Editorial Review
We've all seen them: children who explode when they're told to do something or when things don't go their way. The ones who completely lose control and become verbally and physically aggressive. Spoiled, stubborn, manipulative children. Right?
Not so fast. These labels suggest that the behavior if such children is planned and intentional, and popular reward-and-punishment strategies are typically used to teach and motivate them to behave more appropriately. But for a significant number of these children, the standard approach doesn't always work. Such children are easily frustrated and extremely inflexible. They get "stuck" over seemingly simple requests, benign issues, and sudden changes in plans. They may be very anxious, irritable, and volatile. They may have difficulty telling you what they're frustrated about or thinking through potential solutions to problems. In clinical terms, they may be diagnosed with any of a variety of psychiatric disorders, including oppositional-defiant disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette's disorder, depression, and bipolar disorder. If this sounds like your child, you're probably feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, guilt-ridden, exhausted, and hopeless.
Now there is a new way for you, your child, and your entire family to find help. In this groundbreaking new book, Dr. Ross Greene, a child psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, makes a compassionate argument that the difficulties of these children stem from developmental deficits in two critical skills: flexibility and frustration tolerance. He asserts that if such children could do well, they would.
Drawing upon recent advances in the neuroscience, Dr. Greene describes the factor that contribute to "inflexible-explosive" behavior in children and why the strategies that work for most children aren't as effective for inflexible-explosive children. Then, with the help of "snapshots" from the lives of children, parents, and teachers with whom he has worked over the years, Dr. Greene lays out a sensitive, practical, effective, systematic approach to helping these children at home and school, including:
reducing hostility and antagonism between the child and adult
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 collaborative problem-solving
helping the child develop the self-regulation and thinking skills to be more flexible and handle frustration more adaptively
In Explosive Child, you'll find ways to regain your sanity and optimism and rebuild the confidence to handle your child's difficulties completely and lovingly. With Dr. Greene's compassionate, expert advice and insight, you and your child will rediscover newfound hope and a relationship you can both feel good about.
Cached date: AWS Called=true
Customer Reviews
THE EXPLOSIVE CHILD 
2008-03-03
Gave insight for strategic solutions for building self confidence in my son. The "role play" used in the book gave insight from my sons perspective on how he perceives the situation. Very helpful.
excellent 2008-02-16
A lifesaver- this book offers techniques to help tantrum-prone children for whom more "conventional" parenting techniques just don't work. No time-outs, tokens or rewards charts. Now in its third edition.
Finally, someone 'gets it' 2008-02-05
This book is a handbook for parents and practitioners alike. Instead of applying a heavy handed 'one size fits all' program, this author finally understands that you have to acknowledge the fact that explosive children are not in a place to reason or be disciplined during a melt down. In no way do I advocate for reinforcing a tantrum. However, when a child is truly 'out of control', they often need a safe place to fall and a chance to gather themselves before any real communication can occur. As a parent, I have found that sometimes a supportive, nurturing approach to a child having a tantrum is the only way to get through to the child. Also, by offering support, the child learns coping strategies to calm and relax oneself. As a practitioner working with children with ADHD, I have found the same to be true. While the rules and boundaries have to be clear, a child having a meltdown needs support, not discipline. In this way, I can truly 'reach' the child. Dr. Greene is one of the first authors to understand this.
Practical, loving help for dealing with difficult kids 2008-01-18
This is an excellent book which combines research with hands-on help for parents, teachers and anyone who loves emotionally unstable children. Here are long-term, corrective, loving solutions. I highly recommend it.
The Explosive Child Works 2008-01-18
As an elementary school consultant, I have worked with over 15,000 children. Teaching them to behave in a respectful manner and still retain their dignity and independence can be quite a challenge. In frustration people often resort to some type of force, reward or punishment. Although it works for the adults, it is not at all good for the child. The method "The Explosive Child" uses is by far the most effective, productive, and respectful approach I have seen. It is heart warming to see kids' eyes light up and become engaged in problem-solving when you follow this process. To know that you are teaching children skills that will make their whole life better is the best part. I highly recommend it to all parents and teachers.
Great Book, Big Help! 2008-06-21
I loved this book. I have to say I was skeptical at first, as I felt the author was talking down to the reader, however, I was being over sensitive. As the mother of an adhd child, often a person gets over sensitive to percieved criticism when none is really there. Anyway, this book opened a whole new view for me on my child's behavior and the basic reasons behind it. At last I saw why conventional behavior modification (token economies, loss of privileges, etc) didn't work and I saw what would work. I found this book the most helpful thing I've tried in years. I would highly recomend this book to anyone dealing with an explosive child.
Higest Marks.
Very informative read. 
2008-06-03
The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children
So far for us, this has been a great learning experience. But it is far from over. We are learning to communicate better and more effectively for all of our benefits. We aim to have a more loving and peaceful home with the help of this book.
An excellent book for parents of all children 2008-04-28
A must for all educators, professionals and parents who either have or work with children. Gives an overview of the varied assortment of issues many children have to deal with, and guides the reader in a clear and concise fashion in how to deal with a "short-tempered" child.
Great book, needs more practical advice 2008-03-21
This book opened up a new world of possibilities for me and my son. I discovered that there is a description for his behavior and that it has little to do with normal parenting techniques. Focusing on his problems as a type of learning or processing disorder has changed my focus from discipline/limit setting to training. We've already had some success in reducing the number of explosions and decreasing their length and intensity.
Excellent Book for Children with Anger Challenges 2008-03-06
I am a child clinical psychologist in private practice. I regularly work with children who have difficulty controlling emotions. They get frustrated and react in an angry way. Or, they may be told to do something they do not want to do and physically act out. In our training as psychologists we are taught that early temperament plays a huge part in how we interact with the world. Some of us are born pretty mellow. Others of us are more emotionally reactive. Those of us who are more emotionally reactive need to learn skills to manage our emotions in an effective manner. Many parents I meet react to emotional outbursts in a punitive fashion. However, this approach rarely works. Ross Greene, PhD presents an approach that is effective. The foundations of this approach are well supported by research. I consistently recommend this book to my parents in need. I have about 5 books that I recommend on a consistent basis and this is one of them. I am sure you will not be disappointed.
Steve Curtis, Ph.D., author of Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior
Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior: A Guide for Parents of Children with Behavioral, Social, and Learning Challenges
