Hi, I would be really grateful for some non judgemental advice.
My son is 4 and a half. He started school really well in September following a move into a new area. Five weeks ago his new baby sister arrived and although he is very caring, sweet and attentive at home, his teacher is experiencing very difficult, tantrum-like behaviour from him in school. He is being very physical with other children (pushing, hitting) and throws himself on the floor crying when he is told to do something he doesn't want to do. The main issue is that he is struggling to control his temper and lashes out.
His teacher is fantastic, very caring and understanding but his behaviour is obviously very disruptive to the other children. As such, she is putting in a referral to a senco for further support.
This behaviour isn't new to us, we had similar reports throughout his time at nursery. He can behave really well then it is like a switch has been pressed and he doesn't seem able to handle his feelings or listen. He doesn't like to be comforted when this happens. Clearly he has been through an awful lot recently bless him and he's struggling. I would like advice about how we can help him to calm down when he feels angry, to avoid him lashing out. We tell him to take a deep breath, take a step back etc and this works sometimes but otherness it's as if he has lost the ability to think clearly and can't do these things.
We do try to talk his feelings through when he calms down and we have bought books to help him name his feelings and learn other ways to express anger but he is still struggling.
Has anyone else experienced this or similar?