Challenging behaviour is very common amongst children with learning disabilities however it is often difficult for families to talk about it – almost a taboo
Challenging behaviour is usually triggered by anxiety or over-stimulation caused to the child and this is their way of dealing with it / communicating
It is hard to understand what is causing the anxiety as when upset the child is unlikely to be able to communicate, and it is often not easy to identify the triggers
Children often hold in the challenging behaviours at school resulting in an explosion once they reach home and a safe place to express themselves
Using the usual approaches to challenging behaviours with a child with a learning disability has limited to no impact – telling them off, the naughty step, timeout all tend to add rather than help the situation
Often parents of children with challenging behaviour are left trying to comfort a distraught child with little idea of how to help them
Professionals are often dubious about the challenging behaviour described to them as the child rarely displays the behaviour in their presence
Providing video evidence is heart breaking – a dreadful position to have to film your child whilst in a distressed state in order to show others what they are dealing with
It is absolutely exhausting – emotionally and physically – leaving parents, siblings and other family members with little energy to face the challenges of the day
The support for those with children with challenging behaviours is very limited, especially for pre-teens leaving parents and families unsupported and isolated.
stimulation caused to the child and this is their way of dealing with it / communicating