Step 3: Identify when and where the challenging behaviour takes place

Once you have decided the likely reasons for (or ‘function’ of) the challenging behaviour, think about what triggers it.

"My son's temper seems to come from change ie schools opening and closing due to weather also school holidays as well. If his timetable changes he gets frustrated..." (Parent)

Think about:

• When it happens
• Where it happens
• Who is involved?
• The child’s emotional state

"I was advised to keep a diary of my son’s behaviour and see if there was a pattern to it. It showed that he had issues with too much background noise and with sudden change to routine, so we made a few changes to the way we did things to try to help with this. His behaviour has improved considerably in the last few months. The school have also put things in place to help, such as giving him a separate workstation and letting me take him in and pick him up early to avoid the (very noisy) playground." (Parent)

Having established the likely reason for the challenging behaviour, and what triggers it, you can start to address the background issues.  Work out a strategy with your family, and with your child’s school, and agree to stick to it consistently.