My second hour of TV, I was channel flipping and stopped on UWTV because the speaker was discussing a diagram showing how 'sensitive responsive parenting can curb aggression development in children. This subject naturally caught my eye because of discussio'ns on aggression in class. At ages 1-3, tantrums and aggression are recognized and if the correct parenting style is used, can be curbed between the ages of 4-5. However, if there is a 'disrupted developmental trajectory' (i.e. lack of nurturing, unstable childcare), ages 4-5 will manifest 'emotional dysregulation', 'social skill deficits', and 'lack of friendship'.
The presenter was Dr. Carolyn Webster-Stratton, PhD, FAAN, Professor and Director of the UW Parenting Clinic presenting at the 30th Annual Faculty Lecture. Her book is entitled "Helping Young Aggression Beat the Odds" and discusses techniques which parents, teachers, and kids can use when joined together. She feels that there is a percentage of kids with aggressive disorders that are not being helped. Dr. WS says less than 10% of kids who need conduct help get it. Parents should ask for help when a child refuses to do what s/he is asked 8 out of 10 times. She also has other criteria for determining if a child has a conduct disorder. She mentioned 2 conduct disorders: Conduct Disorder (CD) and Oppositional Disposition Disorder (ODD).
These labels are discouraging to me. In my opinion, labeling anyone at any age is detrimental to one's ultimate recovery. I'm not discrediting Dr. Webster-Stratton, I agree with all of her techniques recognizing she didn't invent these disorders or the process of diagnosis. I just think kids have a hard enough time growing up without having to overcome added stigma. Adults, I think, would know better. Being 'normal' was crappy enough. I think pharmacology has become a too-powerful agent in our mental health community.
Back to article...Dr. WS says the earlier the intervention of ths behavior the better, preferably before there has been a diagnosis. Between the ages of 3-8, behavior is more malleable and changeable. Some ways to change these aggressive behaviors is by instituting programs which encourage self-regulation and problem solving. She also has workshops where she teaches parent self-care and 'how to stay calm' techniques.
One specific technique, was called the 'ignore technique'. Remember in class when Meredith talked about how she is training her dog not to jump? You turn your back to the undesired behavior until it ceases. Only then is the positive reward given. If you react to the jumping by saying 'no' or physically pushing the dog down, the action is still viewed as a reward to the animal. The saying goes in this technique with kids is, "it gets worse before it gets better". Raising kids is like raising a dog! :) I used the ignore technique today with my 5 month old puppy and it worked! There is also a 'stare technique' I used to hold his attention until the desired behavior was achieved. Thinking of brain development, I realized that a young child's mind is comparable to my dog's at this age. In my "Golden Retriever's for Dummies" book, it analyzes the brain development of dogs and sure enough, my dog is as smart as a 3 year old child right now. Amazing! This reinforced my 'humans as animals' thoughts.
My lights just flickered...I'm posting before I lose something! I'll continue my thread.
