If your toddler is acting aggressively it’s important to stay calm and avoid reacting in a way that will escalate the situation. Try to provide a distraction or redirect your child’s attention to something else. If that doesn’t work remove your child from the situation if possible.
It’s also important to talk to your child about their behavior when they’re calm and not in the midst of an aggressive episode. Help them understand why their behavior is unacceptable and what they can do instead next time they’re feeling angry or frustrated.
medication for impulsive aggression
There are many different types of medication that can be used to treat impulsive aggression. Some of the most common include:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): These are a type of antidepressant that can help to improve mood and reduce impulsivity.
- Atypical antipsychotics: These medications can be helpful in treating symptoms of psychosis such as hallucinations or delusions that may be present in some people with impulsive aggression.
- Lithium: This medication is commonly used to treat bipolar disorder but can also be helpful in reducing impulsive aggression.
types of aggression in child development
There are four basic types of aggression in child development:
Physical aggression: This is the most obvious type of aggression and includes hitting kicking biting and other forms of physical violence.
Verbal aggression: This type of aggression includes name-calling insults and other forms of verbal abuse.
Relational aggression: This type of aggression includes excluding someone from a group spreading rumors about them and other forms of social manipulation.
Passive aggression: This type of aggression includes sulking procrastinating and other forms of passive-aggressive behavior.
Aggression in early childhood can be influenced by
many factors
Many factors can influence aggression in early childhood such as a child’s temperament their experiences with aggressive behavior how they’re treated by others and what they see on television or in video games.
Some children are more likely to be aggressive because of their temperament. This means that they’re more likely to get angry and react to things emotionally. If a child has a lot of exposure to aggressive behavior such as through witnessing violence at home or seeing it on TV they’re also more likely to be aggressive themselves.
How parents and other caregivers respond to a child’s aggressive behavior can also influence how aggressive the child is. If parents yell or hit their child when they’re angry the child may learn that this is an acceptable way to behave.
On the other hand if parents consistently provide calm and positive discipline when their child exhibits aggression the child is less likely to act aggressively themselves.