Interventions for Challenging Behaviour

Knowledge An ability to draw on knowledge that behaviour is defined as 'challenging' when it involves significant risks to the child/young person's physical well-being and/or has a significant impact on their quality of life and their access to ordinary facilities An ability to draw on knowledge that challenging behaviours are more common in children with learning disabilities and in children with an IQ in the normal range but with neurodevelopmental disorders (such as Autism Spectrum Disorder), although the pattern varies depending on the type of behaviour, the age of the child/young person and their social and family context: an ability draw on knowledge that these children may only partly develop social and communication skills, and hence have fewer ways of signalling their needs or having them met; reflecting this, challenging behaviour can often be understood as an act of communication. An ability to draw on knowledge that challenging behaviour is context specific and can be " culturally determined " (in relation to cultural or familial expectations of standards and behaviour) An ability to draw on knowledge of normal child development and that: most young children display some forms of challenging behaviour early in their lives, and that: these usually diminish or disappear as children develop social and communication skills, and also gain more 'executive' control An ability to draw on knowledge of different types of challenging behaviour, and the prevalence of those that are associated with specific syndromes and with learning disabilities An ability to draw on knowledge of the uses and limitations of pharmacology in treating some forms of challenging behaviour, and the ability to liaise with clinical colleagues regarding the use and monitoring of medication.