8 Year Old Arrested for Temper Tantrum

[Reikon]

8-Year-Old Arrested After Alleged Tantrum


WILLIAMSBURG, Va.

- Police arrested an 8-year-old boy who allegedly had a violent outburst in school, head-butting his teacher and kicking an assistant principal, when he was told he couldn't go outside to play with other students.

The 4-foot pupil was led away from Rawls Byrd Elementary School in handcuffs Tuesday and charged with disorderly conduct and assault and battery.

"It's not something that happens every day," Maj. Stan Stout said of what could be the department's youngest arrest ever.

Stout said the chair-tossing, desk-turning outburst occurred after a teacher, and later the assistant principal, attempted to stop the boy from joining his classmates.

The child was later released to his parents.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...school_tantrum

[Poop Loops]

He gets 10 points for headbutting.

PL

[PizDoff]

The child was later released to his parents.

I wonder who brought him up so well?

[Sharlintier]

I wonder who brought him up so well?

Actually, kids that have outbursts like that have coping problems. They are not good with change and they have real problems coping with changing activities. They have a mental block with adjusting from what they are currently doing or from a current routine into something different. They get something in their mind and there is no changing thier mind without a confrontation, usually this is a tantrum but sometimes it is a complete passive agressive shut down. It all depends on the kid. Most times the parents are actually really good parents, often they have other children that reflect their love and parenting skills. They know their kid has behavior problems and they go through multiple behavior modification techniques including discipline, punishment, time outs, awards for good behavior, psychologists, group therapy, medications, psychiatrists and other ways that the vast majority of kids respond to. However, the children that shut down completely or have violent outbursts like this tend not to respond to these techniques or they don't respond to them for long. It's frustrating to everyone but most of all to the parents who do everything that is suggested and as hard as they try any progress is horribally slow if there is any at all and then people assume it's because they are bad parents.

To make things worse these kids are almost always highly intellgent and creative. They are even more frustrating because they obviously could be so much more if they would respond to behavior modification and act more thier age instead of being a "terrible two" at 8, 10 or 12.

If the kid was a bully that would be a parenting issue. However, sudden outbursts like this show an inability to cope and lack of ability to manage anger and frustration. It means the kid, no matter how intelligent they are is unable to deal with change and needs help, and unfortunately when the "normal" things don't work nobody seems to have any answer on how to help the child so instead they make a scape goat out of the parents.

[Zing!]

How does an eight year old headbutt an adult? (I'm assuming they mean in the face)

[Moleculo]

Shouldn't the cops be looking for terrorists???

[Chris.B]

Good to know the police are doing other stuff then giving out speeding tickets.

[XVampireX]

This so sounds like me....

[en1gma523]

Actually, kids that have outbursts like that have coping problems. They are not good with change and they have real problems coping with changing activities. They have a mental block with adjusting from what they are currently doing or from a current routine into something different. They get something in their mind and there is no changing thier mind without a confrontation, usually this is a tantrum but sometimes it is a complete passive agressive shut down. It all depends on the kid. Most times the parents are actually really good parents, often they have other children that reflect their love and parenting skills. They know their kid has behavior problems and they go through multiple behavior modification techniques including discipline, punishment, time outs, awards for good behavior, psychologists, group therapy, medications, psychiatrists and other ways that the vast majority of kids respond to. However, the children that shut down completely or have violent outbursts like this tend not to respond to these techniques or they don't respond to them for long. It's frustrating to everyone but most of all to the parents who do everything that is suggested and as hard as they try any progress is horribally slow if there is any at all and then people assume it's because they are bad parents.

To make things worse these kids are almost always highly intellgent and creative. They are even more frustrating because they obviously could be so much more if they would respond to behavior modification and act more thier age instead of being a "terrible two" at 8, 10 or 12.

If the kid was a bully that would be a parenting issue. However, sudden outbursts like this show an inability to cope and lack of ability to manage anger and frustration. It means the kid, no matter how intelligent they are is unable to deal with change and needs help, and unfortunately when the "normal" things don't work nobody seems to have any answer on how to help the child so instead they make a scape goat out of the parents.

It sounds like you know something on the issue. So, do you have any idea if progress has been made on getting various autism related conditions into the DSM-IV? I know that there was a big movement in this a few years ago, but I've lost track of what has been going on.

[Thaiboxerken]

What else could the school do? Having the kid arrested was probably the only viable option.

[MrMcFu]

Get angry spastic to train the teachers in Testra.

[Sharlintier]

It sounds like you know something on the issue. So, do you have any idea if progress has been made on getting various autism related conditions into the DSM-IV? I know that there was a big movement in this a few years ago, but I've lost track of what has been going on.

Autism is a different condition though some of the passive agressive are misdiagnosed with it because of the shut down. They are also misdiagnosed with things such as turrets. I had also heard about the movement but I am not sure what ever came of it.


TBK - In a case like this calling the cops does nothing but increases the stress on the parents which in turn elevates the stress for the child and causes even more outbursts. Remember their problem isn't that they are dumb or purposely misbehaving, they are unable to cope with changes. What do you think taking them from school to the police station did... most likely it triggered another even more outlandish outburst.

The problem is that there is nothing that is really "likely" to help or defuse the situation except to NOT try and force the change. However, when you do that it is of no help to the child to learn how the world really works. Another problem with this is that it can be a situational thing. They may only act like this at school or in public but at home where they are secure they are perfect angels. The best advice is what does not come naturally... remain calm, talk softly, pretend you don't notice the fit and above all else don't touch the child - especially trying to restrain them (this is likely what caused the head butt and kicking and what ever) the child is feeling cornered and will fight anyway they can think of.

They are not chosing to act this way, this is their automatic response and when they can calm down and talk about it (if they can talk about it) they have no idea why they did what they did, they know how they should have handled it but knowing and being able to do it are two very different things. If they were doing it to "piss him off" or "because I don't like him" or "for fun" or any other excuse for purposely behaving like that, then it's a parenting and limits issue.

think of it this way... you understand that planes fly but find yourself 30,000 ft in the air without a pilot and are expected to suddenly grab the controls and land the plane safely so you start doing your best to land, all the while someone is sitting next to you pushing random buttons and levers while insisting that they are helping you to crash. That is kind of what it is like for these kids when they are asked to make changes to their agendas.

It's hard to understand and deal with, but as hard as it is for others imagine being one of these highly intelligent kids and thier feelings of frustration with others as well as with themself. It leads to self-esteem issues and other social problems.

As for your question: Calling the cops was the worst thing for the child and the easiest thing for the school. The best solution would have been for the parents to come and talk to the child and have them continue their day if possible, if not have the parents take them home where they can settle down and become reasonable again. I understand that they called the police because of the physical confrontation with the teacher and ast. principal however chances are that they instigated it by touching or trying to restrain the child first. Schools now are too quick to touch children and then blame the child when they fight back rather than let themself be easily restrained. These adults need to get a grip and understand if they are going to initiate physical contact that the kid is going to fight back and if they get clipped it's their own damn fault for touching the child first.

[Moleculo]

What else could the school do? Having the kid arrested was probably the only viable option.

The kid is eight fucking years old for Crissakes, grounding him from his XBox would be a punisment; arresting him makes him a martyr.

Now he thinks he's a gangsta with a criminal record who can only be stopped by the po'lice.

Personally I think they should have expelled him and sent the case to child services to investigate whatever the hell the parents are doing parentally to cause the little freak to do what he done.

[Sharlintier]

The kid is eight fucking years old for Crissakes, grounding him from his XBox would be a punisment; arresting him makes him a martyr.

Now he thinks he's a gangsta with a criminal record who can only be stopped by the po'lice.

Personally I think they should have expelled him and sent the case to child services to investigate whatever the hell the parents are doing parentally to cause the little freak to do what he done.

Have you read a thing I have wrote?

:BangHead:


If it is a parenting issue their first step would be social services. This is more of a learning disability. Calling the police just means that they have given up trying to help him or they gave into their frustrations and acted like children themselves.

[Nid]

Kid should have been taken by ambulance as a mental case, not criminal.