Managing Defiant Child Behavior

Course Description: Adults are often at a loss when it comes to handling defiance and power struggles. Some lecture the child on disrespectful behavior. Others ignore it, hoping it will go away. All parents find it a frustrating and annoying part of the parenting experience (the same may be said for many clinicians). For clinicians, we have only limited time with our young clients and we need to manage challenging and defiant behavior effectively. This course will demonstrate specific techniques that clinicians can use to manage their clients’ challenging and defiant behavior. The skills needed will be discussed and illustrated in detail so that clinicians can work with caregivers to develop the necessary tools and have them available when misbehavior occurs. The techniques that will be discussed are appropriate for all learning environments – home, classroom, playground, gym, and the therapy room. They can be used in group or individual therapy sessions, in private practice, and/or school-based settings. The techniques can be modified for each child’s developmental level, from toddler to teen.