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Between 15 and 36 months old, in addition to physically increasing in size, toddlers are also learning to develop cognitively, emotionally, and socially. The development of their large muscles allows them to walk, run, and jump, while their small-muscle development helps them gain fine-motor skills, such as eating with utensils or learning to dress themselves. Their language and vocabulary increase rapidly. As toddlers are learning what they are capable of, frustrations in limitations may occur, as well as strong emotions resulting in temper tantrums, especially if they do not have the language needed to express their emotions.
As a toddler learns that he is an individual, separate from his parents and others, he may begin to experiment with boundaries, testing the way things around him work. Because so much is going on in the world of a toddler, both physically and emotionally, it is often difficult to determine whether a child is merely asserting his or her independence, or whether he or she might be facing a more extreme emotional or behavioral disorder. Toddler Montessori classrooms are inclusive environments, designed to allow toddlers of all backgrounds and abilities, including those with emotional behavioral disorders, to function together socially with the goal of functional independence for each individual child.
The Kid’s Mental Health Information Portal website informs, “During a child’s developmental years, they are constantly growing and changing. It is imperative to note that one must keep this in mind when diagnosing and treating emotional and behavioral disorders in children.” (Kid’s Mental Health, 2018). While there are several characteristics that might be linked to a child with Emotional Behavioral Disorder, or EBD, it is important to note that many of these behaviors in toddlers are temporary. It is when the behaviors persist over a longer period of time that we can begin to consider whether a child may actually have a mental health condition.
The causes of EBD are difficult to identify, and there may be several contributing factors, including biological factors, the child’s family and home environment, as well as the child’s daycare or school. When talking about EBD, there are two ways behavior is classified: internalizing and externalizing. A toddler with internalizing EBD is harder to detect, but the child may demonstrate tremendous stress and separation anxiety when separating from a parent or guardian, cry very often and for long periods of time, have difficulties with transitions, be easily distracted, or be unable to focus on an activity. The child may also show excessive clinginess with adults or extreme anxiety when around new people or situations, and might have little or no interest in playing with peers. Social anxiety disorder is a condition in which a person feels so much anxiety about a social situation or the possibility of embarrassment or humiliation that the event becomes fearful and threatening. For a toddler, this social situation could be a school or daycare, or even unfamiliar people visiting the home.
A toddler with externalizing EBD might fail to follow rules or listen to directions, be argumentative with adults and peers, and may exhibit overly aggressive behaviors such as temper tantrums which may include hitting, biting, scratching others, pulling hair, and slamming or throwing objects. The child may have extreme bursts of energy, be hyperactive and impulsive. Oppositional defiance disorder is a condition where a person is very easily annoyed, angry or resentful, quarrelsome, loses his temper, blames others for mistakes, and refuses to abide by rules. A toddler may show these symptoms as he tests limits and boundaries, but a persistent display of these aggressive behaviors, with more than one person, could possibly be linked to EBD.
On a daily functioning basis, a toddler with either internalizing or externalizing EBD may have difficulties in learning to use the toilet or refuse to use the toilet. He may also refuse to eat or sleep, or have trouble sleeping, waking up several times throughout the night. All of these characteristics of EBD cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors, and can impact a toddler’s ability to learn and function in his daily activities.
Toddlers with Emotional Behavioral Disorder struggle with behavior challenges, social skills, and academics. Their behaviors often demand the full attention of their parents and teachers, interrupt classroom lessons, and impact their relationships with other children. They often struggle with self-control, are unable to work together with peers, and cannot effectively express their needs. A child with internalizing EBD might avoid peer interactions, while a child with externalizing EBD might act out his frustrations aggressively, using physical violence or by intimidating peers.
Although Emotional Behavioral Disorder can create barriers in the daily lives of children, there are strategies in which parents, families, teachers, and caregivers can use when assisting toddlers and helping them manage their extreme feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, as well as aggressive behavior. Rules and expectations should be simple and clear enough for the toddler to fully understand. Acceptable social skills and language should be consistently taught, demonstrated, and modeled to toddlers. For toddlers who enter into power struggles with adults, the adults can help the toddler feel empowered by providing choices where either choice is acceptable. This offers the child an opportunity to assert himself, and to have a sense of accomplishment. In schools, small-group-instruction might help a child with social anxiety feel less intimidation by others and might also give a child demonstrating aggressive behavior more opportunity for one-on-one individualized interaction from an adult and the adult can closely monitor that child, offering support and feedback. The adult should show compassion and be responsive to the child’s individual needs. The child should always have opportunities to respond. The child with EBD should also be able to take rest periods or breaks from tasks as needed.
Today, because toddlers are now spending more time together in early care and learning settings with other toddlers, it is important to have a focus on both the social and emotional learning of children, in addition to academics. In schools, PBIS, or Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, is a system of supports that provides functional assessments and individualized support for children based on evidence of child behaviors. If parents or teachers are unsure of whether their toddler is showing signs and symptoms of EBD, but behaviors have persisted for a considerable length of time, there are websites such as www.understood.org that offer questionnaires to help identify behaviors, as well as suggestions, resources, and other outside supports to help determine the child’s individual needs.
Montessori toddler classrooms are designed to meet the educational and developmental needs of the individual toddler. Because they are seeking independence, toddlers often want to do everything for themselves but have not mastered the skills or been provided with the proper tools to be fully successful. This can be very frustrating for them, and strong emotions often emerge. In the Montessori toddler environment, everything is at the child’s level and accessible, and all materials are toddler-sized. Once given a lesson, the child is free to choose the material he would like to work with. With freedom and self-discipline, the child feels a sense of accomplishment and an increase in self-confidence and self-esteem.
In a Montessori classroom, a toddler with Emotional Behavioral Disorder would be granted freedom of movement around the classroom, freedom to choose his own activity, and space in which to work. The child could choose whether or not to participate in social activities or to work by himself. Because the classroom guide works with the toddlers on an individual basis, the guide would have more opportunities to observe that child on a one-on-one basis, determining that child’s individual needs, as well as new materials to be brought into the classroom to best serve that particular child’s needs. Montessori toddler classrooms include areas of practical life, such as self-care and care of the environment; self-expression through drawing and painting; language in the form of objects and language cards; manipulatives used for fine-motor development; and food preparation. Language materials, manipulatives, and food preparation activities are rotated on a regular basis to keep the children’s interest as well as to introduce new concepts.
A Montessori toddler guide could work with a child with EBD in each area of the classroom to help that child feel heard and understood. The child can learn a language with cards and objects needed to express what he is feeling, use art materials to express himself, focus on taking care of himself and his environment and prepare his own food, which can increase his sense of accomplishment and confidence. These activities build strength in eye-hand coordination and fine-motor skills to help him complete tasks with his hands.
Montessori toddler guides consider what contributes to a toddler’s frustration (such as not being able to have access to materials, or materials being too big to use) and design their classrooms in order to best support him. With fewer daily frustrations, a child with EBD could feel more heard, understood, and supported.
Maria Montessori wrote:
“Let us always remember that inner discipline is something to come, and not something already present. Our task is to show the way to discipline. Discipline is born when the child concentrates his attention on some object that attracts him and which provides him not only with a useful exercise but with a control of error.”
(Montessori, 1949)
Inclusive Montessori toddler environments are intended to offer every child, including children with Emotional Behavioral Disorder, the individualized attention, opportunities for choice, self-expression, and support necessary to guide the child in creating his own self-discipline and to discover his own greatest potential.
Tomorrow’s Child / Nov 2018 / Pg 15
