Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
6 yr. old girl tantrums
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
6 yr. old girl tantrums
by Runny, Nov 20, 2003 12:00AM
This is a follow up to an August 17th posting by Gilinda. My intelligent, sweet, "model behavior" 1st grader has meltdowns 2X per week at home which consist of crying, screeming, & threatening harm to herself. She can verbally say "I am trying" or "I can't" when I ask her to start deep breathing to calm herself. Most frequently, the rage & frustration are directed towards her 14 yr. old sister. "She has the perfect life" & "You like her better" are phrases that she will scream about her older sib. A new baby boy on the scene has only exasperated the situation. I think of her as emotionally intelligent because she can verbalize her feelings and other peoples feelings. Even as an infant, she has never liked transitions. These transitions could be routine, daily events. Please advise a behaviour modification plan that would incorporate our teenage daughter. Do you ever consider medication at this age? I am taking 40 mgs. of prozac for depression as her mother. What is the probability of mood disorders as she gets older?
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Nov 21, 2003 12:00AM
, Nov 21, 2003 12:00AM
To answer your last question first, due to the family history your daughter will be more vulnerable to mood disorder than a child who does not have such a family history. The fact that your daughter is doing so well in the school setting makes it more likely that you can manage this via a systematic program of behavior management. However, the fact that the situation is complicated by some variables involving siblings makes it a little more difficult to guide you in any specific way. In general, you want to design a system in a simple fashion: she will earn her privileges (e.g., viewing TV) by avoiding rageful episodes or meltdowns, as you call them. If such episodes occur, she should receive time out for 15 minutes once she has calmed down. If this simple plan is not useful, consult with a child psychologist who can evaluate the situation in a more precise way and guide you about how to manage it. Take a look at Lynn Clark's very helpful book titled SOS: Help for Parents. It's straightforward and practical.
