Behavioural gerontology applies behaviour analysis to challenges related to ageing. As Aotearoa’s population grows older, more people are living with conditions such as obesity, depression, diabetes, and dementia.

Behaviour analysts can work directly with older adults, or alongside whānau and care staff, to provide practical, non-medication-based supports. These approaches can help to maintain daily living skills, support memory and communication, improve treatment adherence, and help people stay independent for longer.

Brain injury rehabilitation often involves long-term physical, cognitive, and behavioural challenges that can affect independence and quality of life. Behaviour analysts contribute to interdisciplinary teams by designing programmes that both build skills and reduce behaviours that get in the way of recovery.

Skill-building goals may include strengthening social relationships or supporting a return to work, while behaviour-reduction goals may focus on decreasing aggression or disruptive behaviours. Because the effects of brain injury vary widely, behaviour analysts use single-case designs to track progress and evaluate outcomes.

Behavioural paediatrics applies behaviour analysis to challenges that arise in child health settings. This approach is valuable, as up to half of all visits to paediatric services involve behaviour concerns that can be addressed through behaviour-analytic strategies.

Key areas of focus include:

1. Everyday behaviour challenges (e.g., sleep difficulties).

2. Behaviour issues with medical components (e.g., encopresis).

3. Health conditions with behavioural aspects (e.g., managing diabetes).

4. Non-adherence to medical treatment.

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is best known for supporting people with developmental disabilities (e.g., autism, Down syndrome, intellectual disability). It can be effective across the lifespan—from early childhood through adulthood.

For young children, ABA programmes aim to support the development of communication, social/play, and daily living skills.

For older children and adults, ABA focuses on skills needed for home, school, work, and community life, while also prioritising safety, participation, and improving quality of life.

Decades of research show that these approaches are highly effective, with international recognition from organisations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Surgeon General.

For more than 60 years, behaviour analysis has been used to improve teaching and learning across all ages, subjects, and student groups. It offers a scientific approach to designing, delivering, and evaluating instruction by examining the link between teaching practices and student outcomes.

Behavioural strategies support the teaching of academic, social, vocational, and daily living skills, and can also strengthen whole school systems. Key features include frequent opportunities for active student responding, timely feedback, and ongoing decisions guided by direct measures of progress. Behavioural instructional design also informs curriculum development, from foundational skills to problem solving and concept learning.

Climate change and environmental degradation highlight the urgent need for sustainable practices that meet our energy and resource needs without further harming the planet. These practices involve individuals, whānau, communities, businesses, and governments working together to protect ecosystems and reduce carbon emissions.

Behaviour analysts contribute by partnering with communities, experts, and policy makers to promote sustainable actions in areas such as energy use and renewables, transport, waste reduction and recycling, food production and consumption, and environmental conservation. Interventions may include tailored feedback, redesigning environments, group-based strategies, and wider systems or policy change—all aimed at encouraging long-term sustainable behaviour.

OBM applies behaviour analysis to workplaces by assessing and improving the environment to enhance staff performance and workplace culture. Practitioners work across sectors such as health, education, government, non-profits, and business to create meaningful, sustainable change.

Typical goals include strengthening systems and processes, closing performance gaps, supporting staff development and retention, and driving organisational growth. Outcomes often include fewer workplace injuries, higher employee and customer satisfaction, smoother cultural integration after mergers, improved quality standards, and increased productivity and revenue.

Behaviour analysts apply behavioural principles to promote personal health and wellbeing, often outside formal healthcare. This work focuses on sustainable lifestyle changes—such as healthy eating and regular exercise—delivered directly to individuals or in collaboration with health professionals, dietitians, and trainers. Common strategies include clear goal-setting, self-monitoring, feedback, behavioural skills training, and accountability systems to support long-term change.

In sport, behaviour analysis is used to enhance the performance and satisfaction of athletes, teams, and coaches. Goals may include teaching new skills, reducing persistent errors or problem behaviours, strengthening motivation and focus, and supporting confidence and resilience. Behaviour analysts also help coaches refine their methods and encourage athletes to maintain healthy routines around nutrition, training, and recovery.

Substance use prevention and treatment
Research shows that substance use and misuse can be understood as behaviour shaped by its consequences. Behavioural approaches can prevent and treat the use of alcohol, nicotine, and other substances, as well as related challenges such as mental health issues or unemployment.

Evidence-based interventions include the Community Reinforcement Approach, reinforcement-based treatment, and family- or youth-focused behavioural therapies. Contingency management—providing rewards for objective evidence of abstinence—is among the most effective psychosocial treatments.

Behavioural treatments are delivered in healthcare, research, community clinics, workplaces, and increasingly via technology.

Behaviour analysts in youth justice apply the science of behaviour to support young people involved in the justice system. Their work focuses on identifying the environmental and social factors that influence behaviour and developing evidence-based interventions to reduce harmful or offending behaviours while promoting prosocial skills and positive community participation.

They may conduct functional behaviour assessments, design individualized support plans, and provide training in self-regulation, problem-solving, and social skills. Collaboration with caregivers, staff, and multidisciplinary teams ensures interventions are applied consistently across settings.

Beyond individual support, behaviour analysts contribute to system-level change by evaluating rehabilitation programmes, implementing positive behaviour support frameworks in youth facilities, and advising on policies to reduce recidivism. Their practice emphasises ethical standards, trauma-informed care, and cultural responsiveness, tailoring support to diverse needs.