Why Behaviour Plans Collapse Without a Regulation Framework
Many OTs are called in when behaviour plans are no longer working.
Despite consistent implementation with visual systems, behavioural plans often fail to create lasting change. Families and educators become frustrated, and therapists are left troubleshooting the same issues repeatedly.
This is rarely because the plan is poorly designed.
It is often because the child’s regulation has not been addressed first.
What Behaviour Plans Assume
Behaviour plans typically assume that a child can:
notice internal states
pause before reacting
access cognitive strategies
tolerate emotional discomfort
These assumptions require a level of nervous system organisation that many children do not yet have.
Without regulatory capacity, behaviour plans become cognitively inaccessible at precisely the moments they are needed most.
Regulation Is the Gatekeeper to Skill Use
From an OT perspective, regulation is foundational.
If a child’s nervous system is dysregulated, higher-order skills such as impulse control, flexible thinking and sensory modulation are temporarily unavailable.
In these moments, a child’s behaviour is not a choice – it is a response.
This is why behaviour plans often “work” in calm moments but collapse under stress.
A Framework Brings Order to Complexity
What is often missing is not another strategy, but a framework that helps adults identify:
where the child is developmentally
what level of regulation is currently accessible
which supports are appropriate before behaviour is addressed
When regulation is prioritised, behaviour strategies can be layered more effectively and with greater consistency across environments.
Supporting Systems, Not Just Children
OTs frequently carry the burden of re-explaining regulation to parents, teachers and support staff.
A shared framework reduces this load by providing a common language that supports fidelity, reduces misinterpretation and strengthens carryover.
The Regulation Hourglass was developed to support this exact gap — offering clarity without oversimplifying the child or the work of the therapist.
Professional Takeaway
Behaviour plans do not fail because children are resistant.
They fail when introduced without a regulatory lens.
When regulation comes first, behaviour becomes easier to understand, support and guide.