NCJ Number
183688
Date Published
1998
Length
240 pages
Annotation
This volume provides parents and professionals with information on the personalities of children with problem behavior and practical suggestions for taking corrective, remedial steps before antisocial behavior patterns become entrenched; the text also offers advice to help parents of older children cope effectively.
Abstract
The author, a clinical psychologist, explains the seven common traits of antisocial children and refutes the common belief that they do not know the difference between right and wrong. He explains that these children believe that rules do not apply to them and that parents must learn how to help these children accept responsibility for their actions. Parents do not directly cause their child’s antisocial behavior. However, they can unwittingly serve to encourage rather than inhibit problem behavior. Among the six common errors that keep parents from intervening effectively from being plagued by excessive guilt about their perceived role in the problem to denying that a problem exists. Parents need to use specific techniques to avoid these errors in the future. The author explains how to understand the personality of the antisocial child, how to distinguish between a phase and a pattern of misbehavior, and how to intervene early and effectively so that inappropriate behavior does not become a pattern. Reference notes and index