Therapeutic Interventions for Temper Tantrums | The Family Apothecary (2024)

• March 10, 2021
• | By Sarah Valentini

Therapeutic Interventions for Temper Tantrums

Tantrums are almost a rite of passage for children. They are a way of establishing boundaries (others and their own), learning appropriate ways of making requests or getting what we need day to day. Learning to communicate that we are hungry, sad, experiencing pain, angry or fearful can take practice for some children. Childhood is the time to learn these things!

As Dr Daniel Siegel states in his book The Whole Brain Child, think about the child’s emotional state as like a boat floating down a stream or river. Keeping the child/boat in the middle of the river at a safe distance from chaos that sits on one bank and rigidity on the other bank is the ultimate outcome for both our children and ourselves!

But what happens when your child keeps getting ‘stuck’ and cannot seem to find the space where they can communicate their needs, have their feelings and not fall into complete emotional dys-regulation? Tantrums can stop a parent from finishing their shopping, make them have to leave the park early, or prevent them from being out with other people.

Underneath a tantrum, a child is trying to tell us something! There may be fear, sadness, anxiety or chaos, and this can be caused by many external influences, internal imbalances as well as being representative of a constitutional “type”.

Factors that may be causing this challenging or demanding behaviour could include:

• Fear or sadness/grief
• Worms and parasites
• Gut Dysbiosis (imbalance in gut flora)
• Difficulties at school
• Anxiety/worries
• Trauma
• Heavy metal toxicity
• Inflammation in the body caused by food intolerances
• Exhaustion and lack of proper sleep due to factors such as:
• Worms,
• Dysbiosis
• Breathing difficulties caused by enlarged adenoids
• Screentime
• Constitiution

Our Approach

When tantrums present in the clinic, Sarah will explore the causation. Whether the causation is due to physical or external influences, a trauma (birth, family or other) or an internal imbalance, the cause needs to be addressed by the chosen treatment plan.

Constitutional Homeopathy takes into consideration all aspects of the child, such as their food cravings and aversions, emotional state (timid, jealous, angry, etc.), how they respond to heat and cold, and their health history. Prescribing a suitable constitutional remedy boosts the overall immunity or “vital force”. Sometimes the prescription of a correct constitutional remedy is all that is required to get the child back on track. This includes therapeutic interventions for temper tantrums, aggressive behaviour therapy, and autism meltdown therapy.

After undergoing therapeutic interventions for temper tantrums, parents generally report seeing a reduction in frequency of tantrums, or if the child does become upset or irritable, they are able to recover in less time than before. When the child becomes really stuck with their tantrums, a few homeopathic medicines can help to get them to move on, to play freely and to not be so distressed.

Where necessary, Sarah may order testing for children to dive deeper into the health issues that may be related to the cause. For example, when a child has worms or a parasite they may feel unwell or tired, and this may cause them to be clingy or irritable. If their adenoids are enlarged or hayfever and congestion is affecting sleep, they may be very tired and cranky.

Testing

Where necessary, testing may be ordered to help support the treatment plan. Tests that Sarah may order include:

• Stool testing (CDSA or Complete GI mapping) – This test will indicate if there are parasites, yeast or an imbalance in the gut flora, or gut function issues. Any imbalance can be the underlying cause of persistent tantrums.
• Food sensitivity/intolerance testing – When a child is eating foods that they have an intolerance to, this can cause inflammation in the gut and body. When there is inflammation in the gut, this can lead to malabsorption of foods, lack of gut integrity, low immunity as well as other symptoms (aches and pains, etc.). This test involves a sample of hair and is sent off to a lab for testing.
• Hair Tissue mineral analysis – Accumulation of heavy metals can cause poor assimilation of minerals as well as behavioural issues. For example children with high copper can be quite restless and present with ADHD and autism-like symptoms that require autism meltdown therapy or the prescription of a well prescribed remedy. Low calcium can cause sleep disturbances and heavy metals can have an effect on neurological function.
• MTHFR testing

Whether your child requires autism meltdown therapy, aggressive behaviour therapy or another treatment, the treatment plan prescribed by Sarah will always involve a constitutional homeopathic remedy as well as other remedies to address specific symptoms where necessary. Nutritional supplements and dietary advice are prescribed where necessary.

Book an Appointment Today

If you’re concerned about your child’s behaviour, or have any questions about an autism meltdown toddlers can sometimes experience, use our online booking system or call 0408 542 762. Sarah has a wealth of experience providing aggressive behaviour therapy and therapeutic interventions for temper tantrums.