I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who is dealing with this. I tend to blame myself since she only does it at home and I'm quick to assume I'm doing something wrong.
@ultramarina - I'll check out that link and maybe change my technique to see if that helps. Another approach I've taken is that when she feels she is at the point she is going to hurt her sister she needs to come to me and use her code word we decided on so I know she is not just tattling. But rather that she is in the 'danger zone' and going to lose her cool with her sister.
@grinity and LNEsmom - She has had other symptoms of a possible sensory issues. When she was little she didn't like when it would rain on her and she didn't like water spraying her (i.e. showers). She also doesn't like wet hair on her body when she is in the bath. And when she was 4 we went to a water park with family where she screamed/cried the whole time. I didn't even make her go near the kid splash pool or the wave pool and she was hysterical. Finally I ended up spending the day with her on the other side of the water park where it was more quiet and had a lap pool.
She is better than she was, she will go to water parks without screaming. She finally puts her feet in the ocean... up to her ankles anyway
but still better than staying in the parking lot with a screaming child.
I never realized that sensory issues could cause meltdowns like this. I have an older daughter that I would consider sensory seeking in the sense that she LOVES movement and can't seem to get enough of it. She's not afraid of heights, loves to be thrown in the air, loves merry-go-rounds, and it's never fast enough or high enough for her. The younger dd (with the tantrums) is not like this at all. She is terrified of heights. She would avoid docks, boardwalks, bridges, playground equipment, all except for swings. She has always loved her swings.
What is a 'sensory diet'? Is there anything that can be changed in the classroom to help her? Her school is very open to the fact that all kids have different needs and they have exercise balls and balance boards for sitting. Is it a problem with too much stimulation vs. my older dd's problem of not enough?
And fwiw when I say she's the ideal student for a teacher - she's the first one to the circle, she sits still, watches and listens to the teacher from start to finish, doesn't get distracted, etc... So she is not fidgety. And at home she is not hyper or extremely active.
