Understanding Childhood Behavior

Managing Behavior in a Babies First Year

2010-03-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

Primarily managing behavior in babies is straightforward because they are total dependant on you and rely on you to meet their every need. Your baby will be happiness if you react sensitively and can calm them when they are upset , this includes making sure that they are comfortable , not only physically (warm , clean, fed and winded ) but also emotionally . Babies need comfort reassurance and emotional stability, especially when things don’t feel right. You can provide this by cuddling your baby, speaking to them in a gentle voice or singing to them and distracting them from upsets by walking them around and showing them interesting surroundings.

Babies need the right level of stimulation; not too much excitement yet enough stimulation to enable them to learn, and you can work this out by observing, listening and taking your cues from your child.

There is increasing evidence from early infant studies that the patterns of interaction between carer and child can predict behaviour at an older age , Parents who overwhelm their babies with demands to `perform` in a certain way , talk at them or do things to them in an instructive way without watching their cues are more likely to have children who avoid instruction from parents in later life , developing attention and behavioural problems , those who respond sensitively, watching their child and developing a gentle to and fro dialogue at the child’s pace , are more likely to be setting the foundations for positive social behaviour in a child . Tuning in early on to child’s needs will set them up for life; you can make a huge difference by providing this for your baby in managing behaviour for them.

Attachment

Ultimately, babies form a deep attachment to their main caregivers, but also benefit greatly from having a good relationship with other people such as their grandparents, close friends, or any other sensitive people that they come in contact with and form strong attachment with.

The quality of the caring is more important than whether the person is a relative, as long as a baby’s main attachment figure returns and they can develop a trust that this will happen, they will thrive. If however your baby finds that most of the time you reject them when they need you, most, that you are unable to soothe them or that you are too exhausted to enjoy them, they will develop an insecure attachment to you. They may show this by being overly anxious and clingy (wanting to be near you all the time ), being upset rather than pleased when they see you after a separation , or even avoiding you and appearing to be independent without seeing you all a good reason to managing behavior .

Separation

At first, babies don’t understand that people still exist when they are not there, once your baby recognises that they are a separate person from you and understand that you can remove yourself from them, they will also learn that you are not always there for them when they want you, your baby is likely to become upset when they realise you are not coming back and think you have abandoned them .

It is normal for your baby to want you to be nearby and to cry if you leave them , but with consistent sensitive caring and managing behavior , they will outgrow this in time .
Babies need a few stable carers and have to learn that they will not be abandoned.
By six or seven months of age , your baby may begin to be wary of strangers and continue to react in this way until they are about 16 months, they will go on wanting to be near you for years to come , but the need will be less intense by the time they are three to four years old.

Crying

At first, a baby’s only way of communicating any distress is to cry, and all babies do it. Nevertheless, crying can be a distressing and unpleasant noise, and a stressed parent may feel overwhelmed by it, with a feeling of anger, resentment and misery. Babies can’t be `soiled` and are too young to be manipulative , if their needs are met they usually stop crying , if the don’t stop this is because something feels wrong to them , Your task as the carer is to work out what is wrong and make it better , but also to recognise when you don’t know what is wrong and can’t make it better and therefore you need help in managing behavior.

When your baby is crying, all you can do is going through a list of possible causes and solutions systematically, watching their responses. By watching and listening carefully you will learn to tell one cry from another – for example, you will begin to recognise a tired cry from a cry of pain. Crying from colic usually starts at around two to three weeks and can be particularly distressing for both of you. Your baby may cry inconsolably and won’t go to sleep in the evening and may pull their knees up to their chest gripe water may help as will soothing and comforting your baby , the good new is that babies grow out of colic by the time they are three four months , your challenge is just to survive that long !

Reason for a baby to cry could be hunger, tiredness, wind, colic, teething, infection such as coughs, cold and earache and even cow’s milk allergy.
It’s not always possible to find a way to stop a baby crying and you mustn’t blame yourself or think that you have failed as parents if your baby cries a lot. Babies like adults we are all individuals and temperament is very important some babies have regular sleep and feeding pattern and adapt easily to new situations and seem content most of the time, whereas others are much more unsettled and get upset by minor changes in their routine. If your baby will not stop crying get help and advice without waiting until you are at the end of your tether.

Some parents feel so stressed that they fear that they will harm their baby and some do get that help from family and friends or community network, social services or other agencies. Needing and asking for help are the best way in managing behavior and relieving the pressure making you feel a much more confident parent

Kids Tantrums - `the terrible two’s`

2010-03-08T05:27:00.000-08:00

Around the age of two , children see the world as a place that should be designed to meet their own needs instantly , and therefore it starts the kids tantrums stage of development because if they don’t get want they want , It feels like a disaster , and they can scream , yell and cry inconsolably over what seems like nothing , especially when the get to the so called ` terrible two’s stage`, some toddlers hold their breath in frustration during a temper tantrum , sometimes to the point of going blue or losing consciousness before making an immediate recovery . It is important to remember that this kind of difficult behavior is normal in toddlers and three temper tantrums a day may be `routine`, although you may need to seek help if the breath holding becomes extreme.

Tips on how to avoid kids’ tantrums in the first place.

 Make sure your child is well rested and not overtired, hungry or thirsty.
 Try to keep a comfortable, predictable routine especially during stressful times.
 Explain rules clearly in advance and keep them simple and consistent.
 Keep your child active and interested with a variety of activities, a safe space to play, and attention and praise.
 Plan ahead to avoid trouble, example on a long journey take plenty of food and drink, toys, little surprise and distractions.
 Always keep a few `special treats` as distractions for a rainy day or bored moment, for example face paint, pavement chalks.
 Avoid overexcitement.
 Avoid large quantities of fizzy drinks, sweets, chocolate and food containing large amounts of additives.
 Don’t expect more then them capable of, for example don’t expect them to share toys, and set limits.
 If your child becomes irritable despite this :
1. Find out what is troubling them and resolve it
2. Notice and praise good behavior in the child.

Tips on what to do if your child has a tantrum

 Try distracting your child’s attention, before the tantrum gets too bad.
 Ignore him or her if possible and remove unsafe objects first if necessary.
 Give all your attention, praise and/or a reward (for example a biscuit) to a sibling for playing nicely! , Hopefully the child will soon follow suit.
 Give your child an ultimatum, for example tell them once they have stopped crying they can have the toy.
 Stay firm and don’t give in for the sake of peace.
 You can use very brief `time out` without being rejecting by telling your child to go out of the room, leave the trouble or temper outside and come back in without it, This can be rewarded when achieved .
If this happens in public, for example, a supermarket, leave the place (with your child, of course) if you feel too exposed, you have to feel in control of the situation.

All children develop differently and at their own pace , however it is worth bearing in mind that most children go through the same developmental milestones and toddlers are no different they can be demanding as they develop independence and social confidence which cause the well known kids tantrums i.e. the terrible two’s.

Child Disorder- Medical and Psychiatric Conditions.

2010-03-08T05:23:00.000-08:00

Children of all ages behave badly from time to time especially when they are tired or ill. In younger children this may simply be the results of something minor such as teething or earache; however a specific underlying condition may be responsible for persistent bad behavior, many Child disorder- medical and psychiatric conditions.

Children of all ages behave badly from time to time especially when they are tired or ill
Or disorders such as depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are much more common than previously believed and even autism, which is rare, is much more commonly diagnosed today.

If your child has an underlying condition affecting their behavior, it is important to identify and treat this as early as possible, to prevent the bad behavior from becoming established, and to give your child the best chance to get the help and resources, they need, This way, their difficulties will not be worsened by frustration at a lack of support and understanding.

Physical problems as a cause of behavioral difficulties.

• Hearing loss

If your child seems to ignore you when you ask them to do something, especially from a distance, it may be worth getting their hearing checked out by a health visitor, school nurse or GP. In all age groups, but especially younger children, poor hearing can lead to behavioral problems. Common causes include recurrent ear infections or glue ear, this is where a sticky fluid builds up in the middle ear, interfering with the flow of sound, and the child can’t hear what is said to them, so appears not to listen until shouted at. Most hearing problems in children are easily treated. It is important to identify these problems early, because persistent hearing loss can affect speech development and therefore school performance which could Child disorder could cause more dilemmas

• Poor eyesight

If your child does not see things that the rest of the family see or tires easily when reading, you should get their eyes tested, Sight problems in children including difficulties seeing far or close up, or seeing words swimming in the background, These can lead to eyestrain, headaches, tiring easily, work avoidance and trouble with parents and teachers, without anyone realizing that the child just needs to wears glasses.

• Food intolerance and allergies

Although a food allergy or intolerance may sometimes effect behavior child disorder in some children , this is very uncommon, certain food do wind some children up, including stimulants such as coffee, tea and cola drinks in excess and some food colors and preservatives (especially tartrazine, a food coloring found in some sweets and drinks) can have a similar effect, If you think that a particular food upsets your child , then they need to avoid that food provided that they can still eat a healthy varied balance diet. You should not put your child on extremely restrictive diet, example cutting out dairy products unless it is under the supervision of a doctor or a nutritionist who specializes in allergies.
There is some evidence that fish oils may help children with behavioral problems and no evidence to suggest that it is harmful, so it may be worth trying, especially in children with neurodevelopment disorders.

• Neurodevelopment disorders

There is a much greater understanding and recognition today of group of developmental difficulties that often cluster together and lead to behavioral problems , if not identified and treated . These include specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, speech delay speech, ADHD and autistic spectrum, and other rare development disorders, which are usually much more common in boys than in girls.

Previously, many of these children would have been labeled as lazy or naughty. Many have dropped out of school and are over-represented in the criminal system. Today, they are easily identifiable and treatable, leading to normal healthy lives, instead of failure and misery.

• Tic disorders

Tics are involuntary movement or sounds that are repeated over and over again, but can be temporarily suppressed, about ten per cent of children have persistent tics at some stage (for example, eye blinking-often stress related), but in some they can persist and rarely (5 per 10,000) be peat of Tourette’s syndrome, a more complex disorder with verbal and movement tics obsessive- compulsive symptoms and other neurodevelopment problems.

The outcome is generally good and persistent tics are treatable with specialist intervention helping the child disorder.

• Obsessive –compulsive disorder

This is another treatable neurodevelopment disorder characterized by obsessions for example: cleanliness and infection and compulsion example: hand washing and may be associated with anxiety, depression and specific learning difficulties. If they are distressing, referral to a pediatrician made through your GP.

These disorders can be missed in children with behavioral problems, so if your child is odd or if behavioral problems persist despite parenting or school interventions then seek specialist help in this child disorder.

• Dyslexia (specific reading delay)

If your child is bright but under- achieving, they may have dyslexia, which means they have difficulty with reading.

Dyslexia is often associated with clumsiness, poor right-left orientation, delayed speech development in early childhood, and family history of developmental reading, speech or language disorders, Your child may have difficulties with spelling, and may remain a poor speller into adulthood despite being very intelligent, They may have poor visual memory, poor hearing memory or both, which makes it difficult for them to learn to read and spell. A special needs teacher or psychologist can test for this.

If dyslexia id diagnosed, your child will need extra help in school. Understanding the problem, lowering expectations and pressure, and providing extra support – such as computers, special teaching and extra time in exams- can be very helpful. Recognizing and tackling the child’s problems will often produce obvious improvements in behavior.

• Dyscalculia

This is a specific difficulty with maths. It can be extremely specific, for example: an inability to learn multiplication tables, similar principles applies to this child disorder like dyslexia.

• Dyspraxia

Also known as developmental coordination disorder or clumsiness, dyspraxia is one of the most common developmental disorders, affecting six per cent of schoolchildren, mostly of normal intelligence. The term covers coordination problems with fine motor skills, such as difficulty with shoelaces or handwriting, and /or gross movement skills, such as difficulty with team sports and being accident prone, spilling drinks.

The child often has difficulty with visuospatial understanding, including sense of direction, perspective and three-dimensional space. They may get muddled about the sequence of things may be disorganized and often loses things.

Some children are also unable to cope with more than one or two instructions at a time and may have poor understanding of interpersonal space so that they get physically too close to people without realizing that they are doing so. A child with dyspraxia is often slow with their work and tires easily, especially with handwriting task. Copying from the board is very difficult because they lose their place on the page and the board , having to start over each time they move their eyes from board to the paper , they easily lose heart and give up , especially if they are told to stop being lazy , speed up and write more tidily . This can make them very anxious with low self-esteem.

Most professionals familiar with the condition have the expertise to make the diagnosis that is now more widely recognized, using clinical judgment and standardized test of motor coordination. Once diagnosed there is a great deal that can be done to help such as?

• Allowing extra time for class work and, if possible for exams too.
• enabling the child to work on ready-copied sheets rather than copying from the board.
• praising what can be done rather than criticizing what can’t.
• allowing the use of a computer when possible and helping the child to learn to touch type.
• providing a slated work top – this eases pressure on the pencil –special easy grip pencils and special scissors if necessary.

Extra help and occupational therapy can make a big difference too. A child’s behavioral problems will often improve once help has been provided.

Early detection and intervention are very important to prevent behavioral problems in child disorder/ disorders because it stops it from becoming established, and lead to the best outcomes for all involved.

Child checklist - what strategies can parent and teachers use to modify behavior in ADHD.

2010-03-08T05:15:00.000-08:00

Praise, support and firm and consistent discipline improve communication and will help parents and child to cope, so here is a child checklist on many strategies that can help parents, teachers and also the child with ADHD.

 Parenting style
Be firm and consistent but warm and praising, understanding your child’s behavior is often the key to finding a solution, if you think of most behavioral problems as indicating that your child needs help and attention rather than seeing them as an attack on you (thinking they are trying to wind you up), you are more likely to find the answer.

 Avoid blame and criticism
You may be cross with the behavior, but don’t let this mar your relationship with the child, Help them fight the behavior rather than having an argument with the child, a good Child checklist approach

 Reduce distractions
Keep their environment around them uncluttered as much as possible
Set them realistic tasks that they can achieve
Remind them gentle but firmly of what they need to do if they get off task

 Increase structure and routine
Children with ADHD cope better if they have a clear plan of action and frequent supervision and feedback.
Keep firm boundaries and consistent rules

 Provide adult supervision
Children with ADHD are easily led into trouble.
Keep an eye on them and do not let them wander the streets unsupervised

 Keep tasks short and review frequently
Break up long task into small ones, with frequent reviews to check that work is on target

 Focus your child’s attention

1. Communication

Make sure your child is giving their full attention to you when you are asking them something: talk face to face and make sure they aren’t distracted, You may need to hold their head or shoulders gently to achieve this .Don’t call out instructions to the child if they are not in the room as you will properly be wasting your time as they won’t register what you have said.

 Practice communicating very simply and briefly in sound bites example being “Get the milk from the kitchen, please “, not “Robert, stop fiddling with the cutlery. Get the milk and set the table , Come on , get on with it , we’re late for school , Hurry up , Don’t forget you have PE today and your shorts are on the lading “ they are likely to have forgotten what to do next after all of these demands , keep task every short and precise .
 Check that they understand what you want them to do by asking them to repeat what you have asked them before you let them go

 Follow up and praise them immediately before asking them to do the next task, Example: “Well done, Now …… “ You can make it fun by trying to do it in a set time as a game if time is short as these child checklist for children with ADHD are designed for you and the child to have fun by learning from one another

2. Stop and think
Teach your child to stop and think, and remind them of this regularly.

3. Self speak
Ask your child to try `self speak` to help them keep focused , Get them to ask themselves questions and supply the answer to help them stick to the task in hand , Example: `Where am I? Where am I supposed to be? ,I’m in the TV room and am supposed to be in the kitchen OK I’m now in the kitchen , What am I suppose to do ? Oh yes fetch the milk from the fridge, Ok I have the milk, what am I supposed to do with it? Etc.

The child checklist therefore helps in the understanding and communicating with each other not just the parent, teacher but also with the child who has ADHD so that we can all have a better awareness of the problems involved with ADHD.

Adhd Behavior –The Symptoms.

2010-03-08T05:05:00.000-08:00

Many children behave badly or out of control when parent do not discipline them, Most respond to discipline and clear consistent rules, some however remain difficult to control even with tight discipline and excellent parenting, these children are likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder / ADHD behavior disorder which is increasingly being recognised in this country as a cause of severe behavioural problem.

Other similar terms are ADD (H) attention deficit disorder (hyperactivity) and hyperkinetic disorder a more severe variant, until recently the condition was under diagnosed in England, compared with the USA where it is treated medically.
Around one per cent of children are severely affected and around five per cent have milder form of the condition .the condition is present from pre-school age, and is much more common in boys (five to one).

It is important to recognise it, because affected children can be incorrectly labelled as `naughty` with the right treatment, most children with ADHD behavior can lead a normal life.

What are the symptoms?

For a child to be diagnosed with ADHD behavior they have to have significant symptoms , for a toddler age, and these symptoms must be present in virtually all situations, These symptoms include the following,

Hyperactivity/ over activity

A hyperactive child can’t sit still or quietly for any length of time, even if they are sitting down, they will constantly fiddle. Fidget or make a noise, this will be particularly noticeable at mealtimes or in school, where other children of similar age are able to sit quietly and eat or work. Even when playing, a child with a ADHD. Is constantly on the go.They may be accident prone because they are likely to be climbing, running or jumping around more than other children.

In girls it is often much more subtle and can manifest as over-talkativeness.

Poor concentration / distractibility

Affected children have a short attention span and can’t concentrate for any length of time, although this may improve as they get older, They find school work particularly difficult for this reason, and tend to underachieve, distraction interrupts their concentration , and they may not be able to stick at task for more than a few minutes at a time, They often forget what they were in the middle of doing, so may appears to wander aimlessly from one distraction to another, Often their school books will be noticeable in that all the work is unfinished, hurried and messy. They appear not to listen to what they are told which infuriates the adults around them.

Impulsiveness

Affected children seem to rush heading into things without thinking, which can sometimes involve risk and danger. They may talk to strangers (despite knowing that it is not allowed), blurt out answers out of turn in class, run heedlessly across a road or climb dangerous obstacles.

What is the cause?

The condition is the result of a problem in the brain affecting the regulation of attention, concentration and activity levels, its exact nature is unknown although the parts of the brain involved seem to be the frontal lobes, which contain a chemical called dopamine, This area of the brain usually switches off distracting signals and urges, If it doesn’t work properly, children can’t suppress irrelevant signals and urges and therefore follow them through.

The condition tends to run in families, although often relatives have it only partially and it has an 80 per cent heritability, Social deprivation, neglect or abuse in children as well as high anxiety can look like ADHD behavior and it is important to distinguish this from ADHD; they can also coexist, Although some food additives such as colourings (E100-150) such as tartrazine, preservatives(200-297), cola drinks and chocolate can make the symptoms of ADHD worse or cause similar symptoms in some children , there is no evidence that these are the cause of the condition .

How is it diagnosed?

There is no clear test for ADHD behavior problems in children, although there are some questionnaires that can help screen for it, it does not instinctively mean that your child has ADHD given if they do score positively on this, as the symptoms are normal in toddlers and can be present for other reasons, it takes an expect in child development or psychological and medical, problems to make the diagnosis, your GP should be able top refer you to a specialist clinic.

How serious is ADHD?

Adhd behavior in children can have an overwhelming effect on a child’s life if it is remained untreated. The child is often in trouble and has difficulties at school, at home and with friendships, undermining their self- esteem and motivation to succeed in life. This has a negative impact on the whole family and school, in severe cases it can lead to delinquency and drug addiction.

If treated, however the outcome can be excellent with over half of the children outgrowing their symptoms eventually, in others although never goes away entirely, the symptoms do improve with age. Adults with ADHD may have difficulty concentrating and sitting still without fiddling.

Problems such as delinquent or criminal behaviour difficulty with relationships and substance abuse are much less likely to develop if the condition is treated at an early age, most people can live a relatively normal life with ADHD behavior treatment

Autistic behavior - information on autism and related disorders.

2010-03-08T04:59:00.000-08:00

Autistic behavior and related disorders are also collectively known as autistic spectrum disorders , Autism used to be viewed as a rare condition in which it actually affects fewer than one in 1,000 children , In the last years however, there has been a fourfold increase in the diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorders , largely because we are more aware and better able to identify them , bringing the figure up to six per 1,000children , Severe autism is often associated with global learning difficulty and epilepsy .
Another name for this is pervasive developmental disorder; the disorder may range from mild to severe with varying levels of learning and speech difficulties.

Autistic behavior is a developmental brain disorder, it usually starts before the age of three years, often with subtle abnormalities from birth, Children may be severely affected yet usually look normal .This can be very difficult for parents in public places, where onlookers stare and incorrectly assume that they are incompetent parents.
Other names for the mild forms are Asperser’s syndrome and Kanner`s syndrome, in which children with normal intelligence find it difficult to relate to others, appearing strange, different and sometimes clumsy.

There are no tests for autism, and the diagnosis depends on an expert asking very detailed questions about the child’s symptoms, behavior, etc, since the time they were born, getting reports from school, observing the child directly, and getting specialist advice from speech and language and occupational therapists.

Problems with social interaction

Autistic behavior makes children often feel social awkward and distant where they live in a world of their own, with limited and unusual interests, they don’t develop the to-and-fro social conversations that most people do, and often avoid eye contact. They don’t understand non-verbal gestures, and often can’t work out what other people are thinking and feeling, for this reason they often lack understanding, responding inappropriately to someone getting hurt, for example they have a stilted manner and are easily upset for no understandable reason, They tend not to become attached to parents as normal children do, so they can be very unresponsive.

Communication problems

A child who is severely affected by autistic behavior may be unable to talk, whereas one more mildly affected may have strange or stilted speech, with unusual words added or copying or repeating words in a strange way, A child may tend to take language literally, and use it literally too, parents can ask `Go and get milk`, but if they fail to add `and bring it to me`, they could wait forever as the child took the milk elsewhere with them.

Rituals, routines and rigidity

Autistic children often have to do things in a certain way all the time, Deviation from the routine can lead to huge upsets and tantrums; this can be understood as the child’s way of trying to preserve a sense of sameness and stability in a world that they don’t understand.

The child may develop rituals and mannerisms such as spinning plates, flicking book pages over and over again or hand flapping when excited, these habits may develop into obsessions such as train timetables, car models, lists or numbers.

Autistic children can’t play imaginatively, and tend to line toys up, spin them or sniff or touch them rather than play ` make believe`. They can often develop isolated obsession interests in subjects such as cars, trains, numbers or historical topics.

Helping a child with autism

Autistic behavior within a child can make them have special qualities, they are often unable to lie, may have special talents or interests, and can persist with those tasks that others would tire of much earlier. The eccentric professor typifies the person with Asperser’s syndrome.

Autistic children usually need a team of specialists to provide the right support , it is important that you ask your GP or health visitor to refer your child to a pediatrician or child psychiatrist if you suspect this condition, Early specialists intervention with careful educational planning can make a big difference , with a whole school approach of structure and routine .

Being the parent of an autistic child can be extremely exhausting and demanding, and sometimes bonding between the parents and child is severely affected. Parents often get demoralized and depressed , the child doesn’t show affection in the way other children do , which can be very unrewarding for the parents , and the parents themselves may become emotionally `unavailable` to the child because they are so exhausted .

Getting an accurate diagnosis together with the right support, can make a huge difference, especially if this enables you to come to terms with having a handicapped child with autistic behavior