Dealing with Impulsive Behaviors of Children : A Short Communication
Impulsive behaviors are defined as behaviors that occur suddenly and without considering consequences. One of the effective ways for decreasing these behaviors is redirection. The goal of redirection is self-monitoring and controlling the behaviors. Informing them in advance what they will be doing; is very important. Because these children do not think about the consequences of their behaviors and can not perceive the social expectations, the behavior should describe firmly. Explain for them what problems are due to their behaviors. Do not apply personal criticism; in this way he does not feel that his behavior leads to emotional arousal of others. Present a good model to the child to reinforce him for appropriate behavior. This can be done especially during sports. Emotional control, no to interrupt others, considering the right of the others and frustration tolerance can be taught in these situations.
Temperament and tendencies of the child should be recognized. This lead to empathy and increased tolerance of others and applying humor when involuntary impulsive behaviors occur. Look for warning signs of your child’s agitation, becoming over-stimulated, becoming frustrated, having difficulty sitting, controlling self, etc., and intervene early
Some negative misbehavior should be ignored. Show your child what you want him to do. Praise small behavioral changes in child and do not expect sudden changes. Having structure and limit setting can decrease such behaviors.
Reinforcing positive behaviors in children can decrease impulsive behaviors. Practice the task ahead of time using various behavior scenarios and have programs. Role playing can prepare children for realistic situation. In this way they teach rules and expectations too. Teach to the children ways for anger management such as rapid running, concentration on breathing, addressing to word games and guessing play. Exercise is helpful in controlling impulsive behaviors. Ask from children activities that they are able to do for increasing self-esteem.
Teaching conflict resolution skill, adaptation to environment, dealing with frustration and stopping to think about consequences can help them to control impulsive behaviors. Children can learn to recognize and express their emotions to decrease their impulsivity.
Posted By:
Reza Bidaki . MD. Psychiatrist . Assis prof of Rafsanjan university of medical sciences , Rafsanjan , Iran
Mitra Hakim Shooshtari . MD. Associ prof of child and adolescene psychiatry , Tehran university of medical sciences , Tehran , Iran (Corresponding author )
