Many of you have already seen this video of a 6-year-old boy with emotional and behavioral problems who is acting out while getting his hair cut.
Usually children who act out in public like this have experienced trauma and abuse at home.
Shame on viewers who say all this child needs is a whipping to correct his behavior.
It is wrong to inflict more violence on an already damaged child.
Imagine having anxiety and not knowing how to cope with it because you’re a child who can’t express what you’re feeling.
Dr. Nancy Rappaport, a Harvard Medical School professor, tells Childmind.org that children who act out aggressively in public or in school are likely suffering from an undiagnosed anxiety disorder.
“When the chief complaint is temper tantrums, or disruption in school, or throwing themselves on the floor while shopping at the mall, it’s hard to know what it means,” she explains.
“The trouble is that when kids who are anxious become disruptive they push away the very adults who they need to help them feel secure,” notes Dr. Rappaport. “And instead of learning to manage their anxiety, they end up spending half the day in the principal’s office.”
She added: “When a teacher understands the anxiety underlying the [tantrum], rather than making the assumption that the child is actively trying to make her miserable, it changes her approach,” says Dr. Rappaport, “The teacher is able to join forces with the child himself and the school counselor, to come up with strategies for preventing these situations.”
Dr. Rachel Busman, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, says children who are disruptive in class or asking a lot of questions are often misdiagnosed as ADHD.
“Kids with OCD, mislabeled as inattentive, are actually not asking all those questions because they’re not listening, but rather because they need a lot of reassurance.”
Thanks to loyal reader Kimberly R. for the video link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_MSCQyQmbI
