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James is a two year old boy that arrived at school in the middle of the year. James is a very cute and friendly little boy that integrated school very smoothly and seems quite at ease with his peer group. The only problem is that he has a tendency to bite when he is frustrated or something that he doesn’t agree with happens. This happens both during activity time in the classroom and when playing outside during free play time.
The behavior is difficult because James can’t find a way to express himself, and his peers are sometimes afraid to play with him because they know that James will bite them eventually. Caregivers have to be constantly watching him in order to prevent these situations from happening. If a caregiver doesn’t intervene, James runs the risk of being excluded from his peer group, and this can have an impact in his social development.
The first thing to observe is that these situations often happen at school. The parents have not observed any similar reactions on their side, at home. James often has this attitude towards a peer that he is very close to. When this peer is playing with a toy or doing something, such as swinging, James always wants to follow him and do the same things. There have been no observations of other specific times when the biting happens. James doesn’t bite during activity times when he is busy. It happens mainly during informal times. After discussion between the educational team and his parents, there have been no major changes or events in their lives or daily routines that could explain this behavior. This behavior is not totally abnormal for a child of his age. There may be temperaments that are more aggressive than others, or children who are more reactive and less tolerant of annoyance or frustration. It is just important that James doesn’t see it as a possible mode of interaction, and understands that this situation hurts his peers.
To avoid these situations as much as possible. Adults pay closer attention during playtime outdoors and in the classroom. If James approaches his playmates, we make sure an adult is nearby to react as quickly as possible, as a form of prevention. If we see James getting frustrated or arguing about a toy with his peers, we can intervene before we bite. The adult can never punish him for this attitude because he is not mature enough to control it. Talking to him and helping him to understand what he is feeling can be beneficial for him. Even if our words don’t have a direct impact because he is not old enough yet to express his emotions through language, paying attention and describing the emotions he is feeling can also help him understand things.
You can already explain to James that biting his peers hurt them and that is why they cry. It is important to tell James that it is his behavior that is not appropriate and if he continues to bite, his peers would not want to play with him. Caregivers can encourage him to find other ways to deal with his frustrations, such as taking deep breaths to calm himself and avoid this situation from happening. Another way to prevent this situation from happening is to come and talk to an adult so they can help him to resolve the problem.
It is essential to try to understand why the child is behaving aggressively, so that educators can help the child as best and as soon as possible, to avoid this aggressive behavior from happening. Depending on the child’s age, this behavior may be more or less impulsive because it lacks language and the ability to describe their emotions, and therefore difficult to control. It is by being patient and repeating things several times that the child will come to understand that the behavior is not appropriate and hurts his peers feelings. The best way to react to an aggressive attitude is to remain calm, even if this is not always easy, and to be consistent in your approaches.
