Challenging Behaviour Essay

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INFORMATION SHEET Challenging Behaviour – Supporting Change Using a functional assessment to understand challenging behaviour and identify ways of supporting behaviour change Mark Addison, Counselling Psychologist, Community Learning Disability Team, Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust. When a child’s behaviour has been identified as challenging, it is essential that a rationale is first provided as to exactly why it is challenging. Indeed, a problem for one person is not always a problem for another person. Sometimes the question must be asked, “Whose problem is it?” This is not to suggest that a difference of opinion should be ignored. Indeed, the fact that one person believes a behaviour to be a bigger problem than someone else, may simply reflect a limited knowledge about child development, or unrealistic expectations about how the child should behave. In this respect, some information and/or supportive counselling may be helpful. It is also important to consider the degree of intent that may lie behind the behaviour. Challenging behaviour in people with severe learning disabilities is not necessarily deliberate or planned. Rather, in situations of need, people with severe learning disabilities may simply behave automatically in ways which have been successful in the past. When trying to understand the reason(s) for a child’s challenging behaviour, a medical investigation should be sought in the first instance, to check for any possible underlying health influences. Common conditions such as ear infections, tooth-ache, constipation, urinary tract infections or epilepsy may all cause, or contribute to someone’s challenging behaviour. Functional Assessment A functional assessment of the behaviour may provide some answers, or at least some theories, about the causes of an individual’s behaviour. As noted in the Challenging Behaviour Foundation’s
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