LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR
Holding breath
“Not giving attention during a tantrum
sounds very nice. But my child gets so angry,
he stops breathing and turns blue! I can’t
just do nothing!”
But doing nothing is often the best way
to prevent your child from holding his breath
more often!
The child will not hurt himself by holding his breath. At worst, he will lose
consciousness and begin to breathe normally, long before the lack of air causes any
damage.
Once a child (earns that holding her breath frightens and confuses her parents, she is likely
to repeat it every time she gets angry at them. (Many completely normal children do this.)
We need to try not to show worry or concern when the child holds her breath and turns
blue. Instead, we should wait until she gives up trying to frighten us and begins to breathe
normally again. Then we can do something to show her how much we love her. But not
while she is holding her breath!
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Head banging, biting, and other self-damage
Children may do these things for the same reason
they hold their breath—to frighten and punish their
parents.
Sometimes, however, children with brain damage, epilepsy or severe mental
problems may form habits of biting themselves, banging their heads, pulling out their hair
or other self-destructive behavior.
Whatever the cause, acts of self-destruction
cannot be ignored. Parents should look for the
most simple and calm way possible to gently
stop the child from injuring herself. For example,
they can hold the child’s arms to keep her from
biting herself.
To stop a child
who is hurting
himself, hold
him from behind
tightly, but
quietly, so that
However, often a behavioral approach helps
solve these problems. Take care not to get
excited or give the child extra attention when
she hurts herself. At the same time, make every
effort to reward positive behavior and to help the
he does not see
you and gets as
little response
from you as
possible.
child gain self-confidence, learn new skills, play
with toys and other children, and have friendly
interaction with other people. Of course, some children’s mental ability will not allow much
learning or play. Showing these children a lot of affection, hugging them, talking and singing
to them, and doing things with them that they like, at times when they are not harming
themselves, may help them to stop such acts. Rewarding a child when she stops a self-
destructive act may help a child to not act that way so often. But be sure to reward and give
the child even more attention at times she has not been harming herself. When possible, get
advice from a child psychologist.
disabled village children