Saturday, September 20, 2014

Could You Help This Family?

By The Side of the Road by Jules Feiffer tells about a family with child management issues.  Basically, the father threatens to stop the car and let Richard out if he doesn't stop fooling around.  He does so, and Richard decides to live there permanently.  Richard develops his own way of living, which other members of the family sooner or later embrace.  The outcome is usually different, I have found, in the real world.  The parents seem not to have consulted a professional in the matter, and you wonder how the book would have been different if they had.  If you know or read this book, and are a behavior management expert, how would you handle the case?  How could the outcome have been better, or would have it been worse, if a counselor had been involved.  What about spanking? As a parent do you think that any of these scientifically proven methods would be helpful?  What role do school employees have in suggesting counseling for such a family?  Does Richard qualify for any diagnosis (risky to say, I realize, without all of the pertinent information)?  What other good books do you know for parents, children and/or professionals that deal with such issues?