Causes of Challenging Behavior and Strategies for Managing Them Issue Related to Why It May Lead to Behavior Behaviors You Might See Strategies To Try Challenging Behavior Problems Typical Development Emotional and neurological response Refusing to comply with Provide anticipatory guidance to to learning new skills (“Touchpoints”) instructions parents (See the Touchpoints Testing increased autonomy Tantrums or crying for no series by Brazelton for more Anxiety about new experiences apparent reason information) Waking during the night Help parents reframe (after sleep patterns have challenging behavior as a been established) typical response to new skill Saying to every offer, development “No” even those he or she wants Help parents recognize positive Mild aggression toward other behaviors to reward children and familiar adults Model and encourage parents to Consolable fear of situations ignore tantrums or people that did not bother Help parents identify the before consequences for aggression Environmental Triggers Too many choices leading to Tantrums for no discernible Help parents identify overstimulation or distraction reason environmental factors that Lack of opportunities for Screaming or crying for no cause discomfort exploration other reason Introduce potential triggers Sensitivity to: Inattention to other people gradually and pair with Noise levels Acting without regard to something the child enjoys personal safety If problems are severe or Particular noises (e.g. vacuum Withdrawing to another persistent, consult with OT to cleaner) environment see if sensory strategies be Temperature Hyperactivity appropriate Crowds Itchy clothing Visually environments “busy”
Causes of Challenging Behavior and Strategies for Managing Them Issue Related to Challenging Behavior Why It May Lead to Behavior Problems Behaviors You Might See Strategies To Try Typical Development Emotional and neurological response to learning new skills (“Touchpoints”) Testing increased autonomy Anxiety about new experiences Refusing to comply with instructions Tantrums or crying for no apparent reason Waking during the night (after sleep patterns have been established) Saying “No” to every offer, even those he or she wants Mild aggression toward other children and familiar adults Consolable fear of situations or people that did not bother the before Provide anticipatory guidance to parents (See the Touchpoints series by Brazelton for more information) Help parents reframe challenging behavior as a typical response to new skill development Help parents recognize positive behaviors to reward Model and encourage parents to ignore tantrums Help parents identify consequences for aggression Environmental Triggers Too many choices leading to overstimulation or distraction Lack of opportunities for exploration Sensitivity to: Noise levels Particular noises (e.g. vacuum cleaner) Temperature Crowds Itchy clothing Visually “busy” environments Tantrums for no discernible reason Screaming or crying for no other reason Inattention to other people Acting without regard to personal safety Withdrawing to another environment Hyperactivity Help parents identify environmental factors that cause discomfort Introduce potential triggers gradually and pair with something the child enjoys If problems are severe or persistent, consult with OT to see if sensory strategies be appropriate