Behaviour That Challenges: What It Means and Why It Happens
When I first heard the term “behaviour that challenges”, I assumed it was just a polite way of saying “difficult behaviour.”
You know — the kind that makes you question whether coffee counts as a coping strategy.
But it turns out, this phrase means something much deeper.
It’s not about being difficult; it’s about behaviour that communicates something we haven’t yet understood.
And as someone who’s both a parent and a PBS practitioner-in-training (graduating from Bangor University in December 2025 — wish me luck!), I’ve learned that those moments of frustration often have the clearest messages hiding inside them.
What Does “Behaviour That Challenges” Actually Mean?
The term comes from researcher Eric Emerson (1995, 2001), who defined challenging behaviour as behaviour that “places the person or others at risk, or limits access to ordinary community settings.”
It’s not a diagnosis — it’s a description of what happens when someone’s behaviour clashes with the environment around them.
Think of it less as “bad behaviour” and more as a signal that something isn’t working — whether that’s communication, sensory input, expectations, or the level of support.
And honestly, that reframing changed how I see everything — from meltdowns at home to moments of defiance witnessed at previous workplaces.
Why Challenging Behaviour Happens
Here’s where the science gets interesting.
In Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), every behaviour — even the ones that make us want to hide in the kitchen — happens for a reason.
That reason is called the function of behaviour.
Typically, behaviour happens because it leads to one of four outcomes:
- Attention — “Notice me!” (Even negative attention counts.)
- Escape or avoidance — “This is too hard / uncomfortable / scary.”
- Access to something — “I want that snack / toy / iPad / freedom.”
- Automatic reinforcement — the behaviour itself feels good or relieves something (like rocking, humming, or fidgeting).
Once you see behaviour through this lens, it’s a bit like solving a mystery.
The shouting, throwing, or walking away stops looking random — it starts looking functional.
A Little Story From My Kitchen
My son used to drive me crazy around dinner time.
Every few minutes it was the same question — “When’s dinner ready? Is it soon?”
I’d tell him to wait, and he’d check again. And again.
Eventually, I’d snap with something like, “If you want it quicker, come help me!” — which, of course, never worked.
Then I realised what he was really after wasn’t food — it was connection. He just wanted to be part of what was happening.
So next time, instead of the usual back-and-forth, I tried something different:
“Hey, what do you guys want tonight — pasta or stir fry? Why don’t you help me so we can get it done faster and have a chat about your dance sessions?”
Instant change. No nagging, no frustration — just conversation and dinner made together.
That’s exactly what Functional Communication Training (Carr & Durand, 1985) teaches: when people are given positive, meaningful ways to meet their needs, challenging behaviour naturally fades away.
The Role of the Environment
Here’s a phrase every behaviour analyst loves: “Behaviour is a product of its environment.”
That means when behaviour challenges us, it’s not just about the person — it’s about the interaction between the person and their context.
For example:
- Overly complex instructions can trigger escape behaviour.
- Lack of predictability can increase anxiety and refusal.
- High expectations with low reinforcement can make anyone give up.
When I was first learning this stuff, I thought it sounded a bit like magic — change the environment, change the behaviour.
But the evidence backs it up.
Studies on Positive Behaviour Support in schools and care settings (e.g., Gore et al., 2013; PBS Coalition UK, 2015) show that proactive environmental changes reduce incidents more effectively than any reactive strategy ever could.
It’s like cooking: you can’t fix a burnt cake after it’s baked, but you can adjust the temperature next time.
Communication: The Behaviour Beneath the Behaviour
One of the biggest reasons behaviour becomes “challenging” is when someone can’t communicate effectively.
Maybe they don’t have the words, or maybe they’ve learned that certain behaviours “speak louder” than speech.
In Functional Communication Training (FCT), we explicitly teach new ways to communicate the same need — by signing, pointing, using AAC, or simply asking.
When communication goes up, challenging behaviour usually goes down (Tiger, Hanley & Bruzek, 2008).
So instead of focusing on stopping behaviour, PBS focuses on building better tools for expression.
And honestly, as a quiet person myself, I get it.
Sometimes, it’s not that you don’t want to express yourself — it’s just that you need the right language to do it.
The Myth of “Manipulative Behaviour”
This one makes me wince every time I hear it.
We’ve all been there — someone says, “They’re just doing it for attention.”
But here’s the thing: seeking attention isn’t manipulation — it’s connection-seeking.
Attention is a basic human reinforcer.
In fact, the absence of attention is so aversive that even negative attention (scolding, nagging, shouting) can maintain behaviour.
Research by Hanley, Iwata & McCord (2003) found that attention-maintained behaviour is one of the most common functions seen in applied settings — and that addressing it compassionately (through positive reinforcement and planned attention) is far more effective than punishment.
A Compassionate Reframe
When behaviour challenges us, our instinct is to control or correct.
But behaviour analysis teaches us to understand before we intervene.
When we ask “What is this behaviour trying to achieve?”, we replace judgment with curiosity.
And that shift — from reacting to reflecting — is where dignity lives.
I love that about PBS.
It’s not about compliance; it’s about compassion with structure.
And that combination just feels right to me — in parenting, in leadership, and in life.
Final Thought
“Behaviour that challenges” isn’t a label — it’s a signal.
It tells us something important about what a person needs, what they’re avoiding, or what isn’t yet working for them.
When we change how we see behaviour, we change how we respond.
And when our responses change, lives do too — quietly, steadily, one small interaction at a time.
Now, if only the same principles worked on motorcycles and cookbook collecting… my partner might thank me.
References
Carr, E. G., & Durand, V. M. (1985). Reducing behavior problems through functional communication training. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 18(2), 111–126.
Emerson, E. (1995, 2001). Challenging Behaviour: Analysis and Intervention in People with Severe Intellectual Disabilities. Cambridge University Press.
Gore, N. J., et al. (2013). Definition and scope for Positive Behavioural Support. International Journal of Positive Behavioural Support, 3(2), 14–23.
Hanley, G. P., Iwata, B. A., & McCord, B. E. (2003). Functional analysis of problem behavior: A review. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 36(2), 147–185.
Tiger, J. H., Hanley, G. P., & Bruzek, J. (2008). Functional communication training: A review and practical guide. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 1(1), 16–23.