Taming Temper Tantrums

We have all heard of the "terrible two's" and some even say the "terrible three's" are even tougher to deal with! But I'm here to tell you that tantrums are not limited to toddlers. As a matter of fact, they happen at all ages. Tantrums can be deceiving when they do no look like the typical/classic temper tantrum but not all children throw themselves to the floor kicking and screaming. Some children tantrum by only yelling. Some older children tantrum by cursing and slamming doors and a grown adult may tantrum by raising their voice and storming out of a room. Temper tantrums can be avoided by determining why they are happening to begin with. What antecedents are influencing behaviors and what consequences are maintaining behaviors. Relaxation exercises can be used in a proactive manner to teach individual to relax when they are calm. Calm behaviors can later be prompted in order to prevent temper tantrums or de-escalate temper tantrums. Although not all temper tantrums are maintained by social attention, as a general rule, attention should be minimized during temper tantrums and only provided as the individual begins to display self-management skills. These are just some general tips. Please feel free to share your own tips below!