If you have any emotionally disturbed children you have had this type of day probably. You come home from a long day at work, you want to see your child. You probably have a longing to be able to play with them normally and enjoy their company. It is not that you don't even when they are having an “episode”, but it breaks your heart to see them struggling as they so frequently do. You walk in the door only to find your child throwing toys, screaming, and acting irrationally. If you are at anyone else's house, this is not only embarrassing but may make you angry. How do you handle it?



First, let us identify what not to do. A typical child you would normally discipline them with techniques that you commonly find. Often times, things like timeout will work for them. However, your child has a different condition that leads them to this type of behavior. They have a social problem which they do not understand how to convey their problems or desires properly. In a timeout chair, they will only find that their behavior received a response, whether good or bad is probably never actually known by an emotionally disturbed child. Therefore, sitting them in a timeout chair for their actions is probably not the best way to approach it.

When emotionally disturbed children are having problems, they are looking for a reaction. Therefore, when they do not receive a response, they understand that they have to change their methods. I am not going to say that these new methods will be better than the last. Sometimes it may escalate from screaming to throwing things. However, when you simply step back from the situation and take time to avoid socially interacting with them until they find the proper action you would want them to have, they may overtime develop a natural instinct of how to properly act in a normal environment. In other words, when they give a specific social behavior, they might get the specific social behavior in response that they are looking for. The other types of social behavior will not get any response.

This may not work for all emotionally disturbed children. Also, not all children who scream or throw things are emotionally disturbed. If you feel that your child may have social problems, it would be recommended that you take him to a professional for diagnosis.

There are also many great resources available from educational professionals. They have the expertise and education to give you proper guidance and help that you will need. You also have to remember that every disorder is different and you have to take different steps for each one. You have to take the time to learn from these professionals so you can educate yourself to properly help your child.

The main thing to remember is that a emotionally disturbed child is different from other children. Many things that would work with a normal child will not work with a child that is emotionally disturbed. Hopefully this will help you improve your life and the life of your child.