serious-behaviour-overview.pdf

7/27/2019 serious-behaviour-overview.pdf

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Serious behaviour problems

and mental healthMany childrens behaviour can be disruptive and dicultat times. As part o learning how to behave appropriately

children may test adult rules at home, school or in the

community. Oten such behaviour is a reaction to stress

or rustration.

For some children serious behaviour problems develop into

a pattern that can include acting impulsively, reacting with

aggression, reusing to ollow reasonable directions and

deying adult authority. Children who behave in this way

usually have trouble with making and keeping riends.They may be the target o bullying because they over

react. Yet they may also bully others to try and get their

own way. They are oten in trouble with teachers or not

ollowing the rules.

These patterns o behaviour interere with childrens social and

academic development. They oten lead to social isolation and

to disciplinary consequences, such as school suspension, that

interrupt learning. Children with serious behaviour problems

oten do not eel connected at school. They are more likely to

experience low sel esteem and depression.

How serious behaviour

problems aect children

Contents

Serious behaviour problems and mental health 1

How do serious behaviour problems develop? 2

How behaviour problems escalate 2

Serious behaviour problems and diagnosis o a mental disorder 2

What would you notice in a child with Oppositional Deant Disorder (ODD)? 3

What would you notice in a child with Conduct Disorder (CD)? 3

What treatments are eective? 4

How to assist children with serious behaviour problems 4

Howseriousbehaviourproblemsa

fectchildren

Parents, carers and teaching

sta who are interested to know

about childrens disruptive

behaviour in general will nd

many helpul ideas in several

other KidsMatter resource packs,

including Learning to manage

anger, Eective discipline and

Building better amily relationships.

A separate KidsMatter resource

pack is also provided on Children

with Attention Defcit Hyperactivity

Disorder (ADHD).

EI_SBPover 2008

ERC 071871


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How do serious behaviour problemsdevelop?A combination o actors, including individual characteristics, social

and environmental infuences, may contribute to children developing

serious behaviour problems. For example, having a reactive

temperament can mean children are quick to get rustrated and their

anger may be intense. This can prompt angry or harsh reactions romthose who deal with them, which may escalate the childs reactive

behaviour.

The table below lists some o the common actors that contribute

to the development o serious behaviour problems. A single actor

alone should not be taken as an indication o serious problems.

However, when several actors are present behaviour problems

are much more likely.

Contributing actors in the development o serious behaviour

problems

Factor What that means

Inherited actors

Some temperament characteristics

contribute to behaviour problems. These

include being easily irritated, having

intense reactions and being dicult to

soothe.

Ways o thinking

Children with serious behaviour problems

oten believe others are picking on them.

The more they get into trouble the more

this negative bias is conrmed.

Neuro-

psychological

problems

Diculties with the brain processes that

organise memory and control attention

may be similar to those o children with

ADHD. There may also be diculties with

controlling emotions and understanding

what other people are thinking and eeling.

Parenting

practices

Over-reaction to the childs behaviour, lack

o supervision and inconsistent discipline

may contribute to serious behaviour

problems.

Adverse social

circumstances

Parental unemployment, nancial hardship,

poor housing and deprivation are common

patterns o hardship amongst amilies o

children with serious problem behaviours.

Peer infuences

Gang membership or having an older

sibling with Conduct Disorder is associated

with the development o serious behaviour

problems.

School

Feeling alienated at school, school ailureand infexible discipline practices rom

teaching sta, can lead to worsening o

serious behaviour problems.

Serious behaviour

problems and diagnosisof a mental disorderWhen children show persistent and extreme

patterns o disruptive behaviours they may be

diagnosed by mental health proessionals as having

a Disruptive Behaviour Disorder. There is debate

amongst proessionals as to the useulness o

diagnosing Disruptive Behaviour Disorders. Some

experts are concerned that mental health labels

can cause children to be stigmatised. They argue

that the strategies or assisting children with seriousbehaviour problems are the same or those whose

problems may be less severe. They eel that the

diagnosis can lead others to see the child rather

than the behaviour as the problem. Such negative

How behaviourproblems escalateOver time children develop particular patterns

o thinking and behaving that urther shape the

ways they interact with others and how others

respond to them. For example, they may believe

that others are always picking on them and seeeven accidental mishaps as an indication that

someone is out to get them. These patterns o

thinking and behaving lead to distress, coping

diculties and/or problems in relationships

with others.

Children with severe behaviour problems

oten trigger hostile responses rom others.

Once children come to expect critical or punitive

responses, they are less likely to admit ailures

or problems. They may try to maintain a sense

o power or control by distancing themselvesrom adults and using threat, coercion and

aggression to manage social situations. They

oten try to avoid punishment by denial or lying.

They may have strong eelings o anger and

Diculttemperament

Infancy Pre-school School

Typical development o serious behaviour proble

TantrumsNon-compliance

Defance

Aggressivebehaviour

Fighting


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evaluations can be a signicant obstacle to eective

treatment o children with behaviour problems.

Other mental health proessionals say that the

diagnosis helps to identiy those children who

are most in need o additional help. They argue

that early identication and specialist intervention

or Disruptive Behaviour Disorders is necessary

particularly because these disorders can have

very serious long term consequences i not

addressed early.

The two main diagnostic categories or severe

behaviour problems are Oppositional Deant

Disorder and Conduct Disorder. Attention DecitHyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is also sometimes

included as a third category (see KidsMatter

resource pack on Children with ADHD or more

inormation).

resentment. Anger gives a sense o power, but

also drives others away, while resentment and

mistrust tend to block and distort emotional

communication. Many o these children hide

eelings o helplessness, low sel esteem, and

a need or aection.

Children with serious behaviour problems are

dicult to parent. Parenting practices that arevery eective with other children in the amily

may not work or these children. Parents may nd

it hard to provide the extra structure and support

that these children need, especially i they are

also experiencing a range o social or personal

problems themselves. Schools nd it dicult to

manage repeated rule breaking and aggressive

behaviour. As a result o disciplinary problems and

ailure to be successul at school, children may

become disengaged with school, adding to the

risk o negative outcomes.

When this cycle o problems is not addressed

it can have severe long term consequences

or childrens mental health and their social

adjustment, as shown in the gure below.

howing long term impacts i not addressed

Poor social skills

Distortions inthinking

Peer and/orrelationship

problems

Delinquency

Drug abuse Suicide risk

Motor car accidents Poor job history Relationships breakdown


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To assist children with serious

behaviour problems it is important

to have a coordinated approach

both at home and at school.

For further information on serious behaviour problems look for the

accompanying KidsMatter list Children with serious behaviour problems

Other resources.

Further information on KidsMatter is available at www.kidsmatter.edu.au

l l l l l l

This resource is part o the KidsMatter Primary initiative. The team at KidsMatter welcomes your eedback at www.kidsmatter.edu.au

How to assist children with seriousbehaviour problemsChildren with serious behaviour problems need lots o assistance to learn more

appropriate ways o dealing with social situations and relationships, negotiating

ways to have their needs met, and managing their negative reactions. Usually

parents and carers will need to ne tune their parenting practices. Schools need

to establish specic and individualised strategies to engage students with seriousbehaviour problems. They also need to ensure that their approach to discipline

balances support or positive behaviour with consistent appropriate limit-setting

and consistent application o consequences or inappropriate behaviour.

General principles or assisting children with serious behaviour problems

Buildcooperativerelationships

Maintaining positive relationships with children whose behaviour challenges

adult authority can be dicult, however it is very important. Disciplinary

measures need to be directed toward the behaviour, not the child. Cooperation

is undermined by negative eelings in the adult-child relationship. When adults

behaviour towards them is positive, children are more willing to cooperate.

Beclear,consistentandfair

Clear rules and consistent, reasonable consequences or misbehaviour are

important. The rules need to be clear and air to everyone. They should be

discussed thoroughly and calmly in advance so that the child understands

the rules and the reasons or them beore any misbehaviour occurs. This is

important to show these children that they are not being unairly picked on.

Buildpositivesocialskills

Children who engage in disruptive or aggressive behaviour usually have ew

other strategies or coping with diculties or getting what they want. Helping

them build positive social skills provides other ways or them to respond.

Helpchildrentounderstandandmanagetheiremotions

Feelings like rustration and anger oten trigger problem behaviours. Teaching

children how to recognise and manage their emotions is very helpul or

developing childrens sel-awareness and sel-control.

Look or urther ways to help children with serious behaviour problems in

Assisting children with serious behaviour problems suggestions or parents and carers

andAssisting children with serious behaviour problems suggestions or teaching sta

in the accompanying materials. For an example o how parents or carers might

recognise serious behaviour problems in children and some suggestions or

helping, read the parenting inormation sheet titled Sams on a short use.

What treatmentsare effective?Serious behaviour problems can be

eectively treated beore Conduct

Disorder (CD) has developed. A

combination o anger management,

coping and problem solving skillsor children and education and

support or parents and carers is

likely to be needed. School sta

have a signicant role in ensuring

that management o behaviours at

school is consistent and eective.

Early treatment is very important

as behaviour problems are more

dicult to change once they are well

established. Early treatment can also

help to reduce negative impacts on

school learning and on sel-esteem.

Relevant and specic social and

emotional learning opportunities are

needed or children with behaviour

problems. These help them develop

better ways o relating to others

as well as strategies or controlling

negative emotions. Intensive

learning o anger management,

coping and social problem solving

skills in small groups has been shownto reduce problem behaviours.

Parents and carers are assisted

by learning specic behaviour

management skills or dealing with

dicult behaviours. Meeting in

small groups with other parents and

carers whose children have similar

diculties helps to ensure that

the parenting techniques learned

are eective or their childrens

needs. Parenting groups shouldbe acilitated by a skilled parenting

educator who has training and

expertise in helping parents and

carers manage behaviour problems.

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