Identifying Challenging Behaviours In Children With Special Needs

Autism, sensory processing differences, special educational needs – all these can lead to challenging behaviours and other stressors on family life. But what on earth do you do when your child attacks you?

Autism, sensory processing disorder, SEN learning difficulties can all lead at times to a parent managing challenging behaviours.  If any young person has a health problem that affects them processing thoughts, feelings or emotions, or if they have challenges with their communication skills, they are far more likely to resort to using behaviour as a form of communicating their needs.

 What can be defined as challenging behaviour?

A young person’s behaviour can be defined as challenging if it puts them, or those around them, such as peers and siblings, or those caring for them, such as parents and school staff, at risk of harm or injury.  If the behaviour is also limiting access to everyday activities or leading to a poorer quality of life, this also implies a behaviour has become challenging.

Challenging behaviour can include:

• Aggression or injury to others
• Self-harm or injury to self
• Destructiveness to property and belongings
• Disruption to everyday life for those around them
• Behaviour that inhibits their ability to take part in what would be considered typical daily life activities

All of these have a serious impact on family life. Nothing in life prepares you for the shock of being attacked by your child, it is hugely upsetting for everyone involved or witnessing these events.  So, what can you do?

 First steps you can take if your child attacks you

1. Ensure you and those around you are safe

The first concern must be to keep yourself and those around you safe.  If there is a safe and secure space for the young person while everyone else keeps a distance, give them that area and as few voices or sounds/lights around them as possible.  

2. Removing dangerous items and hazards 

If there is anyone else with you, get them to remove any dangerous items or hazards so you can continue to watch from a connected distance until you feel it is safe for you to re-enter the child’s space, ready to calm the situation with de-escalation strategies.

 Looking back and analysing the cause of aggressive behaviour

It's always important to analyse exactly what happened.  If things are happening too quickly it can be useful to set up video/cctv cameras for a few days to see if you can catch what happened in a way you can look at later. It is useful to note what happened in the run up to the behaviour, what the behaviour was, and what the consequences were from the child’s perspective.  

Behaviour is always a form of communication, especially for those with speech delays, or any differences in sensory processing that make it difficult for them to process thoughts, feelings and emotions.  Did they get attention, did they get removed from a situation?  Does Nana give them a biscuit to calm them? It’s not always obvious but sometimes gives a clue about what the child was hoping to achieve, or avoid, especially if they are not using words easily.  Expect the unexpected - the naughty step can be a rewarding outcome for someone who is struggling to share space with other children, for example.

If you can work out ‘why’ the behaviour is happening, you may be able to provide other ways for the young person to get the outcome they want or to feel more autonomy over what they can and can’t tolerate, or when.  It is useful to keep a diary for a while so you can notice patterns in the bigger picture that aren’t noticeable day to day.  For example you might find it’s always 6pm on a Monday and Thursday, you may not understand why, but that means you can start to keep that time less stimulating and be prepared.

Identifying the route cause of the behaviour can help you put effective strategies in place to manage behaviour or avoid a re-occurrence. In our next blog we discuss how to manage aggressive behaviour in children with special needs.