The Explosive Child

Issue-Anger

Author-Ross Greene

Age Range-5-16

Key Words- anger and impulse control

In this book Greene develops a new approach for understanding and parenting easily frustrated, chronically inflexible children. The Explosive Child is a particularly valuable resource as it tackles behavioural problems common to children with specific psychiatric diagnoses and those who come under the umberella of a "difficult to manage" child.

Greene's premise, that adaptive problem solving skills can be developmentally delayed beyond the "terrible two's" leads to a thorough and insightful self-help guide for parents and carers of school age children struggling with physical and verbal aggression, sudden outbursts and prolonged tantrums. His aim is to create a "user friendly enviroment" where adversarial interaction is reduced and learning increased.

The bulk of this book consists of six case studies, often in the form of candid transcripts of Greene's sessional work. The author dispenses with the standard motivational approach to behaviour management; a child at the cross point of debilitation is unable to think in terms of star charts! Instead he advocates greater parental understanding of the process of inflexible/explosive behaviour followed by: 1 prioritising realistic behavioural goals, 2 intervening before crisis point is reached, 3 providing a new adaptive mental script.

The tone of The Explosive Child is always optimistic and humorous; Greene acknowledges the stresses of parenting explosive/inflexible children and tackles his subject in depth. This book is not a quick read; however, for any parent struggling to pinpoint why their child is so difficult to manage it could be a lifeline.