1. Understanding and Managing Challenging Behaviour
ID CAMHS
Liam Gondelle

2. Aims of the workshop
To support you in having a clearer understanding of the reasons that a child may display ‘challenging’ behaviour.
To develop skills in finding out what the reason/ function of a behaviour is.
to understand the cycle of behaviour
To start to develop a tool kit to help manage/reduce behaviours that are challenging.

3. What is challenging behaviour?
What comes to your mind when we say the word challenging behaviour?

4. What is challenging behaviour
Challenging behaviour is something that you/others find difficult to support or manage.
Challenging behaviour is something that will cause limitations on the child’s, yours, or others quality and day to day life.

5. Why behaviour occurs
Behaviours that are challenging to manage can be seen for lots of different reasons. Often we refer to the reason as the function or the unmet need.
The common functions of behaviour include:
Sensory
Attention/interaction
Escape
To get something/tangible
Physical/health reasons

6. What we can clearly see around why a behaviour is occurring
Why behaviour occurs
What we can clearly see around why a behaviour is occurring
What is below the surface that we need to do a bit more investigation in.

7. Why behaviour occurs
The picture on the previous slide highlights how often it may not be completely clear why a child is behaving in a certain way. It is important to remember that there is always a reason.
Displaying a form of challenging behaviour is a way of communicating a unmet need.
Children will often display that behaviour again, it is normally very effective in achieving their goal.

8. Cycle of behaviour Crisis Escalation De-escalation Baseline Baseline
Post incident phase

9. Cycle of behaviour
You might of heard of people talking about behaviour and traffic lights together.
Green: This will be a description of the child when they are happy and calm
Amber: When the child is starting to become anxious, slightly agitated or not just themselves. (often this can be hard to spot, but is can be the best time to put something into action.
Red: Also sometimes called crisis. This is when clear challenging behaviours are being seen. The intervention at this stage should be about keeping people safe, and allowing the situation to calm.
Blue: often following a large incident people can be slightly low/remorseful. During this period triggers can be heightened.

10. Managing challenging behaviour
We have already said that often when a child displays challenging behaviour it is a way of achieving an unmet need.
Once we have found out that need, we need to put something in place that will achieve that need/goal in a more appropriate way.
What barriers might we be faced with then trying to do this?

11. Positive vs negative responses to behaviour that is challenging
We often use the term ‘ignore the negative and praise the positive’.
This does not mean that we accept negative behaviour, and there are no consequences.
What is the difference between a punishment and a consequence?
Evidence suggests that when putting in punishments/negative reinforcement, this will not solve the problem/behaviour, even if the behaviour does stop it is likely that it will come back or be transferred onto something else.
Offering a reward/something motivating in relation to a positive behaviour teaches the child that their new behaviour is affective and will likely last longer and break down their previous view that the negative behaviour achieves the goal.
Can we think of any examples of this?

12. General points/ possible interventions that may be useful
Communications Aids
Now/Next
Visual schedules
Emotion cards
Objects of reference
PECS/Visual Cards
Signing/Makaton
Sensory Adaptions
Ear defenders/headphones
Offering movement breaks/high movement activities before needing to be still (if appropriate)
Manage/be aware of the environment that you are in.

13. General points/ possible interventions that may be useful
Behavioural Strategies
Reward/Working towards systems
Social stories
Five point scales
House rules
Scripts
Take a step back
Monitor your own mood/stress levels
Distraction/intensive interaction
Remember processing times/amount of information given.

14. Resources to support making changes
ABC Charts
Behaviour Support Plan templates

15. Questions