The terms responsive behaviours and personal expressions describe how older adults living with dementia, mental health, substance use, or neurological conditions may communicate their feelings, needs or experiences through their words or actions.
These person-centred terms recognize that these behaviours are a form of communication and often have meaning or an underlying cause, such as an unmet need (Algase et al., 1996). 

Responsive behaviours/personal expressions can take many forms, including repeated movements or sounds, as well as sexual, verbal or physical expressions that may pose a risk to the person or others.

Examples include banging, collecting items, fidgeting, pacing, trying to leave, asking repetitive questions, requesting sexual favours, exposing genitals, yelling, swearing, pinching, hitting, scratching, and spitting. A more fulsome list can be found in the legend of the BSO-DOS©.

These behaviours or expressions can result from changes in the brain that affect mood, judgment, perception or memory, as well as from physical factors and a person's physical or social environment (Algase et al., 1996; Kitwood, 1997; Kitwood & Brooker, 2019; Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health, 2024).

Understanding behaviours as a form of communication encourages care providers to explore what may be contributing to it, and identify ways to better support the person.

References
Algase, D. L., Beck, C., Kolanowski, A., Whall, A., Berent, S., Richards, K., & Beattie, E. (1996). Need-driven dementia-compromised behavior: An alternative view of disruptive behavior. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 11(6), 10–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/153331759601100603
Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health. (2024). Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines for Assessing and Managing Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). https://ccsmh.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DIGITAL_CCSMH_BPSD-Clinical-Guidelines_May2024_ENG.pdf 
Kitwood, T. (1997). Dementia Reconsidered: The Person Comes First. Open University Press.
Kitwood, T., & Brooker, D. (2019). Dementia Reconsidered Revisited: The person still comes first. Open University Press.