Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/caring-for-the-little-ones-dealing-with-screaming/5012435/
Sometimes after visiting a classroom with a screamer, I've wondered how the adults can stand it all day. Infants, toddlers, and two year olds do scream a lot! You know that only too well, I'm sure! Knowing why they scream and having some strategies for deal-ing with it can help your nerves and tolerance.I interviewed four wonderful caregivers to write this article. They are: Rhonda Hall, toddler teacher, and Leslie Smith, two year olds teacher at the Oklahoma State University Child Development Center in Oklahoma City; and Peggy Yackel, lead infant teacher, and Karen Walburg, lead toddler teacher at Westwood Early Childhood Center in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
Of course, how you deal with the scream depends on the child's age. Peggy has a formula: Look at the situation, what is happening; the clock, the time of day and the segment of the child's routine; and the child, and what the child's usual cues for help and frustration are. Some children are feisty and scream as a matter of course. But if Peggy hears a scream from a normally quiet or laid-back child, she springs to attention.
Why They Scream
When young infants scream, it is usually an indication of pain, Peggy says, and ...