Optimistic Parenting: Hope and Help for You and Your Challenging Child
Dr. Durand is a world renowned expect in autism and challenging behaviours. He has been a leading researcher in many of the important interventions we value for children with autism such as the concept of teaching functional communication. He is the author of several books that been helpful for families with children with autism including his book, Sleep Better, which provides intervention strategies for sleep issues.
Dr. Durand’s most recent book recounts what he has learned from working with parents for many years. Optimistic Parenting details a philosophy and practical techniques for parents to use to assist them in becoming more confident, skillful and positive in their parenting of children with challenging behaviour. His insight into this topic is based on his observation of his own parenting experiences, other persons parenting styles as well as a long term research project working with parents to examine and in some cases reframe their thinking regarding their ability to change their child’s behaviour.
Over the years, Dr. Durand has worked with children with challenging behaviours and their families he found that the best predictor of child outcome was parent’s attitude toward their ability to effect change in their child’s behaviour. Parents who had an optimistic belief that their child could change their behaviour created the larger degree of behaviour change in their child. During his research project, strategies were discussed to assist parents in increasing their understanding of challenging behaviour and make plans to prevent or deal with them. In addition, during this series of sessions parents were provided with strategies to assist them in gaining insight into their own thoughts while their child was engaging in challenging behaviour.
For parents who had a pessimistic view about their ability to effect change in their child’s behavior, strategies such as distraction and substitution were introduced for them to use to try to change the way they thought about their ability to parent and gain some control of their thoughts. Distraction strategies such as interrupting unproductive or distressing thoughts were suggested and practiced by parents. Substitution strategies included replacing unproductive and distressing thoughts with more positive thoughts.
Optimistic Parenting also provides a step by step guide to analyzing challenging behaviour, responding to it with confidence and teaching replacement behaviours for lasting behaviour improvement. Separate chapters are included to specifically address interventions for transitions and sleep.
Optimistic Parenting is a valuable resource both for parents who are unsure of their parenting skills and are looking for tools to change their behaviour as well as their child’s and for parents who are confident that they can effect change but are looking for additional strategies to assist them in the behaviour change process.
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