Essay On Teen Aggression

Krista Letz

Ms. Crawford

English 101

2 Nov. 2013

Prevention of Teen Aggression: Childhood Language and Social Skills

Aggression displayed by teens could be prevented at a younger age by parents or teachers. Teaching children how to use words instead of violence or enrolling children in programs that focus on eliminating anti-social behavior may prevent aggression in adolescence. Sixty percent of children who had conduct disorders at age two were still aggressive at five and six years old; and about one-third of aggressive five year olds were still aggressive at age fourteen (Shaw 493). A study by Moffit similarly displayed that eighty-six percent of children who had conduct disorders at age seven, were still displaying the same behaviors at fifteen (qtd. in Dionne). Teaching functional communication and social skills to young children with behavioral problems may prevent aggression in their teen years.

Poor communication skills cause students to use violence to vent their frustration. Many young children demonstrate aggression when they are not understood by adults or peers. This aggression will continue as children get older if parents and educators do not teach children how to communicate effectively by using language instead of violence. Children with immature forms of language are more likely to display physical aggression than children with more extensive language skills (Piel 100). Child therapists may argue that verbal communication training cannot always be effective in reducing aggression, and this result can be true in some children; however, in a study by Durand and Carr, establishing functional communication skills was found to be the only solution to reducing problem behaviors (qtd. in Piel 106). Traini...

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Works Cited

Dionne, Ginette, Richard E. Tremblay, Michel Boivin, David Laplante, and Daniel Perusse.

"Language Delays and Physical Aggression." Breaking the Cycle of Violence. Bulletin of the

Centre of Excellence for +96Early Childhood Development, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

Piel, J.A. "Unmasking Sex and Social Class Differences in Childhood Aggression: The Case for

Language Maturity." Journal of Educational Research, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.

Shaw. "Developmental Theories of Parental Contributors to Antisocial Behavior." Journal of

Abnormal Child Psychology, 1993. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

"The Development of Aggressive Behavior in Children and Young People: Implications for Social

Policy, Service Provision and Further Research." Research Centre. NSW Government, n.d.

Web. 31 Oct. 2013