Learning how to parent a child with DMDD is essential in providing a nurturing environment for children. Parenting a child with DMDD gives them the structure they need and a chance to express their emotions in a healthy way while maintaining a calm environment at home and enjoying supportive and structured routines.
DMDD is a childhood condition. It usually develops before a child turns ten and occurs in children between the ages of 6 and 18. Children who struggle with DMDD may not be able to properly control their emotions the same as would be expected from someone their age, and this leads to tantrums and feelings of anger, particularly over minor issues. These tantrums and emotional outbursts are not just a challenge for children but for parents who are trying to learn how to discipline a child with DMDD or control certain symptoms. What matters most for parents is to understand and utilize effective strategies.
Understanding DMDD Symptoms in Children
DMDD can be brought about by a family history of mental health disorders, environmental issues like divorce, childhood abuse, or relationship issues with siblings. However, scientists don’t currently have a single cause, which means triggers will be different from one child to the next, given the potential causes and other influencing factors.
In general, common symptoms of DMDD include:
- Angry mood
- Frequent irritability
- Severe emotional outbursts and tantrums over minor issues at least three times per week, severe enough to be unusual for the age
- An inability to control emotions
- Difficulty functioning because of the aforementioned irritability across multiple settings
These symptoms persist for at least a year prior to a child receiving a diagnosis and they have a profound impact on daily life as the constant irritability and emotional outbursts happen at school, at home, at daycare, and elsewhere. It can make it difficult for parents to know how to reduce these outbursts or facilitate better emotional regulation in their children, let alone how to discipline.
Effective Strategies for Parenting
As a parent, the most effective strategies you can learn when figuring out how to parent a child with DMDD are:
- Consistent routines
- Good communication techniques
- Setting clear boundaries
Consistent Routines
Parenting a child with DMDD means you need to set and maintain consistent boundaries. boundaries are what ensure your child remains focused where they should and on track. Children need structure so that they can predict what will happen throughout the day and this is facilitated by rules and boundaries, guiding your child through their emotions throughout the day.
Communication Techniques
Communication skills are imperative. In order to support your child, responding to DMDD symptoms in child behaviors requires you to speak the same language as your child. This means you have to be empathetic in your response, an active listener, and use communication skills to which your child responds.
Setting Clear Boundaries
Learning how to discipline a child with DMDD means understanding that clear boundaries go hand in hand with a consistent routine. Your routine needs to have designated behaviors that are rewarded, opportunities to celebrate positive behaviors, and self-regulation through praise, acknowledgment, good communication, and sometimes even actual rewards.
Consider the following:
Damien struggles with DMDD symptoms in child behavior. His mother has made it clear that every Sunday, they go to church, and Damien has to sit through 2 hours of church, one with his family and one with the children his age.
The first hour is always more of a struggle for Damien because he has to sit still and be silent but the second hour he gets to play with his friends and be outside. So, his mother continually monitors his behavior during the first hour, letting him know that if he’s able to sit through it, he will get a reward in between the end of the first hour and the beginning of the second hour in the form of a piece of candy.
At the church reception counter, they keep a basket of different candies for such purposes.
As the service continues, Damien starts to get upset, and his mother reminds him that he’s doing really well and things are almost over. Perhaps he could play with something from the backpack of toys he brought to keep himself busy. so, for the last 15 minutes, Damian plays with his toys.
As the first hour is wrapping up, Damien’s mother congratulates him. She tells him what a great job he did and asks him if he would like to go to the church reception counter to pick out a piece of candy as a reward.
In this example Damien has a structured routine and he knows that he gets to go to church every Sunday at the same time and come home at the same time. He also has clear boundaries that indicate he must behave himself during the first hour but he can be a little more relaxed during the second hour. If he behaves he also gets a reward.
During this time, Damien’s mother exhibits good communication techniques by being empathetic when she notices that he is starting to get overwhelmed and providing a coping skill that he can use to help with his emotional regulation until the end of the service.
Supporting Emotional Regulation
Parenting a child with DMDD means offering the right emotional regulation by:
- Teaching your child coping skills
- Helping them engage in physical activity
- And where appropriate, seeking professional support
Teaching Coping Skills
As a parent, it’s important that you encourage your child to express their feelings in a healthy way using things like art, music, playtime, physical activity, or words. Find a method of communication that works best for them. Parents can help their children by setting an example. Children learn valuable coping skills from their parents, so if you are able to communicate effectively and provide emotional support, children will learn from that.
You can, for example, include things like mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing, and yoga or nature walks as part of your regular family routine. This type of physical activity is something that is not only beneficial to a child with DMDD but can help children find calm when they are feeling overwhelmed and irritable because they know they can turn to those activities.
At home, you want to create a supportive environment where you celebrate positive behaviors and achievements. You can use this opportunity to teach coping skills like finding a favorite book, journaling as a place to draw or write down feelings, or sensory objects that offer relief to your child.
You might consider setting up a specific area in the home full of sensory objects like comfortable blankets and pillows, toys, journals, and music which can be a safe place for your child when they are feeling overwhelmed knowing that they can always get up and walk to that area.
Seeking Professional Support
Treatment options might extend to:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavioral therapy
- Family therapy
- Neurofeedback
- PEMF therapy
As a parent, you need to make sure that you are supported as well, and that means finding professional help where necessary. Professional help can mean support groups from other parents where you can exchange tips and gain insight, work with qualified mental health providers, and make sure that you communicate the plan with your child’s school so that they have appropriate support. If you seek professional help, the family therapist you choose can guide you in making sure your child has an appropriate educational plan on file.
Summing up
Overall, as a parent, it is essential to learn how to support your child with emotional responses. Learning emotional regulation is essential for all children and adults, and with the right parental support, your child can learn the right regulatory and coping skills from an early age.
Parenting a child with DMDD means having consistent routines, good communication, and clear boundaries, with penalties if they are crossed. As a parent, you can learn how to discipline a child with DMDD through professional support when needed so that you can foster a healthier emotional environment for the child and family.
