The Explosive Child [Sixth Edition]: A New Approach to Understanding and Parenting Children

This book was enthusiastically recommended to me (along with Motivational Interviewing) when I was struggling with a teenage foster son. It has been a game changer with my elementary schooler, who is generally well-behaved but sometimes oppositional. The book teaches a simple recipe for working WITH a child to troubleshoot issues, called Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS). The focus is working with children who are oppositional, reactive, or stubborn to brainstorm and implement solutions that will satisfy both the child and the adult. Over time, CPS can help the child meet expectations, improve the overall climate of the relationship, and help the child develop better executive function. It's simple enough that even I can remember the steps, haha. I would make one observation: TBRI is a prerequisite for CPS; they complement each other. When a child is empowered through feeling safe and calm and having basic needs met, and is primed to learn through playful connection, then the door is wide open for CPS. And CPS will reinforce TBRI; it’s a corrective approach that will also further empower and connect the child. A great way to learn TBRI is to read The Connected Child or to watch the Karyn Purvis Institute videos. Watch the teen TBRI videos if that's your age group.

I cannot say enough good about this book. We adopted 2 boys, both having FASD, one presenting very explosive behaviors. Most times we wouldn’t know what provoked him. He was in therapy with a Dr for 7 years (he’s 10 now). We finally pulled him out of the useless therapy. Public schools gave up on him. (Actually a good thing). He was admitted to a therapeutic day school. The entire staff are therapists, and trained in behavior therapy. AMAZING. But after reading this book and implementing plan B, the improvement we saw at home has been amazing. We are now seeing behavioral issues way less often. I highly recommend everyone, parents and foster parents to read this book. It brings everything into perspective. Your family will be so stress free, just by not walking on eggshells constantly

I recommend to everyone I know who works with children or has children.

Not what I thought it would be but it had some good points. We have a child with severe Autism and I feel as though not everything would be fitting to the diagnosis situation. It’s worth the read I believe if you have a child struggling with behavioral issues/authority. Perhaps a head strong toddler?

Didn't apply to my child so I gifted it to help someone else.

Seven years ago I found the earlier version of this book and have been using it in my practice as a mental health counselor ever since. It is, by far, the most important book in my library and I urge all the parents of the kids I work with to purchase, read, and use the CPS method. I also urge teachers and school administrators to read the two book Dr. Ross Greene has written specifically for use in schools to eliminate corporal punishment, detentions, in-school suspensions, and out of school suspensions. If you want to stop behavior problems, READ THIS BOOK AND USE THE METHOD!

I was so excited to learn that Dr, Ross Green updated the book to include updated information. This book has helped us look at behaviors in a different way to support our kiddos better. It should be a required reading for educators, families supporting loved ones with intellectual differences that exhibit challenging behaviors. My favorite takeaway from the book, “Children will do well IF they can,” a good reminder that children do not give us a hard time, they are having a hard time. This book doesn’t just highlight the struggles families or care givers might experience, it validates your feelings about them, let’s you know you are not alone, and the best part gives some strategies to try and see if you can work with kiddos to provide them with more tools so they can do well!

The framework is interesting. The follow-through left me wanting more. I picked up The Explosive Child after hitting a wall with my kid — the meltdowns, the defiance, the exhaustion of feeling like nothing was working. Ross Greene’s Collaborative Problem Solving approach genuinely reframed how I think about why my child behaves the way he does, and for that alone, the book has value. The core idea — that kids do well if they can, not that they’re choosing to be difficult — was worth sitting with. That said, once I got past the philosophy, I kept waiting for the book to shift into more concrete, actionable territory. It never quite did, at least not in the way I needed. A lot of the guidance felt circular, and the case study examples, while illustrative, started to feel repetitive rather than instructive. If you’re brand new to the ADHD/ODD space, this is a reasonable first read — it’ll expand your perspective. But if you’re already deep in the trenches and came here looking for a real playbook, you may close it feeling like you got a solid why with a pretty thin how. Good book. Not a great book. A 3-star read that I’m glad I didn’t skip, but one I’ve already started supplementing with other resources.

Good book to understand the child's problem

This was an easy read! If you’re navigating how to parent a child who is sensitive to feedback or emotionally elevated, this has a simple process for how to communicate. It’s written with a story narrative to help apply concepts. I enjoyed reading.

He hecho el plan b de emergencia, mi hijo tiene 4 y en realidad el no intervino tanto en el plan pero me dió más paciencia y encontrar la raíz del problema en el paso de empatía. Pienso que este libro es útil, seguro lo involucraré más conforme crezca.

Chegou em excelentes condições e ajudou-me imenso a perceber e lidar com o meu filho de quatro anos, que é muito explosivo. As dicas do autor deram-me ferramentas para gerir melhor as frustrações do meu filho e acho que se aplicam a qualquer idade. Recomendo

A fantastic book for anyone wanting to improve their relationship with their child. Straight forward, realistic solutions that are doable. Really appreciated this book, and I know it will help me as an adult in my life too.