How to deal with Screaming???

Post Reply New Topic

My daughter who is nearly 4 soon, non verbal has started screaming a lot lately. Def not meltdowns because she screams at every little thing. sometimes it is quiet obvious she is trying to communicate so uses she screams to convey her message but sometimes she screams for no apparent reason. This has become quiet intense in the last month or so. Apart from this she is doing really well, picking up some new skills everyday. she also finally for the first time picked up some grapes and ate them. something she has never done before but the screaming is driving everyone insane.

anyone else dealing with similar problems? ( please tell me this is short term ) or any ideas how to help her reduce this?

Screaming is one reason I can't have kids, if there is one thing that sets me off its sudden loud noises such as screaming, I know I would not be able to handle that on a daily basis so no kids. But maybe her screaming is a form of stimming....if she does it for no apparent reason and not only in meltdowns its a possibility. In which case it might be possible to help her find another way of stimming that's not so disruptive. Other then that maybe indicate using an 'inside voice' inside but maybe allow for some screaming outside if it must be done. Though depending on where you live I'm not sure how well that would go over with neighbors and such.

I always lived in smallish towns not really urban areas when I was growing up....so me and my siblings spent a lot of time outside and well outside is a good place to be loud.

Have you for sure ruled out the possibility that there is something causing her physical discomfort that she hasn't be able to communicate to you? A small injury or illness or allergies? I know my allergies have been terrible this spring and they manifest with a fairly constant sinus headache that has been with me pretty much continuously for the past month. It makes me irritable to say the least.

Have there been any changes in her sleep habits or any other routines? Any new people in her life? Sorry, I'm just casting for some reasons why this behavior would come up. Of course maybe she has just come to realize that it is one method of getting her needs filled. If that is the case, you can try working with her to replace the screaming with a more effective means of communicating her needs. Does she use PECS or sign?

I found it interesting when a little girl (most likely autistic) in my daughter's class went around and told everyone to cover their ears because she needed to scream. Obviously someone had taught her to do this, and I like the message she must have been given: it is OK to scream, but you must consider those around you. I think that is the type of message I would start trying to impart: scream if you must, but show some consideration for time, place, and those around you.

Thank you all for your comments.

We have consulted our ped and also had a chat with the therapists and both of them have ruled out vocal stimming, they feel she is trying to communicate and this is her only means to do so at this stage, not entirely convinced with this we will be getting a second opinion later this week as the screaming is just continuous, if i have to put it in time for every1 hour she is screaming for 45 minutes. She is neither upset or distressed, its like whatever she does the screaming should be included.

Nothing has changed in the last couple of months for this sudden change to take place, it gradually got worse in the last few weeks and now it wont stop. We were chatting to a parent who had a similar problem and she said her son was tested for yeast infection in the gut and once they got him on medication the screaming reduced and then stopped. Is this something we should look into?

She could definitely have an un-obvious medical condition that is causing her pain, so I would look into it. The problem I have with "gut" issues is that there is no universally accepted protocol yet for figuring those out, and there are a lot of quacks out there taking advantage of it ... BUT there is also every reason to believe that digestive sensitivities of some sort ARE on the rise and can be very life-inhibiting - I work with several people who have very articulately told me about their struggles with food issues, and I recently saw an interesting study about how we only have a fraction of the natural microbes in our systems as compared to a generation ago, which could be the "why" with it. Anyway. I would go in that direction but keep a skeptical ear and rely strongly on your instincts - you know your child better than anyone.

I think it is a strong possibility that she is experiencing some type of medical problem. Did the ped check for a bladder infection? I know that's not common with kids her age but it seems it could be something that would get progressively worse over time and wouldn't resolve itself like a cold or other virus. I remember reading recently about a woman with a 20-something non-verbal autistic child she still cared for. He had gotten increasingly aggressive and violent and it took her weeks to figure out that he had a medical condition that they had not experienced before (I can't remember if it was a bladder infection or something similar). Once they finally figured out what was going on and treated it, his aggression abated.

thanks guys, we will be seeing the ped later this week. our regular ped like i mentioned thinks its her way of communicating so he did not discuss any other possibilities, hence the second opinion. I am not sure which way to go because one would think that if she was in any discomfort they would be some level of distress or crying involved, i do realise that it might not be the case always, but she screams even when she is in a generally happy mood so its got us pretty confused. will see how the next appointment goes and will keep you guys posted. thanks again for your input, much appreciated.

I don't know if this will be helpful or not but my son has distress screaming, stimming screaming, and just for fun screaming. I can usually tell which it is based on context, pitch, rhythm, and duration.

Does it all sound the same or can you distinguish differences?

nope, her screaming is all the same in any situation so very difficult to help her out. that's why we are so concerned and confused at the same time.

We have gone for a second opinion and got the same answer like before that it is def not vocal stimming. We have been advised to distract her when she screams but that is not working, even if we try to distract her with something she responds by screaming. very frustrating for us and I can only image how it must be for her, so helpless!

Recently I was reading some material about how to deal with challenging behaviors. The info was very generalized but one of the suggestions was to substitute something that physically interferes with the undesired behavior. On that note, have you tried to distract her with something she likes to eat or drink? It's tough to scream if your mouth is full! Obviously you can't just keep stuffing her face all day long but maybe if would give some space in between for some relief and maybe a chance to work with her. Of course maybe giving food or drink would backfire by being a positive reinforcement for the undesired behavior, hmmm. I hope for your sake it is a phase she will move on from soon.

Just a quick note to tell you that my son (who is now 16) used to scream. I didn't know why. When he was diagnosed I realized that it was because he couldn't express himself. Once he started learning to communicate, the screaming stopped. Drove me nuts for a few years...but I had to learn to calm him. Say "OK" a lot to let him know that I hear him and know he's struggling and that helped. It's tough. But in my son's case it didn't last.

Funny to think that when he was 4 all I wanted to be able to have a conversation with him and now sometimes I wish he'd shut up. Things will change. Your child will progress and some of the things she does now will be a distant memory.

So...maybe chewing gum? And PECS? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_Ex ... ion_System

hey guys, thanks for the replies. haven't had the time to visit WP recently.

just a quick update: The screaming still continues all day long. however this is now mainly at home. at the therapies she does not scream as much. she also blurted out a couple of words a few days ago something which she has never done before. We still feel the screaming is her way of communicating but we only wished it didn't go on for hours like it does now.

momsparky and bombaloo, the option of chewing and food to keep her quiet will not work. she has always had a problem with chewing and very particular about the texture of food.....but saying that we have yet another minor miracle recently but we do not want to get too excited so soon as she tends to take a few steps forward then back again but in the last week ago for the first time ever she actually picked up a piece of carrot and started to nibble on it. something she has NEVER done. she did repeat this with some other food but will only do this when she feels like it, we dont force her because this is a very step for her and us.

you have stated the profesionals have ruled out vocal stimming, how did they come to that comclusion? What do they believe WOULD be vocal stimming?

My son used to do a high pitched scream too, it went on for about two years and cut right through my brain so you have my utmost sympathies. (Roughly between 1-3 years old.) It made taking him out anywhere very difficult, impossible to have a conversation with anyone else when he was in the room too. He eventually stopped doing that when he started to learn words, if your daughter is starting to pick up words that's a great sign this will be just a phase.