The Explosive Child

I recently read The Explosive Child, written by Dr. Ross W. Greene. I found this book to be extremely informative, and I could relate to its contents on both a professional and personal level. In The Explosive Child Greene discusses “a new approach for understanding and parenting easily frustrated, chronically inflexible children” which he refers to as “inflexible-explosive.” A child who is inflexible-explosive “is one who frequently exhibits severe noncompliance, temper outbursts, and verbal physical aggression.” (Greene, 2001) I think that The Explosive Child is a great resource for parents and professionals, because it manages to provide useful tools to help teach parents how to react appropriately when their inflexible-explosive child has a meltdown.

I liked how Greene demonstrated different techniques for working with a child with behavioral difficulties. In the chapter entitled the Truth About Consequences, Greene divulges how consequences do not work with a child who is inflexible-explosive because “if a child becomes cognitively debilitated in the midst of frustration, he may have enormous difficulty recalling or fully appreciating how much he disliked the consequences applied the last time.” (Greene, 2001) Instead of “encouraging people to become involved with their own rescue,” Greene wants parents to be the “lifeguard,” and assist the child “with some of the things he’s really struggling with.” (Greene, 2001) I had not thought of this interpretation prior to this. I had always made the assumption that the child needed consequences for his actions, and that those consequences would eventually help fix the behavior. I now understand that if a child does not understand the end result or cannot meta-cognate about what t...

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... It made me really analyze how I react to a child who is acting out. The suggestions that Greene gives parents to apply in their household will work for every child. When something works for everyone and can be relevant for everyone, then it should be considered valuable. Rather than tell the parents to punish their children and give consequences, he gives parents the tools to teach their children how to learn how to process and react properly. He lets parents know that it is not an easy process, and might even mean a change in their own ways of communicating and reacting. The Explosive Child is a must read for any parent or teacher.

Works Cited

Bryant, D. P., Smith, D. D., & Bryant, B. R. (2008). Teaching Students with Special Needs in

Inclusive Classrooms. Boston: Pearson Education, INC.

Greene, P. D. (2001). The Explosive Child. New York: First Quill.