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Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
Biting Behavior
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
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Biting Behavior
by Mommydee, Jan 26, 2000 12:00AM
I teach 3 - 5 yr old children. I've been doing this for over 20 years so I am no stranger to a multitude of behavior problems. The children I teach are generally low socio-economic, high risk children for whom English is a second language...most start school with little to no understanding of English. Many are language delayed, but due to the circumstances this is often assumed to be related to the difficulties of the environment, and having to learn two languages at once. The children generally are in loving families...but the famililes are often stressed due to poverty, hard work, large families, extremely poor living environment, ignorance, poor to nonexistant medical care, lack of education, etc. We have an effective program and most children adapt well. We try to help the families as much as possible, in addition to the children.
The child in question is male, with poor verbal skills,and one of the youngest children in the class at 3 yrs of age. He is NOT overtly aggressive. However, he responds to all frustration with biting. This is not just the typical quick preschool bite that leaves a set of imprints....but deep biting that draws blood. He will even do this to children twice his size who would not hesitate to hurt him in retaliation if a teacher weren't there to stop them. He does this is someone takes a toy, if someone bumps into him, if someone sits in his chair, etc. We have used typical interventions, including talking to him in his native language, time outs, providing him with alternate activities, constant monitoring trying to catch his frustration before he bites (but difficult to do with 25 children in the classroom). We have had 3 conferences with his mother, who seems cooperative and concerned. She indicated he used to bite his sister, but has ceased that behavior at home. He seems to have had a constant runny nose for several months, but does not appear ill, and acts as though he feels well. He is generally a bit hyperactive, with a short attention span, and easily distractible....quite typical for a three year old. Overall, he seems to be a happy child....he almost always has a great big smile and is generally loveable. He NEVER starts the "fight". He is gradually learning a bit of English, and seems to be able to communicate his needs relatively well. There are also children in the classroom that can translate for us as necessary (typically children in their second year of our program). He does not appear to be delayed, except for language which is extremely typical for the population we serve. I have not observed any behavior, other than the biting, that would make him a good candidate for any special program. He has passed basic vision and hearing screenings. The problem is that we need to resolve this biting issue quickly, before he hurts another child badly, or before the higher ups decide to expel him from the program. There is also a major health issue since he is drawing blood. Once another child retaliated briefly before we could stop him and the little boy in question was injured, a cut eye and loosened tooth and scratches on his face...yet he still continues the behavior. I do understand that biting is often "typical" behavior among children this young....but this is the first time we have been unable to resolve it using our various methods in the classroom and working with the parents at home. Do you have other suggestions? This definately is a high risk child, who needs our services. In addition to the education program, the children also receive breakfast, lunch, and a snack...they are screened for basic medical and dental needs and arrangements are made to help the parents obtain services, clothing is provided when necessary, classes are available to help parents learn English or job skills, older children are assisted all the way through high school if necessary. The majority of the children we serve are the children of agricultural farm workers, and without our program many of these children used to be injured or killed in the fields, locked up in hot vehicles all day during the picking season, sprayed with pesticides, chewed up by insects, or left home with an older sibling who then had to sacrifice going to school to babysit. So we are willing to go overboard to help children be able to stay in our program. Please advise me if there are other techniques I should use to hopefully eliminate this negative behavior. It has decreased a little, but mostly because the other children have learned to leave him alone, rather than him learning to control himself....it is a short term solution but is not helping the basic problem.
Thank you for any insights you may give me.
PS...I don't think I should even have to say this, but have encountered many prejudices against this population, so I will add that the children we serve are "legal" and the great majority are American citizens.
A concerned teacher.
The child in question is male, with poor verbal skills,and one of the youngest children in the class at 3 yrs of age. He is NOT overtly aggressive. However, he responds to all frustration with biting. This is not just the typical quick preschool bite that leaves a set of imprints....but deep biting that draws blood. He will even do this to children twice his size who would not hesitate to hurt him in retaliation if a teacher weren't there to stop them. He does this is someone takes a toy, if someone bumps into him, if someone sits in his chair, etc. We have used typical interventions, including talking to him in his native language, time outs, providing him with alternate activities, constant monitoring trying to catch his frustration before he bites (but difficult to do with 25 children in the classroom). We have had 3 conferences with his mother, who seems cooperative and concerned. She indicated he used to bite his sister, but has ceased that behavior at home. He seems to have had a constant runny nose for several months, but does not appear ill, and acts as though he feels well. He is generally a bit hyperactive, with a short attention span, and easily distractible....quite typical for a three year old. Overall, he seems to be a happy child....he almost always has a great big smile and is generally loveable. He NEVER starts the "fight". He is gradually learning a bit of English, and seems to be able to communicate his needs relatively well. There are also children in the classroom that can translate for us as necessary (typically children in their second year of our program). He does not appear to be delayed, except for language which is extremely typical for the population we serve. I have not observed any behavior, other than the biting, that would make him a good candidate for any special program. He has passed basic vision and hearing screenings. The problem is that we need to resolve this biting issue quickly, before he hurts another child badly, or before the higher ups decide to expel him from the program. There is also a major health issue since he is drawing blood. Once another child retaliated briefly before we could stop him and the little boy in question was injured, a cut eye and loosened tooth and scratches on his face...yet he still continues the behavior. I do understand that biting is often "typical" behavior among children this young....but this is the first time we have been unable to resolve it using our various methods in the classroom and working with the parents at home. Do you have other suggestions? This definately is a high risk child, who needs our services. In addition to the education program, the children also receive breakfast, lunch, and a snack...they are screened for basic medical and dental needs and arrangements are made to help the parents obtain services, clothing is provided when necessary, classes are available to help parents learn English or job skills, older children are assisted all the way through high school if necessary. The majority of the children we serve are the children of agricultural farm workers, and without our program many of these children used to be injured or killed in the fields, locked up in hot vehicles all day during the picking season, sprayed with pesticides, chewed up by insects, or left home with an older sibling who then had to sacrifice going to school to babysit. So we are willing to go overboard to help children be able to stay in our program. Please advise me if there are other techniques I should use to hopefully eliminate this negative behavior. It has decreased a little, but mostly because the other children have learned to leave him alone, rather than him learning to control himself....it is a short term solution but is not helping the basic problem.
Thank you for any insights you may give me.
PS...I don't think I should even have to say this, but have encountered many prejudices against this population, so I will add that the children we serve are "legal" and the great majority are American citizens.
A concerned teacher.
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Jan 27, 2000 12:00AM
, Jan 27, 2000 12:00AM
Dear Teacher,
Your dedication resounds throughout your note - your program sounds like a wonderful resource to children who are very much in need.
I fully concur with what you are doing to respond to this behavior. My guess is that the behavior is driven by an inability, developmentally, to tolerate the social demands of such a setting. It sounds like this little boy needs development to run its course before he is better able to interact with peers. However, as you so poignantly illustrated, it will not be helpful to his overall development to remove him from the program - he's in too vulnerable a position. It's a less-than-perfect world, so it'll be important to try to make a go of it.
Here's what I'd suggest, if the realities of your program (particularly the staffing aspects) allow. Start the day with the boy playing alone, near other children but not interacting with them. Then, intoduce him to some parallel play with only one other child for a period, follwed perhaps (depending on how he's doing) with some small group play. If you can do it, it would be best if he never plays with a group larger than three or four children. If he displays any aggressive behavior, he should be placed immediately in time out, in full view of, but separate from, the other children. After a period of about five minutes, he should be allowed to again play, but by himself. I'd be wary of expanding his play after a biting incident to include any other children, but at best a period of parallel play with one other child might be manageable.
As you can see, I would try to promote a limited amount of interaction within the large group setting - he's just not ready for it.
Your dedication resounds throughout your note - your program sounds like a wonderful resource to children who are very much in need.
I fully concur with what you are doing to respond to this behavior. My guess is that the behavior is driven by an inability, developmentally, to tolerate the social demands of such a setting. It sounds like this little boy needs development to run its course before he is better able to interact with peers. However, as you so poignantly illustrated, it will not be helpful to his overall development to remove him from the program - he's in too vulnerable a position. It's a less-than-perfect world, so it'll be important to try to make a go of it.
Here's what I'd suggest, if the realities of your program (particularly the staffing aspects) allow. Start the day with the boy playing alone, near other children but not interacting with them. Then, intoduce him to some parallel play with only one other child for a period, follwed perhaps (depending on how he's doing) with some small group play. If you can do it, it would be best if he never plays with a group larger than three or four children. If he displays any aggressive behavior, he should be placed immediately in time out, in full view of, but separate from, the other children. After a period of about five minutes, he should be allowed to again play, but by himself. I'd be wary of expanding his play after a biting incident to include any other children, but at best a period of parallel play with one other child might be manageable.
As you can see, I would try to promote a limited amount of interaction within the large group setting - he's just not ready for it.
Member Comments (2)
by teacher, Jan 28, 2000 12:00AM
Thank you for your quick answer. We will certainly give it a try. It has naturally occurred to a certain extent since his biting behavior has made many of the children a bit wary of him. I have felt from the beginning he needed a little more time to mature but still feel, as you seem to agree, that keeping him from the program would not be helpful. With 25 children in a single portable classroom, it will be a challenge, but it is certainly worth it to help him past this stumbling block. I love my job, and learn just as much or more from the children than they learn from me! I appreciate this valuable resource....I had already consulted with two school psychologists, but neither was that familiar with this age child, and they were unable to provide me with additional help beyond the standard things I was already doing. Thanks again.
