Challenging behaviour refers to any behaviour that causes distress or harm to a client or to others, including both physical and emotional distress. It also refers to behaviour that is considered socially inappropriate and behaviour that prevents or restricts a client from accessing the community. Challenging behaviour is a common difficulty for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI), and the causes and forms of challenging behaviour vary from person to person.
ABI often results in various physical difficulties, such as frequent headaches, fatigue and incontinence. Deficits in memory, attention and other cognitive functions are also common in ABI. These difficulties can lead to emotions such as anger, frustration, depression, or a deep sense of loss, which in turn can trigger challenging behaviours such as social withdrawal and/or aggression. The frontal lobes of the brain are responsible for executive functions, such as impulse control, and are associated with emotional regulation. Because of this, damage to the frontal lobes in particular can lead directly to impulsive/disinhibited behaviour, angry outbursts, personality change and/or a consistent level of agitated behaviour.
There is a strong emphasis at Redwood on managing clients’ challenging behaviours. Specific challenging behaviours are managed for each client through the use of behaviour management plans, and event recordings are used to monitor the frequency of challenging behaviours. Intervention is tailored to the individual so that each client’s needs are met. Clients at Redwood are supported to develop insight into the physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural consequences of their brain injury, and how these can trigger specific challenging behaviours.