5 Addressing Challenging Behavior
There are times when all children behave in ways that are not easy to deal with. Every young child has times of fussiness or outbursts as he asserts his independence, tests boundaries, and learns to communicate with others. When toddlers lack the language they need to tell adults what they want (food, a toy, attention), it is not unusual for them to use tantrums, or perhaps even biting, for a short time to express their wants and needs. Most adults are not overly concerned about these kinds of behaviors because they happen infrequently and are often easy to stop or redirect for most children.
As children mature and parents and teachers model and teach effective ways of communicating and handling strong emotions, most children develop the necessary skills to interact with others and control their impulses. For some children, however, challenging behaviors are more intense, longer lasting, or more frequent than expected for their age, and this can interfere with learning and social relationships.
Many children without disabilities exhibit challenging behavior, and many with disabilities do not. If a child with a delay or disability is exhibiting challenging behavior, it is not necessarily linked to their delay or disability. Understanding why the behavior is occurring and looking at the behavior in the context of what you know about the child and about children’s development in general enables you to support the development of skills the child may be missing (how to appropriately get an adult’s attention, how to communicate frustration in non-hurting ways) and, ultimately, more appropriate behavior.
What Challenging Behavior Is Saying
Understanding several basic ideas about difficult behavior in young children can help you understand why it is occurring, which is the foundation for helping to change it.
Behavior is always a form of communication. Everyone communicates something through their behavior, most of the time without realizing it. Both positive behavior and challenging behavior express something about us and the way we are feeling at that moment.
There is always a reason for challenging behavior. Children use challenging behavior for one of two reasons: to get something they want (such as a toy another child is playing with) or to avoid something they don’t want (like having to engage in a difficult task).
Challenging behaviors continue because they are effective. Young children continue to use challenging behavior because it gets them what they want or lets them avoid what they don’t want. If it didn’t work, they would not continue to engage in it. It may take longer to work sometimes, but as long as a behavior helps children achieve their goal, they will continue to use it.
Challenging behavior often indicates that a child lacks skills in some area. Unless you understand the reason for a behavior and address it, the child will not learn what he should do instead of the behavior. For example, if a child throws something because he is upset that a step in the daily routine was skipped and he cannot communicate this in any other way, he does not learn what he should do the next time this situation occurs if you simply remove him from the situation and take away a privilege. In addition, a new challenging behavior may replace the first one. You may be able to stop the throwing, but he may start kicking instead. You must identify what the child is trying to communicate and teach him how to express himself in ways that are more acceptable and that still allow him to achieve his goal. Focus on teaching those missing skills rather than getting a behavior to stop.
If you focus only on reducing a behavior, you may be removing the only way a child knows how to communicate with you (Neidert 2013). Help children learn positive, effective ways to express themselves, communicate their needs, and regulate their feelings and actions.
Changing Challenging Behavior
There are many reasons challenging behavior occurs, but in every case, the child has a specific reason or function for exhibiting that particular challenging behavior. Understanding the function of a behavior is key to changing it. To begin, look for ABC:
» Antecedent, or what happens just before the behavior starts
» Behavior, or what the behavior looks like, described in observable, measurable terms (“kicked chair five times” instead of “had temper tantrum”)
» Consequence, or what happens just after the behavior ends (TCDD 2013)
Conducting a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) using ABC helps you identify and understand the real reason a behavior is occurring and decide how to replace the challenging behavior with more acceptable behavior. Often, this is accomplished by teaching skills the child has not yet developed. Let’s consider August, a 3-year-old child in a public preschool program.
August does not have many toys at home, especially blocks, so he loves to play with the blocks at school. He loves to build big structures and, until recently, has played in the block area with other children without any problems. Lately, August has been getting angry when he plays in the block area and will knock down other children’s structures, throw blocks at the other children, and scream at them until they leave the area. August’s teachers feel that he does not want anyone else using the blocks and is using the behavior to scare other children away.
The teachers have also noticed that August’s speech and language skills are not as developed as the other children’s. They have started to use picture cards with August to help him get his meaning across to both them and to his peers.
August’s teachers decide to conduct an FBA to see if there is another reason behind these behaviors besides his limited language skills and not wanting to share materials. FBA consists of the following steps:
1. Identify and describe the behavior in observable and measurable terms.
Behaviors like biting are observable and measurable; different people can agree on what biting looks like and count how many times it occurs. Descriptors like “acting out” or “being difficult” do not provide observable and measurable behaviors; not everyone agrees on what those behaviors look like, so you cannot necessarily count how many times a child is being difficult.
August’s behaviors:
• Knocking down other children’s block structures
• Throwing blocks at other children
• Yelling “Leave my blocks alone!” to the other children
2. Collect data.
Data collection is necessary to document the behavior—specifically looking at the ABC of the behavior. Without accurate data, you may never discover the true reason behind it or know if the behavior is really gone. The child may stop throwing blocks, but he may start pushing other children. The behavior isn’t gone, it just changed. Collecting data takes time and requires your undivided attention on the child, so work with another adult to help you with this step.
Data collected on August in the block area:
• On Monday, August played in the block area with two other boys for about 15 minutes. One boy’s foot bumped into August’s tower and it fell. August yelled at the boy and threw blocks at both boys until the teacher intervened.
• On Tuesday, August played in the block area for 30 minutes with three classmates building a zoo. There were no issues or incidents.
• On Wednesday, August played by himself in the block area, building a tall tower. While putting a block on the top, August’s elbow hit the tower and sent it crashing to the ground. He started throwing blocks at two classmates who were playing in the nearby dramatic play area until the teacher came over to stop him.
• On Thursday, August and one other boy each worked on building a tall structure. Although no one was near August’s tower (not even August), it fell, causing him to yell and throw blocks at the other boy playing with him until the teacher came over.
• On Friday, August and two other boys played in the block area building midsized towers for a fort. They played together for 20 minutes with no incidents.
These observations clearly show teachers the ABC of August’s behavior:
A: August’s block structure—specifically, a tall structure—falls
B: August yells and throws blocks
C: Children leave the block area, and the teacher comes over to August
3. Develop a hypothesis or hypotheses.
Look at the data you’ve collected and determine the function of the child’s behavior. What is the child using the behavior for?
» To get something, including an object, a person, a preferred activity, attention from adults or peers, or a preferred sensory stimulation, like being rocked or held by an adult
» To get away from something, including demands, activities, people, social interactions, or non-preferred sensory stimulation (pain or discomfort) (TACSEI 2011)
Hypothesis for August:
August’s teachers think he is trying to get something when he yells and throws blocks. His behavior occurs when his block tower falls. He is having difficulty building a very tall tower on his own and getting the blocks to be stable. He gets frustrated and yells and throws blocks when he cannot make the tower stable. His behavior is communicating to the teachers that he needs help in learning how to make a tall tower more stable.
4. Develop and implement a behavior intervention plan.
A behavior intervention plan (BIP) is a plan that’s based on the hypothesis you develop through the FBA process. The BIP is designed to teach a child missing skills or replacement behaviors that are more appropriate and that the child can reasonably be expected to learn at this stage of his development. The plan should also include reinforcing the child’s use of the appropriate replacement skill (Chazin & Ledford 2016). Include the child in the development of the plan as much as you can. Ask him what he wants to see happen to make it better—what he comes up with may surprise you!
Behavior intervention plan for August:
1. Modify the environment: Help August learn how to make a tall tower by building it against the wall, which will provide some stability. Glue felt onto some of the blocks to make them more likely to stick together and not slide around.
2. Teach August what to do if the tower falls on its own or if someone knocks it over: If his tower falls, August will tell a teacher what happened, and the teacher will reinforce this behavior by giving August an opportunity to build the tower again, even if the rest of the class is doing something else. She will offer to take a picture of the new tower with the class tablet and email the photo to his dad. (Taking a photo is August’s idea.)
3. Provide another way for August to communicate when he gets angry and engages in this behavior: Give him some picture cards that identify his feelings (sad, angry, frustrated) and that describe what he can do next (I need help, I want to rebuild). Teaching August to communicate what he is feeling may help de-escalate some of the outbursts.
5. Gather additional data.
Once you have started an intervention, continue collecting data to see whether the intervention is working or you need to adjust something. This part takes time, and change will not happen overnight. You may not have correctly identified the behavior’s function, indicating that your replacement skills are not correct and that you need to rethink your hypothesis.
More data on August:
• Week 1: August spent two days with the teacher learning how to build block towers against the wall, but he decided that he did not want to do it that way. August liked the blocks with the felt and wanted to make sure that no one else used them. The teacher put these special blocks in a basket labeled with his name and also made a few more blocks for anyone else who wanted to use them. There were three incidents during the week where August threw blocks and yelled at his peers in the block area when his tower fell over. The teacher modeled for him how to tell her what happened, and then she gave him time to build another tower with her. They took a photo of the tower and emailed it to August’s dad.
• Week 2: There were still three yelling incidents during the week but no block throwing. While yelling at his classmates, August came over to tell the teacher what happened. The teacher modeled for him how to come and tell her what happened without yelling, and then gave him time to build another tower with her. They took a photo and emailed it to August’s dad.
• Week 3: There was one incident where August threw a block at a classmate who knocked down his tower, but he quickly went on to rebuild the tower by himself without telling the teacher. He finished the tower before it was time to leave the block area. He did not request to take a photo of the blocks this week.
• Week 4: There were no incidents of throwing blocks or yelling at peers this week. On one occasion, August asked for extra time to rebuild his tower that had fallen and requested that the teacher take a photo to send to his dad.
Conducting an FBA and writing a BIP based on the information you collect is the best way to help a child learn the skills he is missing and to prevent behaviors that arise from this lack of skills. Once you understand the real reason for the behavior, you may find it relatively easy to replace those challenging behaviors with positive ones. Collecting data lets you know whether the plan is working, even if it is in very small steps. Realize that a behavior may actually increase after you start trying to replace it before it decreases. Be consistent in applying your intervention, and remember to recognize and reinforce the new behavior.
Sometimes there are other reasons for challenging behavior that make it difficult to understand and resolve, such as medical issues (earaches) or changes at home (new baby, loss of a parent’s job). If behaviors are not diminishing, step back and look for a new hypothesis or a connection you’ve missed. Behavior is a puzzle, and puzzles are not always solved on the first try!
Mental Health Disorders and Young Children
Children react to and process stressful experiences and trauma differently than adults do, and when these experiences occur during the first five years of life, they significantly impact a child’s social and emotional well-being (Center on the Developing Child 2013). Research (Cooper, Masi, & Vick 2009) indicates that
• Almost 9 percent of children who receive mental health services in the United States are younger than 6 years old.
• Young children under the age of 5 may experience more severe mental health disorders that require interventions from trained mental health professionals. These professionals also work directly with families and the child’s school (with parental consent) to help them provide consistent interventions.
Even from a very young age, some children exhibit mental health disorders like anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, depression, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and these disorders impact their social and emotional development as well as their ability to learn (Center on the Developing Child 2013). Trauma can impact a child’s mental health enough to have lasting effects, and children may never fully recover psychologically (Center on the Developing Child 2013). Stress—including certain life circumstances like extreme and persistent poverty, unsafe neighborhoods, and domestic violence as well as persistent physical or emotional abuse and neglect—elevates a child’s risk of mental health disorders (Kieffer 2016). Even when a child is removed from an abusive or neglectful situation, she is likely to have problems with self-regulation and relating to others (Vann 2011).
Diagnosing mental health disorders in children is more difficult than diagnosing them in adults and is done by a child or adolescent psychologist or psychiatrist. Pediatricians, as well as professionals in hospitals and community mental health clinics, can perform basic mental health screenings and refer families to appropriate mental health professionals for further evaluation and treatment (Center on the Developing Child 2013; Cooper, Masi, & Vick 2009; Nelson & Mann 2011).
Preventing Challenging Behavior
Prevention strategies can address many of the challenging behaviors children exhibit. Often, you can prevent some challenging behaviors by changing your practices.
Changing Classroom Environments, Routines, Schedules, and Transitions
» Have a consistent basic schedule and regular routines. A predictable routine helps children understand what to expect next, which makes them more relaxed and cooperative as well as independent.
» Make sure all materials and activities are developmentally appropriate (and accessible) to foster independence. Providing appropriate choices so children have some control over their activities encourages initiative and independence and helps them focus on learning.
» Reduce the number of transitions a child has to make each day, and have a routine around each transition (like a song) so you can teach her how to transition and what your expectations are. For example, sing the expectations of a transition (“If you’re finished cleaning up, choose a book!”) to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” Model and have her practice choosing a book to look at when she’s finished cleaning up after center time.
Using the Power of Peers
» Use peers to model appropriate social behavior.
» Set up the classroom routines and activities so they support peer buddies (line up together, talk to your partner about your answers, have a lunchroom buddy).
» Choose buddies intentionally; some children make better partners than others. Do not always choose the most socially advanced child; look for one who is sensitive to the overall skills of a child with a disability.
Teaching Social and Emotional Skills
» Model taking turns, sharing, and other social skills, such as comforting a classmate who is upset.
» Teach children how to problem solve and negotiate when sharing materials.
» As a group, come up with no more than three to six clear classroom rules that state what children should do, rather than what they should not do (for example, “Use gentle touches” instead of “No hitting”).
» Teach the rules and have children practice them in context.
» Have clear consequences for not following the rules, and enforce them fairly and consistently with all children.
» Acknowledge and reinforce appropriate behaviors and positive child interactions (“Keyonte, that was kind of you to pick up Devon’s marker for her”). Catch children being good!
A child with a delay or a disability is a child who has the same needs as other children do, including the need for an education. Education is a human right and should be accessible for every child without discrimination (UNICEF 2009). Part 1 of this book is meant to help teachers understand the language and terms that are used in special education or when describing children with delays or disabilities as well as the larger concepts about working with children with delays or disabilities.
While disabilities impact each child in a different way, Part 2 of this book offers some definitions and general indications of common impairments to help teachers be more knowledgeable when they suspect that a child in their classroom may have a delay or disability. Part 2 also provides some practical suggestions for helping a child with a potential or an identified delay or disability communicate, interact, and learn.