Checkmate Plus Books

Your Defiant Child
Eight Steps to Better Behavior

Russell A. Barkley and Christine M. Benton

 Every child has "ornery" moments, but more than 1 in 20 American children exhibit behavioral problems that are out of control. For readers struggling with an unyielding or combative child, Your Defiant Child: Eight Steps to Better Behavior offers the understanding and guidance they need. Drawing on Dr. Russell A. Barkley's many years of work with parents and children, the book clearly explains what causes defiance, when it becomes a problem, and how it can be resolved. The book's comprehensive eight-step program stresses consistency and cooperation, promoting changes through a system of praise, rewards, and mild punishment. Readers learn tools and strategies for establishing clear patterns of discipline, communicating with children on a level they can understand, and reducing family stress overall. Filled with helpful charts, questionnaires, and checklists,Your Defiant Child helps parents get their child's behavior back on track and restore harmony in the home.

Contents

Introduction
I. Getting to Know Your Defiant Child
1. Is Something Wrong with My Child?
2. Why Is This Happening to My Family?
3. What Should I Do about It?
4. Words to Live By: The Foundation of Better Behavior
II. Getting Along with Your Defiant Child
5. Step 1: Pay Attention!
6. Step 2: Start Earning Peace and Cooperation with Praise
7. Step 3: When Praise Is Not Enough, Offer Rewards
8. Step 4: Use Mild Discipline--Time-Out and More
9. Step 5: Use Time-Out with Other Misbehavior
10. Step 6: Think Aloud and Think Ahead--What to Do in Public
11. Step 7: Help the Teacher Help Your Child
12. Step 8: Moving toward a Brighter Future
Appendix: Does Your Child Have Conduct Disorder?
Resources

About The Authors

Russell A. Barkley, PhD, is a preeminent researcher and practitioner whose other publications for parents include Taking Charge of Adhd. Dr. Barkley is also the author or editor of numerous acclaimed professional books, including Defiant Children, Second Edition. His educational videos include two programs on childhood defiance and an award-winning series on ADHD. He is Director of Psychology and Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Christine M. Benton has over 20 years of experience as a writer and editor of books on psychology, self-help, consumer health issues, and other topics. A graduate of St. John's College who resides in Chicago, Illinois, she has helped to develop numerous book projects as a freelance collaborator with publishers, professional associations, and authors

Reviews

Winner of a 1998 Parents' Choice Approval

"Readers negotiating the icy roads and blizzard-like conditions of raising a defiant child will find that this book shifts them into four-wheel drive. The advice in these pages not only makes the road less treacherous--it helps parents drive it with confidence, and helps the whole family arrive at their destination happier and wiser for the trip they took. Barkley and Benton draw upon a wealth of experience with real families, as well as a thorough command of the latest research and scientific findings, to create an easy-to-read, practical, immensely informative work."
-Edward M. Hallowell, MD, coauthor of Answers to Distraction

"This book distills the wisdom of an approach that Dr. Barkley and others have been developing for more than 20 years. As a school psychologist, I have used this program since 1990 in a group setting with over 1,300 parents, the majority of whom found it beneficial. Finally, parents have a manual to help them implement the program at home. It is supportive, nonjudgmental, and filled with practical suggestions and true-to-life anecdotes. All parents who are concerned about their children's behavior should read this book."
-Frederick L. Quici, NCSP, Alta Loma School District, Alta Loma, California

"This book provides step-by-step, practical help for parents of children who are difficult to manage. It affords new hope to families desiring a more peaceful and fulfilling life together. Invaluable for parents, teachers, and clinicians."
-Sylvia B. Rimm, PhD, Director, Family Achievement Clinic, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio