approaches to improving equity in school discipline.