Nipping violence in the bud in children

Canadian researchers suggest intervention strategies for young children who demonstrate aggressive behavior in daycare.

It’s really important to intervene early — before violent behavior is too ingrained, said Jacinthe Guevremont, who started a program at the University of Montreal daycare that aims to prevent developmental problems. Violent behavioral problems that persist in early childhood are good indicators of school drop-outs and future delinquency, Guevremont said in a statement.

However, Guevremont warns against labeling children between the ages of 4 and 5 as aggressive or problematic because giving a child a reputation as troublemaker risks making them feel like that the rest of their life and unable to see themself as anything else.

The daycare program consists of a series of observation sessions of children that incorporate personalized strategies and approaches for helping those with behavioral difficulties.

For example, some children, can’t stand to be touched. Guevremont suggests this type of child sit at the head of the table during lunch, which can provide extra space and limit contact with others. Other children may simply have to be briefed on what awaits them in any given day, so they aren’t upset by surprises.

If children are raised in surroundings where they are supported, they learn to control their aggression and emotions and can become very sociable, Guevremont said.