When Are Temper Tantrums in Preschool Children Cause for Concern?

Typical tantrum characteristics in healthy preschoolers differ from those of preschoolers with depression or disruptive disorders.

Temper tantrums are common in toddlers and are considered a normal part of development. The journey from dependency as an infant to autonomy as a toddler is associated with new motor, social, and language skills that often lead to emotional dissonance and tantrum behavior. The average preschooler has one tantrum per day for a medium duration of about 3 minutes (two thirds range from 1.5–5 minutes). Researchers used a standardized questionnaire (the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment) completed by caregivers to evaluate characteristics of tantrum behaviors and diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders in 279 urban children (3–6 years old) who were recruited from community preschools and pediatric offices.

Compared with tantrums in healt…

Reviewing Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics