Tantrums Health Article

School-age children

School-age children tend to have tantrums less often, but many children still have them occasionally. At this age, frustration with inability to do homework may often be the cause of tantrums. Parents should let their child calm down and then offer to help them and give encouragement. It can be helpful to remind the child that the task that causes frustration will become easier to perform with practice. If the child has tantrums at school, a doctor's advice should be sought because it could be a symptom of other another problem such as a learning disability.

Common problems

Having tantrums is a normal part of growing up; however, they are not socially acceptable behavior. Consequently, the most common problems with tantrums are problems for the parents. The tantrums often take place in public, which can be embarrassing and make them harder to deal with calmly. If the child actually hurts himself or others or has very frequent tantrums, it may be a sign of behavior problems, and the child should be assessed by a pediatrician.

Parental concerns

Most children do not actually hurt themselves or others during tantrums, although it may seem like they are going to. Holding the breath cannot actually hurt a child; the child will breathe involuntarily before harm occurs. A child's tantrums can, however, challenge parents' ability to remain calm. Tantrums may occur in busy places such as restaurants and grocery stores, and the child is more likely to be tired. It can also be very distressing for parents to see the child so upset and out of control. Parents who are concerned about their ability to calmly deal with the child's temper tantrums may talk to the child's pediatrician about ways to cope more effectively with this natural part of the child's development.

When to call the doctor

The child's doctor should be called if the child hurts herself, the parent, other people, or objects during a tantrum. If the child has more than five tantrums a day, or the tantrums reoccur in school, the doctor should also be consulted.

See also Separation anxiety.

BOOKS

Kennedy, Michelle. Tantrums. Hauppauge, NY: Barrons, 2003.

Levy, Ray, and Bill O'Hanlon with Tyler Norris. Try and Make Me!: Simple Strategies that Turn Off the Tantrums and Create Cooperation. New York, NY: Rodale/Reach, 2001.

McComas, Jennifer J. How to Deal Effectively with Whining and Tantrum Behavior. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed, 2003.

PERIODICALS

Chance, Paul, and Jacob Azerrad. "Tantrums: The Psychology of Violent Children." Current (October 2001): 29.

Mlyniec, Vicky. "Forty Ways to Prevent Tantrums." Parents Magazine 77 (January 2002): 84.

Potegal, Michael, and Richard J. Davidson. "Temper Tantrums in Young Children." Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics 24, no. 3 (June 2003): 140.

Tish Davidson, A.M.