Welcome to a special episode of the ADHD experts podcast from Attitude. Today we are pleased to bring you a feature article from the Winter 2024 issue of Attitude magazine.

To listen to the full issue and receive our spring 2025 issue

hot off the presses, subscribe now at attitude mag.com backslash subscribe. And now for today's story.

Your Child's Explosive Behavior, a roadmap for Radical Change, by Ross W. Green,

Ph.D. When children exhibit concerning behaviors, their goal isn't to manipulate or seek attention.

Those behaviors are communicating that they're struggling to meet expectations.

Their frustration may erupt in screaming, hitting others, or destroying property. Harsh punishment

typically follows. There is nothing effective or compassionate about punishing your child to transform a frustration response.

It is better to directly and proactively involve your child in solving the root problems that trigger their outbursts.

This is the evidence-based approach called collaborative and proactive solutions,

CPS, a non-punitive intervention to decrease conflict and enhance relationships.

Follow the CPS models roadmap abbreviated here to address your child's concerning behavior and create lasting positive change.

Be observant. Identify the skills that make it hard for your child to respond adaptively to problems

and frustrations. The mantra of the CPS model is, kids do well if they can. If your

child is responding maladaptively to a problem or frustration, it is because they're struggling with

important skills, such as flexibility or adaptability, frustration tolerance, problem solving, and emotional regulation.

Identify unsolved problems. Any expectation your child is having difficulty meeting, even if they

can meet it sometimes and not others, is an unsolved problem.

It is those unsolved problems that are causing your child's frustration response or concerning

behavior.

In the CPS model, rather than try to modify those behaviors, you solve the problems that are

causing them.

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