What if tantrums are the only way a child can communicate?

When children aged 0–3 show challenging behaviour, it is rarely about being “naughty”. At this stage, the parts of the brain responsible for emotional regulation, impulse control, and language are still developing. This means children often cannot explain what they feel or need in calm, logical ways.So they communicate through behaviour.

Hitting, biting, tantrums, or refusal are often signals of frustration, tiredness, overstimulation, or an unmet need, not intentional misbehaviour.

Swipe through to see what science tells us about what is really happening behind the behaviour. 👇🏻

Naughty children