Behaviour Difficulties |
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Challenging behaviour is common in kids and teens, but while a certain amount of challenging behaviour is healthy and indicative of a child’s ability to express their thoughts and feelings, some kids develop behavioural problems that are more challenging and difficult than that exhibited by their peers.
Severe behavioural problems are stressful and draining for parents and best dealt with in consultation with a clinical psychologist. There are a number of reasons why a child might develop challenging behaviour and knowing the specific underlying causes of your child’s behaviour is important. A mismatch between underlying causes and treatment strategies will limit the effectiveness of treatment.
Click here here for information and ideas about how to manage challenging behaviour.
A certain level of challenging behaviour is healthy and normal and all toddlers will at one point or another go through phases of:
Challenging behaviour in toddlerhood can be symptomatic of an underlying problem – for example, lagging social or emotion regulation skills – but it can also be a reaction to environmental stress or mismatched parenting strategies. For example, while rigid discipline may be effective for managing behaviour in some toddlers, in other toddlers (particularly those who are fiercely independent) this approach may actually worsen challenging behaviour. Identifying the underlying cause of your toddlers behaviour is essential to positive change.
As a general rule, when problem behaviour is occurring at both home and daycare, there’s more likely to be an underlying skills problem. If challenging behaviour is only evident at home, a re-evaluation of parenting strategies might be needed.
Opposition Defiant Disorder is a term used to describe behaviour in kids and teens that is disobedient and hostile. Key symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder are:
The behaviour associated with Conduct Disorder is more severe than that seen in Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Symptoms include:
Regardless of whether your child meets full criteria for a diagnosable behavioural problem, if their behaviour is causing you stress it’s worthwhile seeking guidance from a clinical psychologist.
The cause of school refusal will differ from teen to teen, but common reasons are:
What’s important to know is that the initial cause of school refusal won’t necessarily be the reason why a teen continues to refuse school. For example, conflict with a teacher might be the initial trigger for school refusal, but falling behind in school work and feeling disconnected from friends might be the underlying cause of ongoing avoidance.