2.  Whining  Crying  Screaming  Kicking  Hitting  Breath holding  Flailing of arms and legs

3.  Dictionary.com says a tantrum is “a violent demonstration of rage or frustration; a sudden burst of ill temper”  Being a elementary and special education teacher I will face temper tantrums  I am currently a nanny of 5 kids under 5 I see temper tantrums everyday

4.  Over the past 3 or 4 months he had become increasingly irritable and has frequent temper tantrums  He is distracted in class, often plays by himself and shuns peers  At home he spends most of his time playing video games and watching TV  Gained 10 pounds in 2 months  Always tired and not sleeping well  Parents got divorced 6 months ago  No longer wants to play with football  Hasn’t initiated playing with friends in 3 months

5.  Cody was diagnosed with MDD  It’s important to gain knowledge of students background  If there is a problem ask for help  It’s important to realize that there is always a reason behind a temper tantrum  Dig deeper help a child

6.  When looking at temper tantrums it is important to notice the Antecedent, Behavior and consequence  Collecting baseline data will provide a clear understanding of why behavior is happening and a basis to start intervention  Data should be graphed so it is clear and understandable

7.  Transitions could include transitioning from schools, jobs, classes and activities  I will focus on transitioning between classes and activities.  Preschoolers spend between 20-35% of time in transitions  This can include 15-20 transitions and 70 minutes of instructional time

8.  Appropriate transitioning is a skill preschoolers will need for their entire life  Always have a planned strategy for all transitions during the day  Plan which staff members are going to be with which students

9.  Unwanted activities are often a cause of temper tantrums  Picking up toys is a great example of an unwanted activity  Preferred items and objects as distracters, prespecified reinforcers, high probability request and an alternative activity  Preferred items and objects as distracters could be as simple as snapping fingers from one activity to the next  Prespecified reinforcers is when a preferred item is made available directly after the transition

10.  High probability requests identify a sequence of activities that the student would like to engage in  These include jumping jacks, high fives, patting back, snapping fingers and clapping  At the beginning of the transition give a sequence of preferred activities for the student to complete  Varying the sequence of requests is important to keep the student engaged  Alternative activities would include the teacher given the student two activities to choose from.  It is important the alternative activities are closely related

11.  Pairing students is an effective strategy in reducing tantrums in the hallway  Pair a student who has trouble following directions and one the follows directions well  Pair a highly active student with a student who has motor delays  Pairing also increases peer to peer interactions and reduces clicks in classroom  Tantrum Behavior is distracted

12.  Some students display tantrum behavior because that have trouble processing language  Visual cues are a effective way of eliminating frustration  Clear pictures of what happens before, during and after the task/transition visually reminds students what they are supposed to be doing  A picture calendar of the day allows for students to see what is coming next. This should be posted clearly in the classroom

13.  Communication should be implemented between team members, parents and anyone who works with the child  Consistency of implementing interventions is a must!

14.  Wilder, D, Chen, L, Atwell, J, Pritchard, J, & Weinstein, P. (2006). Brief functional analysis and treatment of tantrums associated with transitions in preschool children. Journal of applied Behavior Analysis, 38, 103-107.   Thelen, M. (1979). Treatment of temper tantrum behavior. Journal of Clinica child psychology, 140.   Luiselli, J, & Murbach, L. (2002). Providing instruction from novel staff as anantecedent intervention for child tantrum behavior in a public school classroom. Education and Treatment of Children, 25(3), 356-365.   Roberson, A. (2008). Ten-year-old with irritability and temper tantrums. Pediatric Nursing, 34(5), 426-427   Olive, M. (2004). Transitioning children between activies: effective for decreasing challenging behavior. Beyond Behavior, 11-16   Potegal, M, & Davidson, R. (2003). Temper tantrums in young children: 1. behavioral composition. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 24(3), 140-147.