> Usually the tantrum is not a great indicator of what the child needs. They say they need the iPad or fruit loops. What they actually need is layered under tha

> Usually the tantrum is not a great indicator of what the child needs. They say they need the iPad or fruit loops. What they actually need is layered under that, and they're likely unaware of it. I have had success with "body scans" where I start at the top of their head and ask "how does your brain feel" and then proceed all the way to their toes (sometimes being sillily specific about, say, the tip of their left pinky finger or whatever). Usually this reveals something about their body that they were unaware of. Hungry, thirsty, headache, something else hurts, etc. Once we have some physical needs we can address them we can move forward, and if there aren't any then we move on to emotional needs.