Ask an average groups of parents if they have concerns about their toddler's behaviour and 60% are likely to answer yes.
For the overwhelming majority, however, their anxieties would cover a broad range of 'issue' considered typical for the under-twos. Exaggerated, unpredictable and inexplicable behaviour in children in this age group is most often associated with normal developmental stages, explains Associate Professor Jill Sewell, deputy director of the Centre for Community Child Health at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital.
By about 12 months of age, for example, your toddler may become upset - or even hysterical - every time you're out of his sight. Known as 'separation anxiety', this behavioural phenomenon appears when your children begin developing a concept of memory. For most it's a transitory phase generally lasting several weeks or no longer than a few months. But some will experience persistent or particularly strong separation anxiety for which parents may need professional help.
Into your child's second year he'll also begin to exert his own authority and realise he has some autonomy. Couple this perception with the ability to say the word 'no' and understand its meaning, and by the time he's turned two you're likely to have experienced his first temper tantrum.
Parents should neither overreact nor give in to this behaviour, because there's a risk that it can later transform into attention seeking. Or it can escalate into a problem and control between parents and children. So, remain first but fair and be reassured that the tantrum phase is usually short-lived and rarely extends beyond the third birthday.
The time to get worried about any of these routine behavioural 'milestones' is when they occur outside the normal development phase you'd expect to see them.
For example, they start much earlier, or are much stronger, or persist for very much longer than we'd normally expect, explain Prof Sewell.
She stressed, however, that parents with concerns about their children's behaviour should have them checked out. It would be usual to start with a GP so that any health issues could first be ruled out. Pain form ear infection or constipation, for example, can cause unpredictable behaviour.
And while persistent irritability may be a normal part of some children's temperaments, it can also be a sign of food intolerance. This is different from a food allergy, which normally produces very clear symptoms. Food intolerance is more difficult to diagnose and not particularly common, but it can be responsible for a child being relentlessly grumpy.
Occasionally, children have serious behavioural problems that can be ultimately traced to conditions such as autism or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
Medical professionals will not attempt to diagnose ADHD in the under-twos, although there can be signs from this age- including consistently higher than average activity levels- that it may be a condition worth watching out for in later childhood.
Prof Sewell says, "You can't expect young children to have a long concentration span, but if they really can't stay focused on anything, you do wonder about how are going to be later on."
Professionals will certainly attempt to diagnose autism - now recognised as a "spectrum" it's much harder and often those children aren't diagnosed until four years later," says Prof Sewell.
In the under-twos, autism might be suggested in children who tend to require a rigid routine and become upset if that is broken. Other warning signs in toddlers can include a lack of affection or the development of rigid, repetitive play patterns.
Professionals also talk about problems with "shared attention', a capability that normally begins to develop during babyhood. From early in their second year, most children will look to where a parent is pointing and understand that they are being shown something. Children on the autism spectrum are particularly slow to develop this capacity for shared attention. Slow development, or inappropriate use, of language are also worth investigating during the second year because these too can be early indicators of autism.
Prof Sewell says that less than 10% of young children have major behavioural anomalies that will need professional attention. "But if parents are concerned about their child at any stage it's much better to talk (to a health profession) about it than to worry, even if it turns out to be part of a normal developmental process," she stresses. "If you're worried all the time, it is harder to parent naturally."
Source :McGhee (2009) Problem Child?, Coles Baby : Winter 2009, Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd
For the overwhelming majority, however, their anxieties would cover a broad range of 'issue' considered typical for the under-twos. Exaggerated, unpredictable and inexplicable behaviour in children in this age group is most often associated with normal developmental stages, explains Associate Professor Jill Sewell, deputy director of the Centre for Community Child Health at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital.
By about 12 months of age, for example, your toddler may become upset - or even hysterical - every time you're out of his sight. Known as 'separation anxiety', this behavioural phenomenon appears when your children begin developing a concept of memory. For most it's a transitory phase generally lasting several weeks or no longer than a few months. But some will experience persistent or particularly strong separation anxiety for which parents may need professional help.
Into your child's second year he'll also begin to exert his own authority and realise he has some autonomy. Couple this perception with the ability to say the word 'no' and understand its meaning, and by the time he's turned two you're likely to have experienced his first temper tantrum.
Parents should neither overreact nor give in to this behaviour, because there's a risk that it can later transform into attention seeking. Or it can escalate into a problem and control between parents and children. So, remain first but fair and be reassured that the tantrum phase is usually short-lived and rarely extends beyond the third birthday.
The time to get worried about any of these routine behavioural 'milestones' is when they occur outside the normal development phase you'd expect to see them.
For example, they start much earlier, or are much stronger, or persist for very much longer than we'd normally expect, explain Prof Sewell.
She stressed, however, that parents with concerns about their children's behaviour should have them checked out. It would be usual to start with a GP so that any health issues could first be ruled out. Pain form ear infection or constipation, for example, can cause unpredictable behaviour.
And while persistent irritability may be a normal part of some children's temperaments, it can also be a sign of food intolerance. This is different from a food allergy, which normally produces very clear symptoms. Food intolerance is more difficult to diagnose and not particularly common, but it can be responsible for a child being relentlessly grumpy.
Occasionally, children have serious behavioural problems that can be ultimately traced to conditions such as autism or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
Medical professionals will not attempt to diagnose ADHD in the under-twos, although there can be signs from this age- including consistently higher than average activity levels- that it may be a condition worth watching out for in later childhood.
Prof Sewell says, "You can't expect young children to have a long concentration span, but if they really can't stay focused on anything, you do wonder about how are going to be later on."
Professionals will certainly attempt to diagnose autism - now recognised as a "spectrum" it's much harder and often those children aren't diagnosed until four years later," says Prof Sewell.
In the under-twos, autism might be suggested in children who tend to require a rigid routine and become upset if that is broken. Other warning signs in toddlers can include a lack of affection or the development of rigid, repetitive play patterns.
Professionals also talk about problems with "shared attention', a capability that normally begins to develop during babyhood. From early in their second year, most children will look to where a parent is pointing and understand that they are being shown something. Children on the autism spectrum are particularly slow to develop this capacity for shared attention. Slow development, or inappropriate use, of language are also worth investigating during the second year because these too can be early indicators of autism.
Prof Sewell says that less than 10% of young children have major behavioural anomalies that will need professional attention. "But if parents are concerned about their child at any stage it's much better to talk (to a health profession) about it than to worry, even if it turns out to be part of a normal developmental process," she stresses. "If you're worried all the time, it is harder to parent naturally."
Source :McGhee (2009) Problem Child?, Coles Baby : Winter 2009, Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd
Image adapted from Problem Child Movie poster
0 comments on "Problem Child"
Post a Comment