Another Parenting Book? [Review of the book Parenting Your Out-Of-Control Child: An Effective, Easy-To-Use Program for Teaching Self-Control]

Abstract

Reviews the book, Parenting your out-of-control child: An effective, easy-to-use program for teaching self-control by George M. Kapalka (see record 2007-04587-000). This book purports to help parents comprehend why children misbehave, how to control their own emotional responses to their children\u27s behavior, and how to provide effective incentives for children to follow parental expectations while developing self-control. The cover indicates that the strategies are for children 5-10 years old, but there are instructions for modifying the procedures for children 2-5 years old and for adolescents. It is based on clinical experience and research, much of which was conducted by Kapalka. It also is largely based on the work of Russell Barkley, although it claims to be more intensive and, therefore, better suited to out-of-control children. Kapalka does communicate a good understanding of the deficits that are inherent in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which many out-of-control children experience. Overall, Parenting Your Out-of-Control Child provides a helpful explanation of family dynamics and behavior modification for parents and concrete suggestions for how to implement this information. It is not, however, significantly different from the many other books that do the same (cf. Forehand & Long, 2002; Phelan, 2004). Nonetheless, this book is easier to read than some books, while still very much based in sound practice