Behavioural Disorders in Children: How to deal and treat?

What are the Behavioural Disorders in Children?

Children being naughty……

Children being defiant………….

Children being impulsive…………...

………………………………is perfectly normal. Nothing to worry about it.

However, some children have difficult and challenging behaviours that are outside their age. You will see them to the extreme stage. Mental health disorders (MHD) or problems in children include different types of emotional and behavioural disorders. These may be anxiety, depression and pervasive developmental i.e., autism disorders. Mental health disorders have significant negative impacts on the individual, his family and the society. The most common disruptive behaviour disorders share some common symptoms, so diagnosis can be difficult and time consuming. An adolescent or a child may have two disorders at the same time. Exacerbating factors other than these can include emotional problems, mood disorders, family difficulties and abuse.

What Are the Types of Behavioural Disorders?

Behavioural disorders may include:

·         Anxiety disorders

·         Disruptive behavioural disorders

·         Dissociative disorders

·         Emotional disorders

·         Pervasive developmental disorders

 

Common disruptive Behaviour Disorders in children:

1) ODD- Oppositional Defiant Disorder

In children under the age of 12 years, one out of ten are thought to have Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Some of the typical behaviours of a child with ODD may include:

• Showing frequent temper tantrums
• Blaming others for any misfortunes or misdeeds
• Arguing frequently with adults, majorly their parents
• Refusing to obey rules
• Deliberately trying to annoy or aggravate others
• Having low self-esteem
• Getting easily angered, annoyed or irritated
• Having low frustration threshold

It is normally said that boys outnumber girls by two to one in oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).

2) CD- Conduct Disorder

Children with conduct disorder (CD) show delinquent behaviour and refuse to accept rules. Around one-third of children suffering with conduct disorder (CD) also have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Some of the typical behaviours of a child with conduct disorder (CD) may include:

• Refusing frequently to obey parents
• Lacking empathy for others
• Repeated truancy
• Keen to start physical fights
• Using drugs, including cigarettes and alcohol, at a very early age
• Being aggressive to animals and other people
• Frequent lying
• Criminal behaviour such as stealing, deliberately lighting fires, breaking into houses and vandalism
• Showing tendency to run away from home
• Showing sadistic behaviours including bullying and physical or sexual abuse
• Rare suicidal tendencies
• Using weapons in physical fights

Children with Conduct Disorder (CD) are often judged as ‘bad kids’ because of their behaviour.

Around five per cent of ten years old are thought to have Conduct Disorder (CD). Boys outnumber girls by four to one in conduct disorder (CD).

3) ADHD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Two to five per cent of children (approximately) are thought to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The characteristics of ADHD can include:

• Impulsivity – Children show their impulsive behaviour by talking over the top of others.
• Inattention – Children face difficulty in concentrating. They forget instructions and start moving from one task to another without completing anything.
• Overactivity – Children show constant restlessness and fidgeting frequently.

Boys outnumber girls by three to one.

4) LD- Learning Disability

Learning disability includes many learning differences. The three main types of learning disabilities are:

v Disability in Reading 

v Disability in Math (Dyscalculia)

v Disability in Written language

What are the risk factors involved in children’s behavioural disorders?

The challenging behaviours in children can impede learning. The child may have restricted access to social opportunities and normal day to day activities.

Some of the risk factors involved in children’s behavioural disorders include:

• Brain development – In children with ADHD, areas of the brain that control attention appear to be less active as per the studies. This leads to behavioural disorders in children.
• Family life – In dysfunctional families, behavioural disorders in children are more likely to occur. For example, in families where there are cases of domestic violence, a child is at increased risk in those families. Also, poor parenting skills or substance abuse are a major problem in children’s behavioural disorders.
• Gender – Boys are much more likely than girls to suffer from behavioural disorders.
• General Behaviour – If children are aggressive from an early age then it becomes difficult to manage children’s behavioural disorders later in life.
• Gestation and birth – The difficulty in pregnancies, premature birth and low birth weight may also contribute in children’s behavioural disorders in some cases at later stages in life.
• Intellectual disabilities – The children with intellectual disabilities are two times likely to have behavioural disorders.
• Learning difficulties – The problems with reading and writing in children are often associated with behaviour problems.

Children’s Behavioural Disorders: Diagnosis

A check list can be prepared with standard questionnaires and it can be done in order to diagnose behavioural disorders. Diagnosis in children’s behavioural disorders can be done by:

• Diagnosis by a psychologist or child psychiatrist or a paediatrician
• Diagnosis by interviewing the parents, child and his teachers

Children’s Behavioural Disorders: Treatment

Treatment of behavioural disorders in children is multifaceted. It depends from disorders to disorders and checks into the factors contributing or leading to the behavioural disorders. Behavioural disorders must be treated on time and with patience. If left untreated children may grow up to be dysfunctional adults. It normally requires a considerable amount of both manpower and financial resources to manage effectively. The treatment in general includes:

·          Anger Management: Anger results in aggression. There are many factors which trigger a child’s anger. Children must know to think before they act.

·        Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: It teaches to have control over thoughts and feelings.

·       Encouragement: Encouraging the child builds self-esteem.

·       Family Communication: Family communication helps to improve communication and problem-solving skills. It builds strong family bonds too. Parents must be taught how to manage children and communicate accordingly.

·       Medication: As per the doctor's advice.

Each child is different and hence needs are different. Keep this always in mind.

Note: This article is written by Dr. Anu Yadav. She is a CBSE K-12 School Principal at present.

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