Difference between difficult and challenging behaviour's and behaviour's of concern.

 So, in the previous post, I talked about challenging behaviours and behaviours of concern, so what’s the difference well the difference is rare but anyone even able-bodied people can have challenging behaviour, we generally call it being passive-aggressive in able-bodied people and people who are mentally well. 

But in disability terms it’s a razor-thin line so the difference is how they present and whom they harm as challenging behaviours can be generally redirected or a person taught other approved ways to cope, and some examples are slamming doors locking oneself away, sulking or trying to manipulate other’s into gift giving, or even catfishing on the internet and not understanding it’s a crime. So the way to desecrate this is to remember it's not about you at all and support staff and caregivers need to be mindful of this about how they react to challenging behaviour, it’s a challenge remember that it’s not about your reaction could make it worse so don’t react is the first goal the second is to try to understand where the behaviour is coming from, is it a refusal to eat, then check the food diary as then it shows you if they aren't refusing food but have been served the same thing several times that week or even in a row, let's be real that everyone deserves a bit of variety in their lives including food. It also may be a way of communicating or getting unmet needs met so I have posted on other platforms and it started in addiction recovery the HALT framework being is the person Hungry, Angry, lonely or tired so as a support worker, friend or family member address these in a timely manner and you might not have the behaviour’s and check what they are eating an drinking is healthy food, as many foods can trigger behaviours of concern as well, it’s a difficult one but needs to be considered as well, this is where support gets complex on the surface of it as we all at time slip into what is considered difficult and challenging behavers and one that I slip into is challenging majority and questioning why procedures are in place at times because it seems that in my housing organization they have had policies that are in fact unapproved restrictive practices and a breach of dignity of risk, and a over reach of the management hamstringing the support staff in not giving them support from the office and this needs to be dealt with and I know that I have been labelled a trouble maker for that reason, but I am going to politely challenge to status quo in self-advocacy as that is what needs to happen.

It also means that people are aware of my needs as I was told by a support worker, I didn’t look disabled and she went as far as to question how I had got housing funding, luckily, they don’t work for the organization anymore.

But now onto behaviours of concern so they can be difficult and challenging behaviour’s  but it they would concern an untrained person in a public place that is difficult and challenging behaviour’s, so things like hitting, bighting, scratching, spiting, yelling not looking after personal hygiene, a lack of grooming, hitting others or food refusal even if its favourite foods and drinks are all behaviours of concern and they are generally attached to some sort of trauma or trigger I know I talked about a neighbour who was triggered by an alarm and that is all it took an alarm that until it was to late no one else could hear it,  so this reinforces to support staff the importance of believing clients and double checking when needed, such as a person who lies or isn’t in touch with reality, this is where it can be tricky and knowing the persons story is important, But difficult and challenge behaviours are controlled by declaration, approved restrictive practice and  at times and this is use with extreme caution and a support worker needs to have extra training is chemical restraints, so things like vallum, or eleplisy medications but health care professionals need to be involved in this and using it carefully so they aren’t sleeping all the time, but medications are used alongside other factors such as reducing access to people, things or resources and not in a unkind way but in a way that supports the person so if they have no impulse control then having someone else control there money is a good thing, if they hoard having authority to throw things away is a good thing, but it’s the unauthorised usage that needs to stop and to have extra training for support workers, and to believe male support workers when they say that they are being abused as it does happen and we need to support them as we need males in the industry as well.

 But this is where the grey area of Restrictive Practice comes into play it can be challenging but when used as a last resort they can re-teach the person appropriate behaviour and when it is appropriate to display emotional reactions and how to self-regulate, so people need to be aware of that and know that when used in combination with mental health support, and positive behaviour practitioners and appropriate medications as well and some practices in other areas are called common sense. But when they are used in combination they work well.