Interfering behaviors are known under many different names. You may have encountered the terminology of maladaptive behaviors, undesirable behaviors, challenging behaviors, etc. We chose to employ “interfering behavior” because of its neutrality as a term, while acknowledging that these behaviors interfere with an individual’s life.

Changing (replacing and / or decreasing) certain interfering behaviors is important for a child’s safety, as well as for their social development and independence. Interfering  behaviors such as elopement or self-injurious behavior can result in concerns for your child’s safety. Other interfering behaviors, such as those associated with outwards aggression, can result in concerns for the safety of others, in addition to concerns for the safety of your child. Some of these behaviors may also make it more difficult for your child to socialize with peers. Interfering behaviors are often your child’s attempt to communicate with you. For example, your child may elope because they are trying to communicate to you that the environment they are in is too noisy. Therefore, it is important to help your child develop strategies to communicate with you instead of engaging in behaviors that may put them or others at risk. When working with your child on changing, replacing, and / or decreasing interfering behaviors, it is important to remind your child that all emotions they feel are valid, and every feeling or thought they have is worth communicating to you. Creating a safe and comfortable line of communication between you and your child is vital throughout the process of addressing interfering behaviors.

When addressing interfering behaviors, it is important to remember the three-term contingency, or the A-B-Cs: (Setting) Antecedent - Behavior - Consequences. What is the setting / environment in which the interfering behavior is taking place? What is happening before the interfering behavior (antecedent)? What is the interfering behavior, and what happens right after that behavior occurs (consequences)? Once you know the A-B-Cs, you can move on to Positive Behavior Support (PBS) to help your child find alternative methods of communicating with you. This can be done through Functional Communication Training (FCT), whereby you teach appropriate and effective methods of communication that your child can use rather than engaging in the interfering behavior, which they might otherwise use out of frustration. You can work with your child to use the Picture Exchange Communication System^® (PECS^®) to communicate their thoughts and feelings, or you can use sign language, a text-to-speech device, or any other suitable communication method (such as gestures) that you and your child understand.

You and your child may also find the Zones of Regulation worth exploring. With the Zones of Regulation, emotions are sorted into four “Zones:” Blue Zone, Green Zone, Yellow Zone, and Red Zone. The intention of teaching your child to organize their feelings into four colored Zones is to help them better categorize, communicate, and self-regulate their emotions. If you utilize the Zones of Regulation, it is important to emphasize to your child that all Zones are okay; one Zone is not more acceptable than another. As stated above, all emotions your child feels are valid and every feeling or thought they have is worth communicating with you. Here you can learn more about the Zones of Regulation.

By working to gain an understanding of your child’s behaviors and assisting them in finding methods by which they can confidently and comfortably communicate with you, you can help them decrease interfering behaviors, such as aggression, elopement, self-injurious behaviors, etc.