Adult Service
Parents’ Corner
Management of Behavior Problems of People with Intellectual Disability (ID)
People with intellectual disability because of intellectual impairments and difficulty with communication often throw temper tantrums in order to make a request and express their needs. This behavior can affect people around him/her. Being accustomed to express his needs with temper tantrums hinder the development of suitable social behavior. Behavior problems imply such behavior is unacceptable in social settings. The best way to deal with behavior problems is prevention.
Here, we use two regularly encountered situations to share some strategies that can be used to deal with behavior problems.
Scene 1: Temper tantrums on the street
An adult with ID throws temper tantrums, crying and screaming, on the street when his family members do not fulfill his needs. His crying and screaming in public makes family members embarrassed and distressed.
- Be Aware and Prepared.
Prevention is better than cure. Look at his likes and dislikes in daily life. Plan the route in advance. Avoid visiting places that trigger his behavior problems. For example, he insists on getting ice cream if he sees a van selling ice cream. He runs into a supermarket and buys a lot of things if he passes a supermarket. - Making Contract
Make a written contract before going out. The contract should include aim of going out and the designated behavior required for getting rewards. This provides him with structure, and motivates him to try to have self management.
- Be Calm & Consistent
People with ID are used to making his requests using temper tantrums in public if their family members feel embarrassed and fulfill their request. Family members should stay calm and be consistent. Speak clearly to them about how he/she should behave. Make use of onlookers. Family members can say that onlookers would not agree with his/her inappropriate behavior. Hence people with ID realize that the use of tantrums will not fulfill their request. Furthermore, onlookers understand the situation and even sympathize with the family members.
Scene 2: Insist on watching a particular TV program
People with ID are generally self-centered and most probably neglect to consider others' people’s feelings. Although people with ID show significant limitation in intellectual functioning, they have the ability to learn. It is important to teach them to consider the needs and feelings of others in daily life. Understanding and consideration for others can make their social situation and community inclusion easy. Family members are used to accepting the unreasonable requests of people with ID. Conflict canbecome more serious as unreasonable requests increase. Argueing about watching a particular program is a common dispute in the family.
- Turn off Television. Time Out.
People with ID are most likely to use screaming and tantrums to fight for their request, particularly if they are being refused. Family members generally assume that people with ID have poor comprehension. They frequently give in to their requests for the sake of peace and harmony in the family. As a result, problem behaviors repeatedly occur. Here are some suggestions. Turn off television. Let him/her calm down in a calm and safe environment. Talk with him/her when he/she calms down. State clearly that his/her request is not granted whenever they make requests using tantrums. Encourage him/her to express needs in proper and appropriate ways. - Communicate the Mutual Needs.
People with ID have difficulty in expressing themselves. Family members should facilitate them to express their needs clearly. On the other hand, people with ID should learn to listen to the needs of others and choose feasible methods to achieve their goals. - Comply with the Mutual Agreement.
People with ID find it difficult to comply with the mutual agreement contract. Family members should often give praise for correct response, and immediate corrective feedback for poor compliance. People with ID then learn the importance of agreement compliance as well as keeping up the effect showing mutually agreeable behavior.
- Practice makes Prefect
In general, people with ID consolidate their acquired skills upon numerous reviews and practices. Family Members should be consistent, calm and patient, and set realistic and practical solutions when teaching ID people. In addition, when communicating with ID people, family members should explain concepts concretely as well as using clear and direct acquire instructions. The more practice there is, the better the skills both ID people and family members.
Reference material: Crawford, N. (1992). Skills for life. Hong Kong: Social Welfare Department.