Raising An Explosive Child
Ranked #1,827 in Parenting & Kids, #56,379 overall
Childhood rages are defined as being sudden, violent and explosive - lasting several minutes to several hours.
The hard part is figuring out what triggers them, and how to deal with the rages as they're happening!
As a young mother, I remember being horrified the first time my son went into a full-blown rage (complete with yelling, pulling things off shelves, banging his head and kicking me) at the grocery store.
All eyes were on us waiting to see what I would do next.
I left. I took my son out of the cart, leaving it sit right where it was in the aisle, and we walked out of the store. He kicked and screamed the entire time, and I could feel their eyes on us as we left.
I was better prepared the next time, when in a Wal-mart, he thought he would give it another go. Imagine the look on his face when I got down on the floor and started kicking my legs, arms flailing and "crying" all at the same time.
He stopped mid-rage and we went about our shopping.
Causes Of Childhood Rage
The cause of childhood rages are difficult to diagnose since every child and set of circumstances are different.
A few possibilities are:
· Attention Deficit Disorder
· Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
· Bipolar Disorder
· Developmentally Delayed/Mental Retardation
· Epilepsy
· Lead Poisoning
· Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
· Oppositional Defiant Disorder
How To Deal With An Explosive Child?
Teach coping mechanisms through play!
Make Your Child's Bedroom Safe
Tips for Making a Room "Safe"
If you have a child that rages, you need someplace safe within your home that they can do so without causing themselves or anyone else injury. The easiest, and least intrusive way to accomplish this is to turn their bedroom into a safe room.
Walls
- All pictures removed.
- All nails, tacks and staples removed.
- Any "decorations" consist of posters hung with tape.
Windows
- All curtain rods/fixtures removed.
- Any blinds/fixtures removed.
- All screws from said fixtures removed.
- Make sure any nails from trim are flush.
- Buy a curtain panel, velcro squares and matching thread. Line the squares up along the trim, stick on the curtain panel and then sew on. If your child goes into a rage and tears the curtain down, it can be easily hung up with no damage to you or your child.
- Buy a window alarm (key kind), can be purchased at Radio Shack for approximately $20.00. (Also use this same alarm on your front and back doors.)
Closet
- All clothes get hung on plastic hangers.
- All toys get removed and put into a plastic tub (preferably one on wheels so it can be easily removed from the room during a rage).
Furniture
- Bed (preferably one with rounded edges or if not possible then put rubber padding around sharp corners).
- Dresser.
- Desk (empty - all supplies needed for homework are asked for and then returned upon completion).
- Put padding around sharp corners to prevent injury.
Odds & Ends
- Smoke detector (approx. cost $20 - 30, a must have if you have a fire-starter or a child who has a fascination with fire. Put one in the child's bedroom!).
- Motion sensor (extremely beneficial throughout the home if you have a night wanderer, each one will make a different noise depending on what you set it to).
- Baby monitor (hung in the corner of the room at the ceiling to hear what is going on if they are in their room for a "time-out").
- Bedroom door cut off ¾ if they go into a rage and you need someplace safe to put them. Stay with them to make sure they are safe!
- Room searches on a weekly basis or more frequently if needed.
The Explosive Child
The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children
Amazon Price: $4.21 (as of 05/30/2012)
Says Greene:
A major premise of this (approach) is that these children do not choose to be explosive and non-compliant any more than a child would choose to have a reading disability but are delayed in the development of skills that are crucial to being flexible and tolerating frustration.
There is help available if you are the parent of an explosive child. As a parent you already wear many hats. As the parent of an explosive child you will have to also don detective and advocate hats.
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Keep A Care Notebook
A Care Notebook has multiple uses. The major role of this notebook is to help parents and caregivers maintain an ongoing record of their child's care, services, providers, and notes.
It is also serves as a way to maintain the lines of communication between the many providers and services that help care for a child and their family.
Explosive Children
What Your Explosive Child Is Trying To Tell You
What Your Explosive Child Is Trying to Tell You: Discovering the Pathway from Symptoms to Solutions
Amazon Price: $8.48 (as of 05/30/2012)
Dr. Douglas Riley's ear-to-the-ground insights will give much-needed help to desperate parents who have one overriding question: Why does my child act like this?
Dr. Riley identifies the eleven most common causes of explosions and accordingly tailors his treatment strategies to address the underlying cause of the behavior.
Online Resources
- Explosive Children
Explosive children, what causes it, what you can do about it, including a recommended solution.
- Think:Kids
Think challenging kids have simply been poorly parented? That they don't respect authority? That their behavior is intentional? That rewards and punishment are the best way to set them straight? Think again!
- What Are Explosive Kids?
Foundation for Children with Behavioral Challenges
Read More About Explosive Children
How Do You Deal With A Raging Child?
Do you stop and stare at a child who is raging in the store? Do you blame the parents?
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SylviaRolfe
Mar 24, 2011 @ 11:36 pm | delete
- Nope. I have children with ranging disabilities and have often been the one stared at so no, I don't, my heart simply goes out to them, knowing the pain they are dealing with inside, and wishing I could help them. Thanks for making such a great lens.
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SherylP
Feb 15, 2011 @ 5:42 pm | delete
- I don't because I'm the parent with the raging child and yes I get many stares and filthy looks as though I'm just a bad parent. I find that I get most of the 'stares' from older people - you know the older generation who all had perfect kids that were seen and not heard!
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Pukeko
Aug 19, 2009 @ 5:41 pm | delete
- Really interesting and useful, and many of these safety tips should be utilized by all parents, as I think all kids have a fit once in a while. Thanks for taking the time to write this.
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shajo
Aug 18, 2009 @ 6:02 pm | delete
- Great lens with very helpful information!
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luvmyludwig
Aug 13, 2009 @ 8:50 am | delete
- great lens with helpful information. :)
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