The easiest and most convenient reason to give here is that they are bullied at home, though that is not always the case. They may be coping with feelings of inadequacy-maybe they don't feel smart at school and so instead they focus on being tough.

Sometimes an abrupt negative change in a child's behavior can indicate that something is bothering them. Maybe there are problems in the home with parents screaming at each other-making the kid feel powerless and invisible. Well, no one can ignore the kid who beats everyone up.

Other times its because the child feels inadequate. Maybe the kids at school have more in the way of material things and the child feels the need to push them around. That can be a child's way of controlling the situation; "I don't care if you got an I-pod for Christmas, I can punch your lights out" sort of thing.

There are many factors in determining the temperament of a child. By being astute and watchful parents and teachers perhaps we can intervene before the behavior becomes too serious.

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