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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Behaviour and Guidance

Challenging behaviour

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

nounCommon term

In child development & early education, challenging behaviour means: Behaviour that is difficult for adults to manage or that may harm the child, other people or property, such as biting, hitting or frequent long outbursts.

In Turkish: zorlayıcı davranış, problem davranış

How it is used

The usual neutral term in UK reports and training, used instead of 'bad' or 'naughty' behaviour. Staff look for triggers and patterns, often with an ABC chart (antecedent, behaviour, consequence).

Example sentences

  1. We use an ABC chart to understand what triggers his challenging behaviour.

  2. Biting is a common challenging behaviour in toddler rooms.

Common collocations

  • manage challenging behaviour
  • ABC chart
  • triggers and patterns
  • behaviour plan
  • behaviourThe way a child acts and reacts, especially in everyday situations with other people; in childcare it is often discussed in terms of what the child is trying to communicate.
  • redirectTo guide a child away from an unwanted or unsafe action towards a more suitable one, for example offering a drum to a child who is banging on a window.
  • consequenceWhat happens as a result of a child's behaviour, either naturally (a toy left in the rain gets wet) or arranged by an adult and clearly linked to the behaviour.
  • tantrumA sudden outburst of crying, shouting, kicking or throwing oneself on the floor, common in toddlers who cannot yet express or control strong feelings.
  • co-regulationThe process in which a calm, caring adult helps a child manage strong feelings, for example by staying close, speaking softly and naming the emotion.

More terms: Behaviour and Guidance

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