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Theory
Seong (n.d.)
Reaching Families (2016)
What is Challenging Behaviour?
What is Challenging Behaviour?
Challenging Behaviour occurs when a child's basic needs are unmet. Many children display challenging behaviours when they are around 2 years old - however as their linguistic ability improves then the behaviours lessen as they are able to effectively communicate. For children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND), there is often also an impact on their speech and language development which means that they are unable - or find it difficult to - communicate their needs.
Maslow's (1943) Hierarchy of Needs, laid out the ideology that in order to thrive and reach their full potential, basic needs must be met. If you find communication difficult, then it is hard to get the help and support needed in order to meet the basic needs.
addressing-adversity-infographic-poster.pdfYoungMinds (n.d.)
KidsXpress (2019)
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE's) are known to have an impact throughout childhood and into adulthood. The brain development and the genetic make-up of the child also determines how likely – or how quickly – Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) are going to start to have an impact on the individual.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, more children experienced ACE’s (Sanders, 2020) than usual, with many protective factors being inaccessible.
Research by Sammons et al., (2002) and Sylva et al., (2012) found that early years education is an important protective factor against ACE's. Is it surprising then that a study into children who started school in September 2020 found these children were behind developmental milestones and displaying challenging behaviours? (Shum et al., 2021).
Sprouts, (2018)
Attachment Theory
Attachment Theory
Bowlby (1952; 1988) theorises that the child’s relationship to their primary caregiver leads to different behaviours in children. A child who has a secure attachment is likely to be resilient to changes in routines, transitions to preschool etc, whilst others will struggle to form meaningful attachments with other adults and peers.
Maternal well-being can impact the attachment that they have to their child – parents who have poor mental health may find it difficult to interact and engage with their child. Field (1995) found that the mother's mental health affect's babies emotional and expressive facial expressions. This can result in children who smile less and can impact their ability to make secure attachments in childhood and into adult life.
Thomas and Chess (1977) found there were three different types of child, which can also impact on attachment. Lester (1987) and Huffman et al., (1994) found that children with Down Syndrome are likely to have the higher pitched cry which Thomas and Chess (1977) associated with the 'difficult' child and are already communicating in a different way, although Buckley (1993) found that preverbal communication development is not impacted significantly for children with Down Syndrome.
Do theorists agree with each other?
Do theorists agree with each other?
Theorists have been categorised into different sections based on their ideas - but just because they come under the same heading, does not mean they necessarily agreed. Pavlov (1927) and Skinner (1953; 1958) are both termed as Behaviourism theorists - yet there are differences between them as the below videos demonstrate.
Sprouts (2020)
Pavlov
Pavlov
Pavlov (1927) believed that behaviour was linked to a stimulus triggering a response and leading to a predicted behaviour. His theory was that the behaviour was a reaction to the environment.
Sprouts (2020)
Skinner
Skinner
Skinner (1953; 1958) believed that behaviour was related to positive and negative reinforcement. The reaction received would determine whether the behaviour was likely to be repeated. Skinner theorised that positive reinforcement was more influential than negative reinforcers, and this can be seen in current applications such as Positive Behaviour Support.
BBC Radio 4 (2015)
Chomsky's Language Acquistion Device
Chomsky's Language Acquistion Device
Chomsky (1965) believed that the ability to learn languages is innate - that we are therefore genetically pre-programmed to acquire language. To put it simply, it is in our nature to learn verbal communication. However, this is not necessarily true for children with SEND. Chomsky theorised that between 3 - 10 years was the key age for language development, yet Pickett et al., (2009) found that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can learn to speak as late as thirteen.
Chomsky's work was a theoretical response to Skinner’s (1957) operant conditioning theory. Challenging Chomsky’s theory, Sachs et al., (1981) found exposure to language by itself was not enough, whilst Bickerton (1981) found that a grammatical language can develop even without external exposure and agreed with Chomsky.
Applied Behaviour Analysis
Applied Behaviour Analysis
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), originally conceived by Lovaas (1987), was developed from Skinner (1953; 1958) and the idea of operant conditioning. It is primarily used on children with Autism, but is not without controversy. Goldstein (2002) found that ABA was successful in teaching children new skills, however the process can be intense and can result in post-traumatic stress disorder (Kupferstein, 2018) and over-compliance (Gudjonsson, 1992).
Real Stories (2017)
This documentary, which also compares and contrasts 2 schools in Kent - one which supports ABA and one which opposes it, provides a relatively balanced view on the ABA controversy and is an interesting watch for those who which to see different methods of behaviour management in action.
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