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Synonyms

Aggressive behavior problems; Behaviorally disorganized children; Children of high emotionality; Difficult children; Inflexible-explosive children [3]

Definition

Temper tantrums are defined as “disruptive or undesirable behavior of emotional outbursts displayed in response to unmet needs or desires, or an inability to control emotions stemming from frustration or difficulty expressing the particular need or desire” [8].

Description

Temper tantrums are among the most common behavioral problems of young children reported by parents, specifically between the ages of 18 months to 4 years. Tantrums are often expressed with crying and in less-common cases with attention-getting events such as breath holding and head banging. Parents often talk about their children grunting and growling while other children make sounds similar to animal cries. Because of screaming too loudly and for so long there are cases in which children’s cheek capillaries burst and their eyes become bloodshot....

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References

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Correspondence to Theodora Koulenti .

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Koulenti, T., Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous, X. (2011). Temper Tantrums. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2881

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_2881

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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