Being a teacher or a guardian mostly complain about their children's impulsive behavior and they are so worried, even frustrated during treating the children. So, as a teacher or a guardian, one must be aware of behavioral disorders that usually occur in children.
Behavioral disorders may have certain causes but many of
them usually emerge due to a lack of impulse control. Therefore,
psychologists and neurologists mostly recommend controlling impulses instead of
seeking another root cause.
So, if you are a parent or a schoolteacher, you must learn
about impulse control strategies in order to avoid behavioral disorders in your
children.
What are the impulses?
In psychology, an impulse refers to a sudden urge to act in
an unintentional manner. In other words, the impulse is a compelling force that
arises a sudden strong desire in a person to act without deliberation. A child
having impulses shouts, acts dangerously, fights with peers, and performs other
such inappropriate actions.
How the impulse control process takes place?
You might be aware that a human brain is scientifically
divided into several parts including the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal
lobe, occipital lobe, and so on. In the early stages, as a child's brain is on
the developing track and the frontal lobe which is directly responsible for the
impulse control process is not yet fully matured, thus, this control process
becomes a bit difficult as it requires certain skills to avoid sort of
disorders in the children.
Being a teacher or parent, therefore, your responsibility is
to teach children how they can regulate their impulses and control them. But keep
in mind that the aggressive and repressing treatment by you may cost higher
prizes to the children and you might raise liar children subsequently. Hence, your
hastiness during this task may vanish the children’s future enjoyment.
School’s Treatment to the Children
In school life, a child’s achievements in terms of securing
good marks in the class, being appreciated by the teachers, etc. lead to
building a positive mindset towards the closest people belonging to the child
such as parents, teachers, relatives, peers, and so on. Hence, this
encouragement and success immediately relate to his adult life when he has to
interact with society.
In this sense, impulses regulation and control help a child
overcome a variety of stress stimuli like homework, tests, exams, etc., build
the courage to listen to others, think rationally, construct patience in
themselves, etc.
A study tells a child knowing how to control impulses is
comparatively good and quick to deal with others and he is more successful to
make healthy relationships with family, teachers, peers, and others than a
child who is unable to overcome any kind of stress and overall suffers from any
behavioral disorder.
Also, a child knowing how to control impulses is better to
organize and manage his daily routine particularly study schedule and learning
attributes, thereby even helping him prepare for the future. Meanwhile, a
neurological study urges that a human being since childhood should be taught
self-control even prefers self-control over academic intelligence.
In addition, a child capable to control impulses performs remarkably
in various kinds of aptitude and reasoning tests. A child controlling and
regulating impulses is proficient to think in a critical manner and solve the
problem rationally instead of being hasty or thoughtless, further he is apt to
bear work pressure as well as sort of frustrations.
Strategies to help children control impulses
Though impulse control is not an innate trait, however, it
can be poured into a child through guidance but requires exertion in the
beginning. While a mentor must be conscious, not hasty for the result and the
child shouldn’t be repressed. Hence, among various impulses control strategies,
some are as follows:
1.
Listening Skills Development
Listening is the first and foremost way to control impulses.
Most of the parents and teachers are unable to figure out whether the child has
listened to them carefully or not, instead, they expect children to behave
accordingly. By contrast, the children behave impetuously because they haven’t
made sense of what they have been instructed, and are subsequently repressed by
the instructors. As their actions are not what they are required to be,
resultantly it becomes the beginning of adverse response among children.
So, it is the absolute responsibility of a mentor first to
recognize what the children have understood, and a mentor must teach them to
keep calm and pay attention to each and every word carefully before they go
ahead with any action. Parents and teachers always make sure that the children
have got what they have been told.
2.
Emotions Recognition and Anger
Control
Emotion recognition and controlling anger is the next
fundamental way in impulses control. A parent and a teacher must teach children
to distinguish their emotions from physical behavior. In other words, children
must be taught how to take things smoothly when they find them against their
will, for instance, if a child feels angry, he should consider that it is a
natural emotion but to turn it into physical actions or say violence is extremely
irrational.
Teachers and Guardians must know that the lack of tolerance
fuels emotional disturbances and leads to behavioral disorders. A mentor must
train children to take things easily, keep calm down their anger and tolerate a
provocative situation. Children must be mentored the techniques and trained to
overcome angriness & stress.
3.
Presenting Appropriate Behavior
Model
In terms of controlling impulses, psychologists recommend
appropriate behavior models which means a child understands things better
through exemplar behavioral models. In other words, children can control
impulses if they have an appropriate imaginary model that how a person behaves
in those certain conditions if the children would experience the same or have
experienced previously. In this context, a live example is highly effective for
children.
4.
Problem Identifying and Solving
Another way to control impulses is to be a self-dependent of
a child. The study tells if children in the early stages are motivated to scrutinize
and identify their problem, they are much capable of taking decisions
themselves not being thoughtless, instead, in a critical way which also helps
improve their intelligence as well as build self-confidence. Thereby, children
who are apt to take scrutiny on their own problems and find solutions
accordingly are less to suffer from behavioral disorders.
5.
Complying Rules & Regulations
If the children are taught to think before they perform
actions as well as in either way their consequences, they are more capable to
control their impulses. Teaching the children what they are expected to do in a
feasible condition otherwise what could be the results of their impulsive
reactions, help them abide by the rules.
In simple terms, if a child thinks rationally before he goes
to break any rule & regulation, he is likely to regulate his impulses.
6.
Physical Activities
Lastly, other strategies to control impulses include
encouraging children for physical activities. Physical and outdoor activities
are greatly helpful to control impulses. In the present era of technology, this
strategy is largely recommended by the experts since a huge percentage of the
children has been bounded to mobile and video gaming which have adverse negative
effects on their impulses. Psychologists and neuroscientists urge parents to
motivate their children for outdoor activities, even forcibly to some extent.
Some healthy outdoor games include racing, football, and basketball games which are beneficial for both physical as well as mental health of the children. Though these activities are largely recommended but make sure these are carried out under professionals’ monitoring as well as in a controlled manner in order to prevent any conflict among peers.
