How Do You Stop the Screaming?

Just a thought but maybe she does it because she can't talk and is trying to communicate with you. Probably very frustrating for her. I would teach her sign language. You can get some great videos that will teach her and you.

S.,

My son did the exact same thing so my heart really goes out to you. My son was 7 weeks premature and did not speak until he was 3 and he screamed for everything, he screamed when he was happy, he screamed when he was mad, he screamed when he was excited etc... I felt like I was the only person in the world who was going through it and honestly there were times when I wondered if my once normal and loving marriage was going to survive it. You are not alone and it DOES get better.
Here is how we got through it:
*Some sign language, some that was "real" signs, some that we just realized he did for certain things and we started using them too. You do not have to learn sign language for everything, just the things she uses a lot.
*Photos. We took photos of some of his favorite things and made magnets to put up high on our fridge and whenever he wanted anything we didn't understand we picked him up and let him point to the picture. We had photos of Milk, juice, cheerios, favorite stuffed animals/toys, favorite dvd's etc.
*Early Childhood Intervention. They will come out to your house and work with her on her motor skills, language and even behavioral. They work on a sliding pay scale so depending on your family income it may cost a small amount, or it may be free. It is a must for a child who is delayed.

Now my son will be 5 in November and we can't get him to stop talking!! The screaming is gone and he is happy and healthy and our marriage survived! Let's just hope we make it through the teen years!!

Hang in there and help her communicate any way she can. The talking will come.

HTH,
P.

God bless you.

I have been through speech delay with my three sons and I understand a bit of what you are going through.

One of the tips I received from an Early Child Intervention specialist was to encourage having your young child learn some easy hand signs. I would imagine there is an ECI agency in Conroe.

My son worked pretty well with a shortened version of a word. He chose 'kee' for cookie (or any sweets). I would give a choice of, say, crackers or cheerios, and have him point to his choice.

Babies cry because they don't have the language. But 9-months, sometimes 6-months, old can repeat hand gestures.

I encourage you to ask around. Help from ECI could be free for you.

Good luck!

Is she screaming in frustration when she can't say what she wants or get where she wants? That is so hard on a little one, they can get super frustrated. How about when she seems like she wants something you calmly start asking her questions to figure out what she is wanting and help her achieve whatever goal she is after. Now is she is screaming for something that you can't give her for whatever reason and you have told her no and she won't stop you could use a play yard or a crib for a time out. However if the intense screaming continues I would take her to her pediatrician and talk about this more deeply. A lot of screaming can indicate other things going on. I am not wanting to scare you at all, only let you know that finding out if something else is going on is so much better than correcting her if she can't help it. My sister had a condition called Rhett syndrome. She progressed pretty normally until about age two and slowly started losing ability to say words she had been able to previously etc. This came with severe screaming and frustration and my mom didn't know what was going on. So if calmly helping her figure out ways to express herself and time-outs for screaming for things she cannot do or have don't work I would definitely get her checked out and make sure you don't have something going on un-diagnosed. Best wishes!

I agree with others - she most likely is expressing frustration because she can't walk and talk - and at that age she surely wants to! YES - sign language!! You can get baby signing videos from the library so you can learn some signs together.. You don't need to know sign language, just a few words that you know she would use - milk, cracker, all done, toy, etc. Also, is there some sort of walker or something she can use to help her get around? Maybe she would feel more in control that way. Sounds like things are hard right now - may God bless you through this challenging time. Good luck!

Your daughter is screaming for help. She is not misbehaving; she just doesn't have a way to communicate. Please, oh please, do not follow that ignorant woman's advice and beat your child. Your child needs help. A good place to start is with the pediatrician. He/she should be able to recommend a specialist for you.

S.,
Please have her eveluated. It could be that she is deaf. your pediatrician can point you to the early childhood intervention that other posters have mentioned. It is called ECI and it is free. Get her there as quickly as possible.
Being in tune with your daughter, loving her, trying to understand what it is she wants will be more helpful to the woman she will become than swatting her. I would consider trying that first. This is a physical handicap due to speech and motor delay more than discipline.
Good luck. I know how hard it is.
K.

i would look into the signing time videos at the library. my 2 yr old loves them. even though she speaks she still loves to sign and it was an easy way when i didn't understand her words to know what she was asking for. it helps reduce frustration and lets them communicate.

Tell her
"Steph, use your inside voice."

"Steph, I do not answer to screaming."

"Steph go to your room and find your regular voice."

If she is not already get her into speech and physical therapy. Both will help with frustration she may be feeling as well as get her on A track towards being able to communicate/move. The speech therapist will probably start with teaching her alternative ways to communicate until she learns to talk. The speech therapist will also be a great source of information on how to deal with issues like these your daughter may/will experience. The information will also be tailored to YOUR daughter and where she is.

Our 5th child was our screamer (I can't believe I just used the word was) His first sound at birth was a high pitched cry that was higher than the highest note on the piano. He would scream when we were doing lessons at the UT Music school (with older sibs) and the students would stop what they were doing to try to identify what note he was hitting. He was so loud I was afraid I might have lost part of my hearing.

Probably the worst was between the ages of 2 1/2 and 4. He's now 4 1/2.

I'm not sure I have advice, its a really hard thing to deal with...We tried ignoring the behavior, thinking that it was just attention seeking. We tried redirecting. He had amazing skill at out lasting us. We tried punishments, swats, time-outs (and yes we were consistent with the methods we used). We tried to give him the correct behavior. etc.
We talked with our pediatrician and he said, "It sounds premeditated if you ask me." Basically he was saying that what he was doing wasn't involuntary, but that he was choosing to scream because he could make things happen. Let me tell you it is extremely hard to ignore someone who is screaming as loud as this kid could scream, especially when you are driving down the road.

Recently we have noticed a marked decline in the screaming. I'm not sure if its a maturity issue or that we've made a concerted effort to spend more focused time in an intellectual way with him.

We ended up seeking out counseling with our pastor who is psychologist and counselor to try to figure out what was setting him off and to help us gain patience to deal with him. This helped, and we started to see improvements after we talked with a professional. It helped that both of us went together and had someone help us sort it out. We needed to communicate and come up with a plan instead of just reacting.

Another thing, if you are a praying person, it really does help to lift this burden up to the Lord...praying with husband on it is even better. I'll be praying for you on this. Hang in there!

It is so, so hard to keep your cool when kids are screaming. I don't know what to tell you; I have no magic words, but my heart goes out to you and your family. Give yourself and your husband a break, it's so stressful when your child is screaming or crying and you can't soothe her. Before my kids could talk we taught them some baby signs. It's a way for pre-talkers to feel some control over their communication; there is a sign for "more", "all gone", "milk", "dog", etc., etc.
You may have to say the word you think she's trying to say and make the sign over and over, but at least it's something to focus on when the screaming starts.

I just put "baby signs" in google and came up with a baby dictionary!
http://signingbaby.com/main/?pp_album=main&pp_cat=sig...

Good luck, mama! Hang in there!

Bless your heart! I would say you are doing very well. You are a young mother with a child who has health problems....that in itself is so very stressful. What I am wondering is......Does anyone else in your home speak really loudly or raise their voices when angry. I have noticed that my boyfriend and I did that when we were upset with each other and my 14 month old son began to do it as well. Now I try to keep that from ever happening and when my son raises his voice, I stay very calm and speak to him in a very calm quiet voice. Children tend to mimmick behavior. I also think that you need to have very scheduled breaks from your child. The saying "It takes a village" is so true. If you aren't already doing this, find some great friends or family members that can help out and take a break from your child. Enjoy a date or some quiet time so that you don't get burned out on your child. I hope you find a solution.

A Little about Me: I am a working mom of a very hansome 14 month of boy. I am not married so I stay very busy, but he has been the light of my life