What are behaviour problems?
All children and young people will have times when they don’t behave how adults want them to, its part of growing up and becoming independent. Sometimes, however, the behaviour is more serious and has a negative impact on them and others around them.
Some things that may indicate that there is a problem are:
- Bad behaviour that is going on for several months or more
- Consistent disobedience, cheekiness and aggressiveness.
- Seriously breaking the rules in home and school in ways more than ordinary mischief or rebelliousness.
All people respond to life events differently and this is true for teenagers and children too. At different stages of growing up the brain will develop in different ways and individuals may experience stronger emotions more regularly. This is particularly common in early childhood when they are a toddler or during the teenage years. As children and young people develop and become more independent from their caregivers it can become a difficult time in some households as boundaries pushed.
What to do?
Early intervention that tackles the problems early offers a better chance of making improvements. The involvement and supporting of family is very important. Sometimes parents feel embarrassed of their children and their behaviour or feel afraid of their children. The work done with families and young people is non-blaming and aims to empower families to manage their children’s behaviour and to support young people to make positive decisions. Work at CAMHS may be in groups (with people in similar situations) or as individuals/families.