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To develop a successful comprehensive treatment plan, information about the child’s behavior must be obtained from various sources: the child, teacher, parents, and other medical professionals. Several treatment methods have been identified as useful in reducing conduct disordered behaviors, although the best approach seems to be an integrated method, which focuses on both the child and family in a variety of contexts.
Training Programs
Various training programs have been developed to prevent and treat conduct disordered children. These training programs focus on three areas: (1) child, (2) parenting, and (3) the school/community (Webster-Stratton & Dahl, 1995).
1. Child Training:
Focuses on teaching the child new skills to facilitate healthy growth, development, and adaptive functioning.
Competency: The development of competency in conduct disordered children enables them to effectively interact with others, successfully complete developmental tasks, and
increase adaptive functioning (Kazdin, 1990).
Treatment Skills:
Effective problem solving
Self-control
Positive social behaviors
2. Family Intervention:
Focuses on the development of effective parenting skills, which is believed to play a major role in the reduction of conduct disordered behaviors in children.
Increasing skills in managing the child's behavior- parents learn appropriate reinforcement and disciplinary techniques.
Promoting social skills development- parents learn how to effectively communicate, problem-solve, and negotiate with their child.
Treatment:
Behavior management - meaning parents learn how to set and maintain rules with their child.
3. School/ Community Education:
Focuses on the child's skill development in areas such as problem solving, anger management, social skills, and communication skills (Webster-Stratton & Dahl, 1995).
Decision making
Interpersonal problem solving skills
Self-control
Treatment Skills:
Anger management
Rewarding good classroom behavior
Interpersonal skills
Behavior Therapy
Behavior therapy provides a high level of structure, which is generally needed by children with CD.
This type of treatment is usually necessary to help the child appropriately express and control anger.
Behavior therapy helps the child make crucial cause and effect connections so that they can learn to control their behavior.
Behavioral plans should be coordinated between school and home for maximum effectiveness.
Psychotherapy
The goal of psychotherapy is to help the child deal with the fundamental problems and conflicts of life.
For children with conduct disorders, this requires learning various psychological skills, such as:
Awareness and appropriate expression of feelings (especially anger and sadness)
Self-assertion
Ability to delay gratification
Anticipation of consequences of poor behavioral choices
Ability to generate healthier options when conflicts arise (APA, 2002)
The American Psychological Association believes that these skills are best taught symbolically and allegorically through stories, metaphors, parables, and discussions of third parties (APA, 2002)
Drug Therapy
There are no medications for Conduct Disorder, but there are some proven medications for treating the aggressive behaviors associated with conduct disorder.
Many children with Conduct Cisorder also have bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety disorder, which are very treatable. When these conditions are treated, conduct disorder symptoms often disappear as well.
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