Why Should We Include Children With Challenging Behaviors?

Sometimes people think it is pointless to try to help children with challenging behaviors become accepted members of the group—that they are better off in special settings with more expert staff and better ratios. Of course it depends on the child’s needs, but in general if children are going to learn to function in society, they must be in society. Peers are extremely important role models: Children tend to imitate those most like themselves (Michelson and Mannarino, 1986). Research shows that when socially skilled peers are involved in an intervention, children with challenging behavior are more likely to become both more accepted and less aggressive (Bierman, 1986; Bierman and Furman, 1984). In one study, abused and neglected children usually interrupted their desirable behavior when their teachers remarked on it—in fact, teachers’ reinforcement worked only 12 percent of the time. But when peers paid attention, the children responded positively 53 percent of the time (Strayhorn and Strain, 1986). Socially competent peers who can model and reinforce appropriate behavior every day are the best possible teachers for children with challenging behavior (Slaby et al., 1995; Vitaro and Tremblay, 1994). Being part of the ordinary community also enables children to develop a bond to conventional social life—another factor that protects them from behaving aggressively (Guerra, 1997a).