How do you handle "a screetcher?"

[mookie]

We are leaving for WDW in 10 days. In other posts, I have mentioned that my 3rd child is quite...."spirited." In fact, he's a challenge. I chalk it up to several things...personality, he's a boy, and he's the 3rd child. Anyway...

One of our most major problems with him is that he is a late talker. He'll be 2 in 3 weeks, and doesn't say many words yet. To compensate for that, he is one of those kids that has that horrible, ear-piercing, high pitched scream. I have seen several kids out in public places doing the same thing...and it drives me CRAZY! Now that I have one of my own, I'm at a loss as to how to handle it.

He screetches when he's happy, sad, mad, everything. And it's high pitched. And ANNOYING!!! I have 2 other children that are very well behaved, and I feel bad for them because a lot of times we have to remove ourselves from a public situation because he is just so loud and disruptive. I don't want this to be the case at WDW. Anyone have any tips on how to handle a screetcher? I've tried ignoring, punishing, everything...I'm at a loss. HELP! We leave in 10 days!!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

I'll admit it. Deliberate high-pitched screaming (for fun, not when in pain) in a young child is my absolute biggest peeve with little kids -- it makes me insane when parents nonchalantly tolerate it in public. When my own kid started trying it I went into action fast.

When a sharp NO didn't do it, I went to drastic measures -- I covered his mouth. The minute that shriek came out, Mom's hand clamped down on his mouth and chin, I told him that screaming was not tolerated, and I didn't let go until I could see in his eyes that he knew he was in trouble and why. (Obviously, I was careful to avoid blocking his nose -- I didn't want to kill the kid, just cut off the noise.) He didn't like it one bit, and after about a week of spending large parts of the day with my hand glued to his face, shrieking was just no fun for him anymore.

FWIW, this same kid was also a late talker. He hardly said a word until he was 28 months, when he suddenly started speaking in full grammatically correct sentences. Just biding his time, I guess.

 

[newtowdw1]

Do NOT flame me.

My brother screamed. My parents put him in the bathroom with a metal bucket over his head. They made him scream into it. They explained that when he screamed, that noise is what they heard. He never screamed again.

My parents had... unique... parenting methods. When my sister would not stop biting (same age as yours) they put a sign around her neck. "I bite." When little kids asked her what it said, she had to tell them. She never bit again.

I was an angel child. Seriously. You would have been too if you'd been raised youngest in this household.

 

[newtowdw1]

If you wanted to see if he screeched to communicate, you could make him little signs and laminate them for him to hold up.

Happy
Sad
ANGRY
Wet
Get down.

Who knows. My kids talked early and often.

 

[mookie]

Do NOT flame me.

My brother screamed. My parents put him in the bathroom with a metal bucket over his head. They made him scream into it. They explained that when he screamed, that noise is what they heard. He never screamed again.

My parents had... unique... parenting methods. When my sister would not stop biting (same age as yours) they put a sign around her neck. "I bite." When little kids asked her what it said, she had to tell them. She never bit again.

I was an angel child. Seriously. You would have been too if you'd been raised youngest in this household.

No flames from me...sometimes it makes me wonder when all else fails, if "old school" was right!!!

My mom said to us once during his public tantrums..."you know, if you just swatted him on the butt a few times, he would probably stop." But in this day and age, doing that in public could get you thrown in jail! Not to get into a debate on spanking/no spanking (we all know there has been enough of them on these boards!) it's just sometimes it does make me wonder...

 

[mookie]

If you wanted to see if he screeched to communicate, you could make him little signs and laminate them for him to hold up.

Happy
Sad
ANGRY
Wet
Get down.

Who knows. My kids talked early and often.

His older brother has verbal apraxia, and we have these cards for him. Works like a charm, and he really does well with them. For our little firecracker, he just throws them on the floor.

 

[ilandrazdsw]

Do NOT flame me.

My brother screamed. My parents put him in the bathroom with a metal bucket over his head. They made him scream into it. They explained that when he screamed, that noise is what they heard. He never screamed again.

My parents had... unique... parenting methods. When my sister would not stop biting (same age as yours) they put a sign around her neck. "I bite." When little kids asked her what it said, she had to tell them. She never bit again.

I was an angel child. Seriously. You would have been too if you'd been raised youngest in this household.

No flames from me...sometimes it makes me wonder when all else fails, if "old school" was right!!!

My mom said to us once during his public tantrums..."you know, if you just swatted him on the butt a few times, he would probably stop." But in this day and age, doing that in public could get you thrown in jail! Not to get into a debate on spanking/no spanking (we all know there has been enough of them on these boards!) it's just sometimes it does make me wonder...

Not getting in th non/spanking debate, but where I currently live spanking is a way of discipline (not suggesting this for your child). Here you can spank a child where ever/when ever, but when families travel to the States they are aware of the general veiw of spanking and take the child into a family restroom. The child may come out crying with the parent shaking their head saying they really shoud clean up the spilled water in the bathroom

 

[StephMK]

Do NOT flame me.

My brother screamed. My parents put him in the bathroom with a metal bucket over his head. They made him scream into it. They explained that when he screamed, that noise is what they heard. He never screamed again.

My parents had... unique... parenting methods. When my sister would not stop biting (same age as yours) they put a sign around her neck. "I bite." When little kids asked her what it said, she had to tell them. She never bit again.

I was an angel child. Seriously. You would have been too if you'd been raised youngest in this household.

OMG that is hilarious!!! .....and creative! I would imagine you have many more family stories you could tell!!

 

[my3cinderellas]

Are his older siblings talking for him? If not i know early intervention starts with sign language. Just basic signs please, more etc It helps them to communicate when they cant talk and get frustrated and act out.

Also, Not sure if you have but you might want to talk the pedi to make sure nothing else is going on?

 

[ilandrazdsw]

This is probably a given, but have you had his hearing checked?

 

[bearlyanne]

I have a mezzo soprano schreecher too! with limited language and a passion for everything.

I found that the only thing that works is getting into a game of whispering.

She shrieks- I whispher back--she might shreik again but often starts quieter and quieter!

but I am hoping that the general volume at DW will make her shrieks less noticable. When we went to Sesame Place last summer, EVERYONE knew when she spotted a new character!

 

[mookie]

Are his older siblings talking for him? If not i know early intervention starts with sign language. Just basic signs please, more etc It helps them to communicate when they cant talk and get frustrated and act out.

Also, Not sure if you have but you might want to talk the pedi to make sure nothing else is going on?

Well, his older sister is definitely talking for him....she's 6. A HUGE help, but yes, we have had to talk with her about letting her brothers "say it for themselves."

My "firecracker" and his brother are both already in Speech and OT. The boys are 11 mos apart, so I'm sure that has a factor in his behavior. My middle son has some sensory issues and has been diagnosed with verbal apraxia of speech. My "firecracker" however, is VERRRRY smart. Almost too smart for his own good. They are just considering him more of a "stubborn late talker." So, yes, as far as that goes, we have all of our bases covered.

I consider myself a pretty hands on mom who is pretty in tune with her kids. I had my middle son's disability figured out before he was a year old. But for my little guy, I truly think it's just a personality thing for him. Nothing going on medical wise or anything like that. He's just a plain old stubborn 2 year old that screetches. And it DRIVES ME CRAZY!

This is probably a given, but have you had his hearing checked?

Yep, because he's in Speech and OT for being a late talker, they already tested him for that. He can hear just fine. Myself (and those around him) are starting to wonder about theirs, though...with all of this noise going on!

 

[Liltx]

Go to Home Depot and buy an elbow peice of PVC pipe. Have him hold it too his mouth and screech. It will allow him to hear how loud it is.

I would also screech back at him everytime he does it, imitate him and he might stop. It will probably take awhile because it is probably a natural reaction for him. Do not acknowledge the behavior otherwise though. Just screech back and then turn away.
Or over correct and have him scream over and over each time he does it. At least 10 times each time he screams. He will get tired of this really quick.

Monica

 

[disneybridetobe]

I also have a stubborn late talker who is also too smart for her own darn good. She's totally a little spitfire, and she's picking up on the screech thing. I'm definitely tuning in for ideas. She's toally mastered the fine art of the "limp noodle." When you're taking her out of a store/house/playground where she wants to be, she just drops to the ground. Oh that's just a ball of fun.

LOVE the "I bite." sign!! That's hilarious, and I bet it gets the point across, real quick! The PVC elbow isn't a horrible idea either. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. At least we're trying!

 

[mookie]

I also have a stubborn late talker who is also too smart for her own darn good. She's totally a little spitfire, and she's picking up on the screech thing. I'm definitely tuning in for ideas. She's toally mastered the fine art of the "limp noodle." When you're taking her out of a store/house/playground where she wants to be, she just drops to the ground. Oh that's just a ball of fun.

LOVE the "I bite." sign!! That's hilarious, and I bet it gets the point across, real quick! The PVC elbow isn't a horrible idea either. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. At least we're trying!

OMG! I forgot to mention he is a "Limp Noodle" expert, too!!!! Totally frustrating, so I hear ya.

So I tried NotUrsala's recommendations tonight...just to see if another option I hadn't tried already would work. It was the easiest thing to try...I didn't have any PVC pipe laying around.

Anyway...the results...I can see why you did this. Not sure if it's going to do the trick, but it did get his attention. I kept my hand gently over his mouth until the screeching stopped. (Keep in mind, this was also during a "limp noodle" moment.) He was STUNNED. Just looked at me, while I had his hand over his mouth. kept screeching, but then, lowered his tone. I removed my hand. He did it again a few minutes later and put it over his mouth again and said "no, we don't use that voice." He lowered his tone, and I took it off again, and said "yes, THAT is the voice we use." he clapped his hands and smiled at me, like "okay...I did it."

Don't go singing praises yet...this guy is SMART. I know I have to be consistant, so I'll see how it goes. I know it probably sounds mean, but actually it isn't. I'm not hurting him, and I'm not spanking him. But now he knows. And I think it is similar to the PVC pipe thing...when I hold it over his mouth, I'm wondering if he is realizing how awful he sounds.

Anyway, this little guy is a tester. It isn't the last of this battle, by far. but I do think it was the best response I have gotten from him over anything else I've tried. Timeouts, telling him NO, removing him from the situation (which really I think also makes him win.).

I'll keep you posted. I only have 10 days, but I think I need to do some sort of "NO Screeching Bootcamp" until we go. I think if I don't...our Disney vacation for our other kids could end in chaos! Thanks for all the help and responses so far. Keep 'em coming and stay tuned, I'll be updating!

 

[mookie]

I also have a stubborn late talker who is also too smart for her own darn good. She's totally a little spitfire, and she's picking up on the screech thing. I'm definitely tuning in for ideas. She's toally mastered the fine art of the "limp noodle." When you're taking her out of a store/house/playground where she wants to be, she just drops to the ground. Oh that's just a ball of fun.

LOVE the "I bite." sign!! That's hilarious, and I bet it gets the point across, real quick! The PVC elbow isn't a horrible idea either. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. At least we're trying!

hey disneybridetobe...it looks like from your ticker that we will be at WDW at the same time. If you see an exhausted mommy with a screeching limp noodle, introduce yourself...we can get our kids together to see who's louder!

 

[RN4Babies]

My nephew was the grand master of screechers when he was 2 1/2 for all of two days. My sister started putting a drop or two of tabasco sauce on his tongue or lips whenever he'd screech (she carried a bottle in her purse when they weren't at home....). That phase ended quickly!

My kids were both very late talkers; their speech therapists taught them simple sign language that helped a LOT.

 

[dis-happy]

OP, here's one suggestion for you: make a dinner reservation at WCC. We ate there last year when my 1 one year old was going through the screeching phase and eating dinner at WCC was the only time I relaxed during a meal...that place is so loud no one could hear him screech!!!

 

[aTasteOfHeaven]

My daughter used to screetch the ear piercing screetch just for fun. I think that ended close to 20 months. But, now she is an ear piercing screamer when she gets really, really mad. Of course, it's always in public and is paired with the twisting and flopping to get away from my grasp. Now I just let her cry for a few minutes then ask if she is done yet and she stops almost instantly.

 

[karliebug]

if he is a late talker, he may not have the words to get his idea across and that is why he does this. Try giving him the words he needs like 'You are mad because Bobby took your toy, you need to use your words to tell me". or "Wow, I can tell that you are excited about seeing the parade, what do you like the best?" Is it usually when he is angry or frustrated that he does it? What does his speech teacher suggest? How about some sign language? Think of how frustrating it must be to want to tell someone something and not be able to find the words for it. Try to talk to him with rich descriptions, describing your own feelings like " I felt disappointed when we couldn't play outside today because it was raining, does it make you feel sad,too?" This isn't an overnight solution but getting him to use his words as much as possible will get the frustrating screeching to stop. He hasn't mastered how to communicate with you, it is like if you were suddenly dropped in a foreign land and the people there didn't understand you.