Kids as young as preschoolers can exhibit aggressive behavior. These children can act violently towards family members, schoolmates, friends, animals and strangers. Parents frequently pass it off as being a phase, and most often they are right. However, aggressive behavior can continue into adolescence and adulthood if the root cause is not addressed. Aggressive children can become violent adults.
Types of Aggression
Aggressive behavior takes on several forms, according to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. Physical aggression includes kicking, biting, pushing, shoving and hair pulling another child, adult or animal. A very young child can have temper tantrums because she is unable to control her anger. A child can engage in a verbal assault as well, teasing and taunting or calling another person names. Children who threaten or inflict harm on other children, hurt animals, start fires or participate in the destruction of property through vandalism are of special concern.
Risk Factors
Certain factors put some children at more risk of displaying aggressive behavior. A child with a history of aggressive behavior will be more likely to display aggression, as will a child who has been a victim of abuse or exposed to violence in the home or by the media. Family socioeconomics, such as poverty, divorce or other family stresses, play a role in pre-adolescent violence.
Treatment
A very young child starting to display aggressive behavior by throwing a temper tantrum because he cannot get what he wants, or he has trouble controlling his anger when playing with other children, can be taught how to deal with his emotions. Healthy Children, a website run by the American Academy of Pediatrics, suggests the best way to prevent aggressive behavior in children is to offer a stable home environment plus consistent and immediate discipline if a child breaks a clearly defined and important rule.
Time Outs
One technique to curb aggressive behavior is to give the child a "time out," which involves giving her a few minutes to cool off in a safe location away from the place where the aggression occurred. This teaches a child to remove herself from a situation that upsets her until she can regain control of her emotions.
Professional Treatment
A pre-adolescent may need professional treatment to prevent the aggressive behavior from occurring throughout his teenage years and into adulthood. Signs such as bite marks, evidence of fighting, attacks on family members and expulsion from school are indications that he needs to be seen by a pediatrician to rule out a medical condition and referred to a mental health professional or counselor if necessary.
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