Huge meltdowns at 7- Is this normal?

[TrixieD]

My DD is nearly 7 and I've been struggling to parent her for a while. she struggles to control her anxiety at times but has never been diagnosed with anything and there are no issues at school. People around me say there is nothing wrong with her but of course they do not usually experience the behaviour I see.

Now I know that term is coming to an end (and she is very tired) and we as a family have recently experienced a lot of change but I'm starting to wonder whether this level of reaction when she comes home from school tired is normal.

I just keep thinking I will find her easier to manage as she gets older but it has got harder and harder.

At a starting point I was just wondering if screaming/wild animal, thrashing around meltdowns were typical in a 6 nearly 7 year old. It doesn't happen every day but we are having about one a week at the moment and they are terrifying.

[mstumble]

My 8 year old DS can have 'outbursts' and refuse to go to bed. At the moment it is also about once a week, it is exhausting as he just won't listen. The other night he fell asleep after me, almost 11 o'clock. Then was tired and grumpy next day. I don't know if it's due to busy end of term or hormones but I do feel for you!

[PorridgeBrain]

My dd is 7 and since a very young age has had very bad meltdowns. She will get to the point where she can't handle the word No and all hell breaks loose. She escalates and escalates and can't/won't back down. I have learnt that late nights and tiredness are a key factor. Last year, my dd's went away with grandparents for a week and were kept up very late every night. We paid for that with a 2 hour meltdown every day for a whole week. my 4 year old who was kept up till the same time was fine.

[Branleuse]

do you think she might be slightly aspie?

[Goldmandra]

Google Aspergers in girls.

There is a lot more to AS in girls but, along with seeming fine in school, major meltdowns are very common.

I have two girls with AS who appear to be fine to the uninitiated and this is a very difficult time of year for both of them.

[TheColdDoesBotherMeAnyway]

Dd1 is like this. She was an angel at 2, never tantrummed but when she hit 4 - oh my god! She's now 6 and when she's tired she reverts to toddler mode, throwing herself to the floor, screaming, stamping and is completely impossible to reason with. When she gets to that point I either send her to another room to calm down or if she refuses to move I leave her to it. It's definitely tiredness with her - I never ever let her stay up past 8pm which seems harsh but she really needs her sleep otherwise we all pay! Her 2yo sister, the one who should be in the tantrumming stage, looks at her in bemusement