Help with Screaming Toddler

I don't know that I can be of any help, but here's how it's been for me and my two kiddos.
Screaming from my two kiddos is *always* an attention getting thing. And actually I'd rather screaming than biting, hitting, etc. When dd was younger, and ds (1yr) now - they scream to get attention. And I decided that was okay (to a certain age). DD hasn't screamed in ages so I have no horror stories of it going on when they're old enough to know how to more effectively communicate.
That to say, your ds is only 2yrs old. He does not have the verbal communication skills to tell you what he wants to tell you. Instead he's using is vocal skills :-) The attitudes and activities that you pay attention to, you'll get more of. Perhaps this is his way of protesting being left at MDO?
At home, anyway, screaming doesn't hurt anyone. Considering the other alternatives for expression, it's among the safest :-) When dd was upset about something she used to scream and throw things. I am alright with the screaming. DH and my rules on anger expression basically say 'Don't hurt yourself, others or any property." I discourage hitting anything (like a pillow) b/c eventually it might not be a pillow. I want her to learn to express without lashing out physically. Screaming can achieve this when they're 2yrs old. For mine, just being held seems to help tremendously. I ended up grocery shopping with dd in a ring sling and then Ergo carrier. DS is still in the Ergo for grocery trips. DD was very wary of strangers and would hide her face in my chest until she felt safe enough to peek out again.
Sorry that I rambled, but I hope something that I wrote will help!

K. H, mama to
Catherine, 4yrs
Samuel, 1yr

You need to make sure that when you put them in time out that you dont talk to them or look at them at all. If they get out of time you keep putting them back on their spot without any communication. You tell them that time out does not start until they stop screaming. I tried this when I would care for a 2 year old (as a live in nanny) and honestly the first time took about an hour but honestly it never happened again. Time out would strictly be five minutes after that and trantums decreased dramatically.

I had such good advice but Kelly seems to have covered all the bases. I definitely think it's an attention getter though. Maybe his MDO teacher doesn't know how to handle the situation properly either so he is running with it and now it has become "cool" because all of his peers look up to him for his wondrous vocal cords. Try whispering everything when he's screaming and see if that helps.

My 20 month old only screams when she is having a Temper Tantrum and i just ingnore it.

I do watch a 15 month old little girl who is a "Screamer"...I have learned that I have to adjust time outs with her. When ever she starts her screaming episodes for no reason I put her in Time Out until she stops screaming. The first time it took a few min and when she stoped I let her out and prased her for being silent. She now only screams for about a min and stops so she is learning that when I stop screaming i get out of time out. As for my child she is pretty quiet so she is in time out for only a minute.

I have read in a book that when they scream and throw a fit that you should mimic them just as loud and it should make them stop because they are trying to figure out why you are doing it or that you understand why that they are upset. I just cant bring myself to do that in public. :-)

Hi,
I can relate. I have a 23 month old boy who also screams alot. He is my second, so I think that definately has something to do with it. With my first, we taught him a little bit of sign language and that really helped. We taught him please, more, juice, and a few other basics. I have found with my second that he screams mostly because he can't communicate and sometimes just to be heard. If he is wanting something, I try to tell him to be quite and tell me what he wants. If it's juice, I try to make him say the word and then reward him for trying to use the word and not screaming. When he is just screaming, I tell him that he can scream but has to go to his room to do it. The first few times, I had to escort him. Now he knows I'm serious and usually stops right away. However, he is a loud child and that's just his nature. As for screaming at strangers, I'd work on something that he can say to them. Like a way for him to say hello instead of yelling. I hope this helps. I am constantly having trouble with this issue to. Good luck

As a mom of a "screamer" toddler who is now a reformed screamer of 5 years, I can totally identify with you! It hurts the ears and can be embarrassing at times, huh?

Some kids over-react to sensory information that their brains recieve (direct eye contact, loud noises, unexpected touches to the skin, "messy" things, tastes and smells, feeling of falling or of being unbalanced). Does your son ever have "freak outs" in reaction to these things? If not, I'd agree that he's simply expressing frustration and/or is experimenting with the power of his voice. He might benefit from some boundaries and consequences about that ("Screaming is for outside. We use inside voices when we are inside. When you scream inside, I will help you find a pillow to scream into." And then follow through when it happens.) Easier said than done, I know. But establishing some simple guidelines, peacefully and calmly before the deed happens, and then following through with the consequence in a calm way, may help a lot. The key is set the rules, tell the rules, follow the rules, every time. If the pillow thing works out, I'd share that info with the MDO teachers and see if they'll allow him to use a pillow for screaming in the classroom.

If he does "over-react" to sensory information, I can recommend some other things. Best of luck!