In my personal experience as a parent, I learned over the years that my kids tended to act up and develop some behavior challenges right before or in the midst of a growth or development spurt. While I am not a medical profession or a child development expert, I just have my own experience as a parent to draw on and I do believe there is a correlation between changes in a child’s behaviors and developmental growth spurts.
This was not something I realized when I was a new parent, it took getting a little experience under my belt and weathering a few strange behavioral changes before I was able to see the connection. Just like a child getting fussy and cranky and changing nursing habits before those teeth start to come; older children seem to “act out” when they are on the brink of other growth spurts. Whether it is physical (adding an inch or two or other body growth realities) or intellectual (making a developmental leap)—I always found that my kids would get fussy, crabby, pick arguments or get sullen, or other types of behavioral flags when right before (and sometimes during) those changes.
This does not excuse bad behavior or mean that discipline isn’t in order, but it might help to keep things in perspective and have some appreciation and empathy for a child who is struggling to make a developmental leap or going through a growth spurt. They really do not feel like “themselves” and have a tendency to act that out. I think it also helps a parent to realize that this is happening so they do not overreact and assume that the child is suddenly “turning bad” or that temporary acting out and behavior challenges indicate a larger problem. Sure, they might—but if you find that your child is crabby and picks arguments one week and then the next week he has learned to ride his bike without training wheels or is working on new math skills, there just might be a connection.