Your child can learn how self-regulate when they start to feel angry.
Raising a child who experiences strong emotions can be tough. As a parent, the first thing you can do is try to figure out why your child experiences emotions of anger so often. Are they trying to show you who’s boss? Or is it a different issue completely? Many children suffer from conditions like Sensory Processing Disorder or Autism that can make them sensitive to certain triggers. If you are wondering what is causing your child’s anger, you can schedule a developmental screening at The Connections Therapy Center. Our professionals can screen your child for any potential disorders, which, if discovered, they can then suggest an effective course of action. Figuring out what the root cause of your child’s anger is the first step towards minimizing it.
Help Your Child Identify Their Emotions
One step towards helping your child have fewer angry outburst is to remove anything that you know will trigger them. Another step is to teach your child how to recognize their emotions and why they feel that way. You can play games that teach emotional cues to help your child practice recognizing different emotions. You can also have regular family meetings to discuss problems. A family meeting starts with compliments about your child to set an encouraging tone. Then, someone can bring up a problem, like when a sibling is being mean or calling names. For the rest of the meeting, the family brainstorms solutions to the problem together. This may take some practice, but it’s a great way to get your child thinking about their actions and how to be self-regulate to be less angry.
Teach Calming Practices
Your child will have to try a few different calming exercises to find out what works best for them. A few ideas are to try reducing stimulation by going to a dim-lit, quiet room or a sensory hideout. You child can try focusing their attention on something relaxing, like coloring or listening to music. Perhaps your child just needs to do some stimming exercises, like chewing on a chewie toy or pushing their hands together and releasing. You can even teach your child easy yoga poses that will promote calm and focus! Try different things and encourage your child to do what works best for them whenever they feel angry emotions coming to the surface.
The Connections Therapy Center
The Connections Therapy Center serves families of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs. We are a team of experts in the fields of pediatric speech, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and behavioral sciences. As a team, we offer intensive hands-on therapy for children and adolescents, as well as informative and useful resources for families. If you are interested in learning more about what we can do to help your family, visit us online or give us a call at (202) 561-1110 (Washington, D.C. office) or (301) 577-4333 (Lanham office). Want to get more information on how to help your child thrive? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.