The Explosive Child by Dr. Ross Greene

[Ash]

I've read this before and was recently redirected due to the issues that I'm having with my daughter. She fits right in with the easily frustrated, chronically inflexible description. I've noticed before that she has the same tendency to "vapor lock" that my son does, although he's been better on meds.

Have you read this, David?

I spoke with a good friend at work this morning, whose son is autistic. She said (and we've talked about this before) that some of the issues both of my children have are similar to what she deals with. Obviously not as dramatic but she sees these behaviors as being autistic in nature. I had read somewhere that the autistic spectrum is very wide and encompasses many different diagnoses. Comments?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I didn't know about that book until now, Ash, but it looks interesting.

The "autism spectrum" thing: I'd be cautious about that. In the past year or so (up here in Canada anyway), people have suddenly "discovered" this and so suddenly I'm getting all sorts of questions about "do I have this disorder?" regarding autism and Asperger syndrome. A few years ago, one of the psychiatrists in town seemed to be diagnosing everyone with Tourette's syndrome. I think it's a sort of "diagnosis du jour" myself. These disorders do exist but they are relatively rare.

My general approach is start with the simplest diagnosis (behavior problem) and go to more complex ones only when necessary.

Gotta run this morning... can you email me to remind me to come back to this thread tonight or tomorrow when I get back?

 

[Ash]

I didn't know about that book until now, Ash, but it looks interesting.

It's an extremely helpful book and it's suggested to anyone who has a BP (or suspected BP) child. You should check it out if you're interested. Some of the main points are:

* reducing hositility and antagonism between the child and adults
* anticipating situations in which the child is most likely to explode
* creating an environment in which explosions are less likely to occur
* focusing less on reward and punishment and more on communication and collaborate problem solving
* helping your child develop the skills to be more flexible and handle frustration more adaptively

The "autism spectrum" thing: I'd be cautious about that. In the past year or so (up here in Canada anyway), people have suddenly "discovered" this and so suddenly I'm getting all sorts of questions about "do I have this disorder?" regarding autism and Asperger syndrome. A few years ago, one of the psychiatrists in town seemed to be diagnosing everyone with Tourette's syndrome. I think it's a sort of "diagnosis du jour" myself. These disorders do exist but they are relatively rare.

Oh, I don't believe my children are on the autism spectrum. But there are "symptoms" of BP that are similar to those with autism. It's helpful to talk to parents of autistic children because they can usually recommend alternative ways of dealing with issues.

My general approach is start with the simplest diagnosis (behavior problem) and go to more complex ones only when necessary.

The thing is I don't believe it's all about behavior problems. Not that I think you should jump right into "My child has a disorder". The thing with my daughter is that she cannot switch gears, she's rigid, and explosive. The "vapor lock" scenario hits the nail right on the head because a lot of the kids get "stuck" on something and can't seem to break out of it. Frustration!

I do not get the feeling (intellectually) that she is just being a brat and that she's sticking it to me personally. I believe that she has real issues and that I need to find other methods that can help her. God knows what I'm doing now DOES NOT WORK.