An Introduction to Challenging Behaviour

Read Time:1 Minute, 47 Second

Challenging behaviour is often displayed by children and adults with learning disabilities and mental impairments which make interacting in a socially acceptable manner difficult. Behaviours that others consider to be challenging include, but are not limited to, biting, hitting, breaking things, head banging and eating inedible objects.

Why do people display these types of behaviour?

Ordinarily, these behaviours indicate that the affected individual is struggling to adapt to their environment and the people with whom they are interacting, but lack the vocabulary or social skills to articulate this in an appropriate manner

These behaviours are often seen in non-vocal children who quickly stop displaying them once they are able to articulate their needs and preferences. However, in people with severe learning impairments, this ability to articulate may not emerge in an ordinary developmental timeline, causing these challenging behaviours to be displayed for far longer than is usually expected.

What is the impact of challenging behaviour?

Challenging behaviour has a profound impact on the people around the affected individual, on anyone who is injured as well as on the people responsible for the individual displaying the behaviour who are unable to manage it.

Caring for somebody who displays challenging behaviour can take a huge toll on your mental health and lead to feelings of inadequacy, guilt and despair. Therefore, it is important to seek help when it becomes obvious that the challenging behaviour displayed by your loved one is not resolving with the usual interventions.

Where can you get help from?

There are many training providers that offer mental health training courses Milton Keynes, such as tidaltraining.co.uk/mental-health-training-courses/milton-keynes. These organisations can provide bespoke solutions to help carers, family members and professionals to overcome the difficulties of dealing with people who display challenging behaviours.

Their input can help to explain why the individual behaves in the way they do, teach you to identify their trigger points and practise ways of managing the behaviour while teaching them a more socially acceptable way to react. By developing your understanding of their behaviour, you will be better able to care for and support them.