Challenging behaviour

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Challenging behavior is defined as "culturally abnormal behavior(s) of such intensity, frequency or duration that the physical safety of the person or others is placed in serious jeopardy, or behavior which is likely to seriously limit or deny access to the use of ordinary community facilities" [1].

Challenging behavior is most often exhibited by people with developmental disabilities, dementia, psychosis and by children, although such behaviors can be displayed by any person.

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[edit] Types of challenging behavior

Common types of challenging behavior include self-injurious behaviour (such as hitting, headbutting, biting), aggressive behavior (such as hitting others, screaming, spitting, kicking), inappropriate sexualised behavior (such as public masturbation or groping), behavior directed at property (such as throwing objects and stealing) and stereotyped behaviors (such as repetitive rocking, echolalia or elective incontinence).

[edit] Causes of challenging behavior

Challenging behavior may be caused by a number of factors, including biological (pain, medication, the need for sensory stimulation), social (boredom, seeking social interaction, the need for an element of control, lack of knowledge of community norms, insensitivity of staff and services to the person's wishes and needs), environmental (physical aspects such as noise and lighting, or gaining access to preferred objects or activities), psychological (feeling excluded, lonely, devalued, labelled, disempowered, living up to people's negative expectations) or simply a means of communication. A lot of the time, challenging behavior is learned and brings rewards and it is very often possible to teach people new behaviors to achieve the same aims.

Experience and research suggests that what professionals call 'challenging behavior' is often a reaction to the challenging environments that services create around people with developmental disabilities, and a method of communicating dissatisfaction with the failure of services to listen for what kind of life makes most sense to the person, especially where services deliver lifestyles and ways of working that are centered on what suits the service and it's staff rather than what suits the person

A common principle in behavior management is looking for the message an individual is communicating through their challenging behavior: "All behavior has meaning".

[edit] Behavior response cycle

Challenging behaviors may be viewed as occurring in a cycle:

  • Trigger
  • Escalation
  • Crisis
  • Recovery

Analysis of this cycle provides a foundation for using a variety of strategies to minimize the triggers of challenging behavior, teach more appropriate behaviors in response to these triggers, or provide consequences to the challenging behavior that will encourage a more appropriate response. Behavioral strategies such as Applied Behavior Analysis, operant conditioning and Positive behavior support use similar approaches to analyzing and responding to challenging behaviors.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Emerson, E. 1995. Challenging behavior: analysis and intervention with people with learning difficulties. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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