When are challenging kids challenging?

When the demands or expectations being placed upon them exceed the skills that they have to respond adaptively. Of course, that's when everyone looks bad: when they're lacking the skills to look good. For example, if a particular homework assignment demands skills that a kid is lacking, then that homework assignment is likely to set in motion challenging behavior. If participating appropriately in circle time at school demands skills that a kid is lacking, then the likelihood of challenging behavior is heightened when the kid is supposed to be sitting in circle time.

Naturally, if the kid could complete the homework assignment and participate in circle time appropriately, he would complete the homework assignment and sit in circle time appropriately. Thus, an important goal is to identify the skills a challenging kid is lacking. An even more important goal is to identify the specific conditions or situations in which a challenging behavior is occurring in a particular challenging kid. In Dr. Greene's model, these conditions are referred to as unsolved problems and they tend to be highly predictable.

Identifying lagging skills and unsolved problems is accomplished through use of an instrument called the Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems (ALSUP).