This presentation is meant to summarize Dr. Ross Greene's book, "The Explosive Child". None of this work is original to me, all of this work is from the work of Dr Ross Greene.

1. The Explosive child
Dr. Ross Greene

5. Your explanation
you

7. “BRAINLOCK”

8. Pathways and
Triggers

10. Pathways...
What pathways set the stage for explosions?
Each category includes a specific thinking skill:
1. Executive skills
2. Language processing skills
3. Emotion regulation skills
4. Cognitive flexibility skills
5. Social skills

15. This doesn’t describe explosive
children

18. ...Cognitive
Flexibility Skills...

19. Cognitive
Flexibility Skills

22. Social skills are considered among the
hardest skills to learn

26. Provided the child with lots of positive attention to reduce the
desirability of negative attention?
Issued fewer and clearer rules?
Taught the child that compliance is expected and enforced for all parental
commands ? That child must comply quickly because command will only
be repeated once or twice?
Implemented a record-keeping system? (points, stickers, happy faces, etc.)
Track child’s performance on targeted behaviour?
Delivered consequences and rewards such as allowance money and
special privileges- and punishments like time outs and loss of privileges-
depending on child's performance?
Taught the child that you, as a parent, ‘won’t back down’ in the face of
explosions?

27. Why??

28. There is a simple equation to
summarize this phenomenon:
Inflexibility + Inflexibility=EXPLOSION

31.  Be sure the other adults in
the child’s life have a clear
understanding of the child’s
difficulties…united front!
 It may be necessary to put
some of your parenting
agenda on the back burner,
at least temporarily
 There is nothing about CPS
that will have you feeling like
you are a pushover

32. You may have to come to terms with
the fact that your child is a little
different. For parenting this child,
this means ‘being responsive to the
hand you’ve been dealt’

33. Another Important Point:
Explosions are actually
predictable

34. Homework*

35. Plan A
Plan B
Plan C

36. Plan A
Plan C
Plan B

37. Plan A
Plan A
Plan A

38. An explosive outburst-like
other forms of
maladaptive behaviour-
occurs when the cognitive
demands being placed upon
a person outstrip that
person’s capacity to
respond adaptively

39. KABOOM!
Plan A Plan A
Plan A
KABOOM!!

40. Plan C
Plan C
Plan C

41. Plan C

42. Plan B
Collaborative Problem Solving
(CPS)
Discussing and working out mutually
satisfactory solutions to the
problems that you have been
experiencing with your child

44. The 3 steps for doing Plan B

46. Now we’ll have two concerns that have yet
to be reconciled, your child’s and yours..

47. only be one solution left
on the table Plan B
1
ONE SOLUTION ONLY
ONE ISSUE

48. potential solutions to
the problem

49. with
to

52. Plan B needs you to
consider...

54. Emergency Plan B-in the moment,
usually the heat of the moment!
Proactive Plan B-using Plan B ahead of time,
not in the heat of the moment.

55. Remember tracking your
child’s frustrations,
explosions and
inflexibility?
Homework*:
Proactive Plan B

56. First goal, take fuel out of the fire by:
PLAN A
PLANS B AND C
DRAMATICALLY

58. Time outs?
punishment
everyone
forget them!

59. 1. The first mistake is to think your child’s
behaviour is unplanned and unintentional
when it really isn’t
2.The second mistake is thinking your
child’s behaviour is planned and
intentional when it really isn’t

60. There are 3 basic skills necessary for kids to
be able to participate with Plan B

61. ...now to identify and
articulate their concerns...

62. gimme a minute”
“I can't talk about that right now”
“I need help”
“I don’t feel right”
“ This isn’t going the way I thought it would”
“ I don’t know what to do”
“this label is bothering my neck”

63. ...Consider a Range of
Possible Solutions...
solutions to problems
1 of 3 general categories:
1) Asking for help
2) Meeting half way/giving in a little
3) Doing it a different way

66. happy, sad and of course, frustrated.
USE PICTURES IF YOU NEED TO...

67. HAPPY, SAD AND/OR FRUSTRATED
frustrated is too complex, angry or
mad
Confused excited bored annoyed...

70. Gather Evidence

71. Gather Evidence
“I’m so STUDID!!”
“I know you sometimes think
you are stupid, but I don’t
think someone ‘stupid’
could do so well in their
art project, like you did!!’

72. Family Matters...
An explosive child can bring difficulties and challenges
to any family. Even families who might not have major
difficulties in life, if ‘handed’ a challenging child, can
end pulling other huge issues to the surface that may
have otherwise worked themselves out.
But family issues pre-existing the difficult
child, (or run parallel) can complicate or impede
implementation of Plan B.

73. With an explosive child, it is especially
troublesome...

74. ...
FAIR DOES NOT MEAN EQUAL

75. Siblings...

76. Siblings

78. Speculation...

79. Speculation
not
KABOOM!

80. Have a family
‘Speculation’ RULE:

81. Don’t pathologize or
psychologize , and
don’t use your own
value judgements

82. When issues are brought up ahead of
time in a way what doesn’t elicit
defensiveness, most of these
children are willing or even eager to
talk about important desired topics
such as...

92. How many
times do
I have to
tell
you?!?!?

94. counterproductive

95. Tips...
Control
Stay on topic
Recognize
back on track
things that are
frustrating to you both

96. Parents

97. Parents
If these things occur with your child,
the issues need to be addressed.
Sometimes marital therapy might be
necessary
Many parents feel like they have no energy
left for anything

98. Grandparents
We need to make sure
the grandparents are
‘with the program’. If
grandparents are an
integral part of the
family unit they need to
be brought into the loop,
and become part of
‘united front’

99. Grandparents

101. won’t explode
at school

102. Some possible
factors...
The Embarrassment
factor:
They’d be embarrassed
if they exploded at
school in front of
friends.
Embarrassment
doesn't happen at
home.
The Tightly
Wrapped factor:
The child puts so
much energy
into holding it
together at
school, he’ll
unravel the
minute he gets
home
afterschool

103. The Herd
Mentality
factor:
Because school
days tend to be
relatively
structured and
predictable,
making it user
friendly for
these kids
The Chemical
factor:
Students and teachers
are usually the
primary
beneficiaries of
pharmacotherapy.
Medications usually
wear off by late
afternoon or evening.

105. Zero tolerance is a very much a
roadmap for
Plan A
Think about this...
Standard school disciplinary practices
don’t work for the students to whom they
are most frequently applied, and aren’t
needed for the students to whom they are
never applied.

106. In other words, the school
discipline program isn’t the reason
well behaved kids act well
behaved. They do it because they
can.
We have little to show for all
the consequences-detentions,
suspensions, expulsions, and
so forth...

107. Philosophy:
“Children do well if they can”

108. Time

109. Expertise:
You need expertise in these domains:
• Five pathways
• Three plans
• Three steps for doing Plan B

110. A Plan B road map:
Goal 1: achieve consensus on a given student’s pathways and
triggers. Input from school staff, mental health
professionals and child’s parents
Goal 2: prioritize which problems are to be proactively solved
(triggers) and which skills are to be proactively taught
(pathways) Now you can assign roles for everyone at the
table.

111. A Plan B road map:
Key points:
 There are no quick fixes
 Ensuring good communication
among adults is absolutely
essential
 Blaming doesn't help
B

112. Community of
learners

113. Community of
learners
frequent opportunities
for practicing social
interactions

114. Community of
learners

115. Community of
learners

116. Community of
learners
integral

117. Community of
learners
“Fair does not mean equal”

118. Community of
learners

119. Thanks for your
participation in this
overview
ANY QUESTIONS?