meltdowns for unknown reasons 3yrDs

[gogglesprog]

Does anyone else's 3 yr old have them suddenly out of the blue for no apparent obvious reason?

DS has no diagnosis, has been assessed by a therapist and we are certain he's not on the autism spectrum however he does have what I would describe as meltdowns as opposed to tantrums and they come out of nowhere with no obvious reason.

DS is very ahead verbally for his age and I believe if he knew the reason after the event he would be able to vocalise what the problem was - but he can't just says he doesn't know why he was upset

He's at risk for bipolar as father and paternal grandfather both have it and this is probably why it concerns me. Is it just normal?

He has a massive temper on him and tantrums do turn into violent "meltdowns" I have no other way to describe it - but when it comes out of the blue it bothers me more

[goodenoughmum88]

It's so hard watching them struggle with their emotions isn't it? At three they are learning so much about possession, sharing, the bigger picture and world, their boundaries and ours, and the one of the biggest things that they're doing during all of this is emotional regulation. My "threenager" is also advanced verbally, but he and his mates (big NCT group all still in touch and meet up regularly) are all going through the same thing. Some days i don't really recognise him, but he comes back better than ever once he's worked his way through it all. I'm focusing on remaining consistent and calm (not always easy!) and making sure the obvious like tiredness and hunger aren't adding to his troubles (he doesn't nap every day now but does need to about 3/7 days.
If you ever followed that irritating "wonder weeks" it's a little like that I think, but on a much grander scale as their brains are soooooo elastic at this age.
Sometimes it's better not to look at what's wrong, but what's right?

[gogglesprog]

I suppose when there's a reason I understand they just happen. It just throws me when one second he's happily skipping along beside me then suddenly starts screaming with no rhyme or reason.

Happened on the way to nursery today, happily chatting away then boom - he swung into one