Book Review: The Explosive Child by Ross W. Greene

Rating: 5 stars if your child has ODD, 4 stars for others

Many children (and adults) with ADHD suffer from impulsive anger, a hot temper, or explosive outbursts.  Some carry a formal diagnosis of ODD, others may not have full blown symptoms but may be at risk.  Whatever you call it, its not fun to live with.

This book explains that in ADHD and ODD, this is due to an inability to deal with life in a flexible way, and proposes a solution which the author has labeled "Collaborative Problem Solving".  The book is mainly written for parents, but an adult reading the book in an attempt to understand their own anger might also benefit.

The main approach is to choose very carefully which problems to deal with now and which to put off for later, and to keep the child calm enough to problem solve the remainder of issues.  It also explains how to troubleshoot if the method is not working--for example, if dysfunctional family dynamics are playing a role.  It is a lot of work to teach your child how to deal with the world in a less rigid way, so that they don't melt down every time things don't go their way, but as the author points out, you're already working hard at parenting, so you might as well do something that makes your hard work pay off.

There is a good reason this book is still in print after 13 years.  It is practical and it helps if you do the work and use it over the long term.  It may not be entirely applicable for normal children or for children with ADHD and no ODD, but even in those cases, it is worth reading to see if you can glean some good tips for dealing with angry kids.

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