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Disability and Society: Research and Practice Challenging Behavior as an Expressive Language Issue 5, 2025, Pages 185-199        Download article (Hebrew)

 

Abstract

The increase in life expectancy among people with intellectual disabilities brings new challenges, especially regarding challenging behavior in old age. In recent years, the issue of challenging behavior among people with disabilities has received much attention and much has been written about the phenomenon and ways to understand and deal with it, but only a handful of studies have been done on challenging behavior in older people with disabilities
Beit Issie Shapiro conducts an extensive training program in the field of challenging behavior among people with disabilities, using a humanistic approach that views challenging behavior as a means to communicate for persons with disabilities. As part of this training, we - often receive requests from staff members to address challenging behavior among aging service recipients.
This article will address the issue of challenging behavior among aging people with intellectual disabilities and present ways to deal with the phenomenon. The article will present the unique physical, cognitive and emotional characteristics that are typical of old age and that contribute to the emergence of challenging behavior, as well as the contribution of Alzheimer's disease and dementia to the development of the phenomenon.
The article will then propose a multidimensional approach and strategies for dealing with challenging behavior, with an emphasis on the population of aging people with intellectual disabilities and finally propose ways of coping through an analysis of events from the field.

Keywords: Challenging behavior, aging people with disabilities, Alzheimer's and dementia and aging people with intellectual disabilities, ways of coping with challenging behavior.

Cite this article
Nissim, D. (2025). Challenging Behavior among Aging Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities, practice and culture in the understanding of people with disabilities. Disability and Society: Research and Practice, 5, 185-199.

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The articles in the journal are published in Hebrew. English abstracts and keywords for all articles are provided at the end of each issue to make the content accessible for international readers.