362 chapter 40
PARTICULAR BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS THAT OCCUR IN SOME
DISABLED CHILDREN
Tantrums
‘Tantrums’ are fits of crying, screaming, and angry or destructive behavior. The child may
try to break, throw, kick, bite, or in other ways damage anything or anyone within reach—
sometimes including himself.
Tantrums can be frightening, both to the child and the family. After a tantrum
begins, it is difficult to ‘reason’ with the child and calm him. Punishment often makes
it worse.
Children—including some mentally slow and physically disabled children—may learn to
use tantrums to get what they want. Erica, on p. 354, is one example. Here is another:
Kwame has been left
to play by himself.
He tries to get Mama
to come give hime
attention.
So Kwame has a
trantrum.
Afraid he may hurt
himself, Mama
comes running to the
rescue.
Now Kwame
has her full
attention.
REFUSING ATTENTION HERE
AND GIVING HERE
ENCOURAGES ‘BAD’ BEHAVIOR
In this way children discover that tantrums get them what they want. To help a child have
fewer tantrums, parents need to help the child find other, more acceptable ways of showing
his wants and fears. And most important, parents need to reward the acceptable ways,
and at the same time refuse to give the child attention when he is having a tantrum. Let’s
look at how Kwame’s mother learned to do this:
When Kwame
acts nicely:
But when he
has a tantrum:
GIVING ATTENTION HERE
AND REFUSING IT HERE
REINFORCES ‘GOOD’
BEHAVIOR
Thus, by rewarding Kwame’s good behavior and by refusing to give attention to his demands
when he does have tantrums, Kwame’s mama helped him learn that tantrums do not get him
what he wants. At first he had more violent tantrums than ever. But when even these failed
to give exciting results, little by little he stopped having tantrums. He found that other forms of
communication gave more satisfying results.
Disabled village Children