Most children – especially toddlers – act out sometimes as they start to get in touch with their full range of emotions.
But caregivers might find themselves frustrated about how to get frequent temper tantrums, yelling, or hitting to stop, especially as children get older.
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The Child Mind Institute has put together a list of resources on how caregivers and educators can respond when children act out. Before taking disciplinary action, it is important for adults to understand why a child might be acting out.
The institute’s resources include discussions of strategies that experts use to identify motivations or purposes behind a child’s problem behaviors as well as tips on how to respond.
While behavioral issues can be a result of a child dealing with emotions they don’t yet have the skills to understand or manage, they can also be linked to mental health challenges. Anxiety can be a common cause of disruptive behavior, especially in social settings like the classroom.
Children with ADHD might have a difficult time performing repetitive or boring tasks, leading to inattention, impulsivity, or tantrums. Depression can show up as irritability and angry outbursts alongside or in place of prolonged sadness.
The resources also include information on when caregivers should turn to professional help for severe tantrums.
The Child Mind Institute’s resources include:
