Dealing with behaviour problems in children

Abnormal or mal-adaptive behaviour is a term used to define any pattern of thought, feeling, or action that is harmful to an individual or others. A child with behaviour problems, depending upon what age, may develop unusual patterns of harmful behaviour. The problems may include depression, hallucinations suicide, murder, delinquent behaviour anxiety, racial prejudice, cigarette smoking and drug and alcohol taking (Lahey and Ciminero, 1980). Most children like each one of us engages in some thoughts, feelings or actions that are harmful to us or those around us. The most important thing to consider is how harmful these behaviours are in order to consider what to do about them. A combination of biological and psychological factors makes each individual child pattern of behaviour quite destructive.

A workshop paper on how to deal with children inclined to deviant behaviour in Zimbabwe.