so i am trying to figure out what the temper tantrums mean. my son is hard of hearing and has started having temper tantrums more frequently lately. he is hard to figure out when he had a severe ear infection no temper tantrums and no playing with his ears no fever etc. he got put on antibiotics and has started playing with his ears since then. he has temper tantrums that are crying and laying in the floor going oh oh oh. because he is hard of hearing and very very limited vocabulary and sign I cant figure out if he is doing this cause his ears are hurting or something else and what he is trying to tell me. heison his second round of antibiotics but this didnt start until we started the antibiotics and it is several times a day. I realize with limited ability to communicate this is one of his forms of communication. eci says its out of fustration but I dont agree I think its something else but what? any ideas and thanks ahead of time.
jeana he is 2 1/2 for those of you who suggested the meds arent working I think they are working to a degree and not totally. his speech went up 11 words since he has been on them and he is making 2 word and sometimes 3 word combinations now but his total vocabulary is about 35 words. but at the same time he still has a massive double ear infection.so they are helping but not to the degree we need them too. as far as the hearing aids not yet. still checking other options. and the card idea was an absolute genius idea. some signs I cant get him to do like eat and drink no matter how many times he sees it so I think the cards will make a world of a diffrence. I also cant get himto understand hurt. so the sign makes no sense to him. I also considered the allergy aspect and that was part of the reason I was asking. and no he is not teething but good guess he is totally done there. if he hadnt been done I would have guessed that toothe doc did comment if this round didnt work he would need stronger antibiotics.. you guys had some great ideas thanks
So he didnt start his tantrums until you started antibotics?
Maybe, he is allergic and his ear is itching and hurting more because the medicine isnt working... Possibilty? Depending on what age he is maybe he is teething?
Hope you find out what is going on, and best wishes.
He could be having an allergic reaction to the anti-biotics. Did you ever have an earache? They are intensely painful. I had many as a child. My parents did not know what to do and I suffered. Sometimes the earache was set off by allergies, other time by pressure in the ear.
Your boy is deaf or uses hearing aids? Do the hearing aids help him. Are you looking into cochelar implants? He should get them soon so he can develop his speech.
He is frustrated and in pain. I'd have fits too if my Mom could not figure out what to do to help me.
I would take him to an ear specialist...a physician who specializes in hearing disorders of children.
You need professional help. I'm sure it is tough on you to not have anything to offer him in the way of relief.
I wish you and you son a quick resolve to these ear problems so that you can be comfortable and happy again as a family.
Bruno Bettelheim (A Good-Enough Parent, author) posited that most tantrums are caused by frustration. Perhaps it's a combination of his limited ability to communicate, or his upset that his ears are bothering him.
I can't say.
One therapy you might try is making cards that have words which might be important to him. You will actually have to use pictures of these objects on the cards (one card per picture) and work with him to help him become familiar with them. You can have cards for food (draw a picture of his bowl and spoon), cup/drink, diaper, hugs, sleep, books, etc. In short, a small vocabulary that is relevant to him. Teach him to present the cards to you when he wants to convey his needs, and when you think he is needing something, bring out the cards. Talk to him and point to them. Bring them out when he's upset and ask him show you what he wants. It'll be a lot of trial and error at first, as he discovers what each card truly means, but if this ends up being an effective method for him, he'll keep at it. If your son is hard of hearing, a visual way of communicating can help. Be sure to draw his ears, too, and hold them up to him looking into a mirror, so he can understand what the illustration is supposed to be. (If you don't like your own drawing, use pictures from other sources. Online, we can find a lot of line-drawings, which is all you need for kids. Just paste the picture onto cardstock.)
I hope you discover what's troubling your little guy. It's so hard when we have limited communication.
H.
Well, it could be that the meds are not working and the infection is getting worse. But that is just a shot in the dark. really he needs to see a doctor to tell if that is the case.
I would go with mommy instinct. If you think it is something else... it very likely is.
just wanted to let you know that some antibiotics have been shown to worsen hearing loss, i think the -myacins, but im not sure. it sounds to me like you need a visit to a good pediatric ent to rule out any problems with the meds or his ears. some antibiotics are really rough on the stomach too. best of luck to you
If you have the time you may try to take together sing language classes. I have a friend that even her kids can perfectly hear for some reason since they were babies they all learned sign language and now, that the oldest one is a teenager when she does not want anyone else in the room to understand what she is saying to him she simply sings him! I think is soooo cool! and a special bond between them... because you do not see that everywhere.
Maybe if your baby has a way to communicate effectively with you his tantrums will diminish, but anyway I do think that he is exactly in the age where tantrums are an everyday thing... just part of the growing process.
You are already checking that is not an infection so maybe he is just a little frustrated.
I hope this helps and gives you just another option to consider.
I have to say my girl that is two is a very active tantrumer (just made that up) and she can hear clearly and is in no pain whatsoever.
My nephew is deaf with intermittent nerve firing (every now and then he can hear). He also has a cochlear implant. When his nerve is firing and we are in a somewhat noisy place, he reacts negatively.
Imagine living in near silence your entire life and then being barraged by several new sounds of varying pitch, frequency, and volume. It would be overwhelming and probably scary.
If the antibiotics are allowing him to hear better, the tantrums and especially the ear pulling sound more like a reaction to the frightening, annoying, unfamiliar sounds around him rather than frustration at his circumstances or any action being taken.
