My 4-year-old son has some language processing difficulties. I need advice on how to deal with his tantrums of hitting, throwing stuff, peeing on his pants, etc. when he is in his very frequent temperamental behavior. He does not behave like this in school though. This is affecting my other normal six-year-old son’s life terribly. Not to mention mine, as well. Please help. Time out or ignoring his tantrums does not help. His tantrums most of the time is due to him not being able to interpret as to what we are asking him to do or him not having it his way.
Laticia
Who identified that he has a language processing problem? I hope it was by a speech-language therapist or a special education team. Do these language processing problems interfere with his ability to process what he hears and what he tries to speak? Do they interfere with early preschool learning like letter and number recognition?
I would suspect that his behavior at home is the result of his frustrations with handling life. If he does not always know what he hears or has difficulty finding the words to express himself, he will be angry and upset. If he cannot do play activities or peer interactions at his age level, he will be frustrated.
Start by sitting down with the professionals who diagnosed him as having a language processing difficulty. Ask this person(s) to help you answer your question about his behavior. Have them explain the frustration and teach you how to help you son be less frustrated.
Note from LD OnLine: For more information on Language Processing Difficulties, visit LD OnLine’s Speech and Language section.