What is 'Challenging Behaviour'?
the term ‘challenging behaviour’ is often used to describe a child or young person’s actions. but what does that really mean…
It is true that all children have their moments of being challenging - episodes like having a meltdown about bed time, or refusing to do maths homework spring to mind! All behaviour is a form of communication and viewing behaviour as an unmet need helps us to join together the pieces of what can often be a complex puzzle. If a child is displaying challenging behaviour it is important to identify the root cause that is motivating the feelings and behaviours.
Behaviour is a form of communication
Challenging behaviour may be a sign that something isn’t working. It shows that there is some unfulfilled need or a breakdown with communication. A child or young person displaying challenging behaviour could be motivated by a simple issue related to their basic needs such as tiredness or hunger, or in more complex situations they may have behavioural, emotional or social difficulties (to help with this see our blog on York based support services).
Examples of a child or young person displaying challenging behaviour are:
putting themselves or someone around them at risk
behaving in a way that causes them and others around them distress
Some examples of this would be:
Aggression towards others or self-harming
Being disruptive
Being destructive
Being unable to join in/enjoy everyday activities
What can I do to help?
Think of challenging behaviour as a symptom, rather than a condition, and try to understand what might be causing the behaviour. The outward behaviours are what are considered the tip of the iceberg, beneath the surface can be some very complex emotions and feelings which it is useful to identify. One strategy to support your young people is to carry out a behaviour audit to see if there are any common triggers for the challenging behaviour. That way, changes could be made to avoid those triggers or reduce their impact.
It is important to remember that there is usually a reason for challenging behaviour. Nobody finds challenging behaviour fun - particularly not the child!
Find out more about managing challenging behaviour in children and young people on our training course.