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Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
Child Screams Every Day in Kindergarten
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
Child Screams Every Day in Kindergarten
by LynTX, Aug 27, 2002 12:00AM
My daughter is 5yo and has started Kindergarten. We are in week 2 now. Day 1 she loved it. Day 2 she cried some. Day 3 she screamed when I dropped her off. She has been screaming every day since then. The counselor has to be called down to the room each day.
She has been in preschool 3 years before Kindergarten, and loved PreK. She is a very bright child. One problem here at home is she refuses to talk about it. I have offered her many chances to express why she does not like school, did something happen at school, is it boring, etc. All she will tell me is that she misses me and that makes her cry. I am waiting now for the counselor to call me so I can get some ideas from her.
We have tried everything we can think of, even offering to add "Good Day At School" to her reward/sticker chart. We are concerned because she is not just crying. The teacher has to hold her while she kicks and screams at the top of her voice in order for us to drop her off at school. Each day it gets worse instead of better. We have tried just Mommy taking her to school, just Daddy taking her to school, and both of us taking her to school. Tomorrow, we are going to try having her walk to school with her best friend and her mom (a family we have know for quite awhile). At what point does this go from a relatively normal behavior to one that might need some counseling or therapy?
She has been in preschool 3 years before Kindergarten, and loved PreK. She is a very bright child. One problem here at home is she refuses to talk about it. I have offered her many chances to express why she does not like school, did something happen at school, is it boring, etc. All she will tell me is that she misses me and that makes her cry. I am waiting now for the counselor to call me so I can get some ideas from her.
We have tried everything we can think of, even offering to add "Good Day At School" to her reward/sticker chart. We are concerned because she is not just crying. The teacher has to hold her while she kicks and screams at the top of her voice in order for us to drop her off at school. Each day it gets worse instead of better. We have tried just Mommy taking her to school, just Daddy taking her to school, and both of us taking her to school. Tomorrow, we are going to try having her walk to school with her best friend and her mom (a family we have know for quite awhile). At what point does this go from a relatively normal behavior to one that might need some counseling or therapy?
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Aug 27, 2002 12:00AM
, Aug 27, 2002 12:00AM
You're handling things fine. Continue in your efforts to insist on her attendance - do not keep her from school. This sort of reaction, even in children who have had experience with pre-school, is not unusual (though it's also not the norm). As long as things are OK at the school itself, and I'm assuming they are, she'll adapt. There does not seem to be a need right now for any professional intervention outside of the help you are already receiving from the counselor at the school. Your idea of rewarding her for attending without a problem makes sense, because it recognizes and encourages the behavior you're seeking. It won't make or break the situation, but it's definitely worth adding to what you are already doing.
