6-year old arrested at GA school after injuring principal.

Every parent of a kindergartner has probably experienced a child's tantrum, but few would expect law enforcement to intervene. After Salecia Johnson, 6, was handcuffed and taken to the police station for throwing a tantrum at her elementary school in Milledgeville, it left many asking when is a tantrum just a passing tantrum and when is it a cause for concern?

"Even if there is no prior history of destructive [behavior], there may be signs of less severe behavior that are things to watch out for," said Dr. Kindell Schoffner, a psychologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. "A six-year-old's brain is still growing and because of that, their ability to cope with frustration and difficult situations is not as good as an older child."

Milledgeville police accused the kindergartner of simple battery and property damage for knocking pictures from the wall, scribbling on walls and doors, slamming chairs, and upending a bookcase which injured the school principal.

Candace Ruff, the child's aunt who accompanied the mother to the police station where the girl was held, said Wednesday this was the first time the girl exhibited such extreme behavior. "She acts out as a regular six-year-old, but she has never had a tantrum this extreme before," Ruff said. Ruff also stated that according to the school principal, Salecia had at one point calmed down, apologized for her behavior and asked to go home.



http://www.ajc.com/news/just-a-tantrum-or-1421346.html