Effective disclipine for children

Question 1

What does discipline need to be effective?

Answer 1

1. given by an adult with an affective bond to the child
2. consistent, close to the behavior needing change
3. perceived as “fair” by the child
4. developmentally and temperamentally appropriate
5. self-enhancing

Question 2

What should be included in the psychosocial interview?

Answer 2

1. non-judgmental inquiry about parents’ attitudes toward discipline
2. questions about who disciplines and the type of discipline used
3. discussion of difficulties or problems with discipline
4. inquiries about parental stressors.

Question 3

What should counselling re: discipline include?

Answer 3

1. reinforce parental competence and help parents find strategies that suit the family’s unique needs
2. suggest effective discipline techniques according to the child’s developmental level, parent/child dyad, and cultural and social norms
3. provide resources for parents in need, such as printed handouts or referral to other appropriate professionals.

Question 4

What are the goals of effective discipline?

Answer 4

1. Allowing the child to fit into the real world happily and effectively
2. Development of the child’s own self-discipline
3. Foster acceptable and appropriate behavior
4. Raise emotionally mature adults who can postpone pleasure, consider the needs of others, be assertive, and tolerate discomfort if necessary

Question 5

What are some basic principles of discipline?

Answer 5

1. The purpose of effective discipline is to help children organize themselves, internalize rules and acquire appropriate behaviour patterns.
2. The temperaments of the child and the parents, particularly in the context of their sociocultural milieu, require flexibility. Children with special needs and developmental delay require additional adjustments and problem-solving
3. Effective discipline does not instill shame, negative guilt, a sense of abandonment or a loss of trust. Instead, it instills a sense of greater trust between the child and the parent.
4. Anticipatory guidance offers physicians an opportunity for prevention, to discuss the type of discipline according to the child’s developmental age. Undesirable behaviours are best avoided through prevention and by building supportive structures that include clear, consistent rules
5. Physicians should take care to provide anticipatory guidance and appropriate support to parents who are under stress, isolated, disadvantaged or impaired. Physicians should be familiar with the resources in the family’s community.
6. Physicians should consider the role of the parent in influencing the child’s misbehaviour.

Question 6

What are recommendations regarding infant discipline (age birth to 12mo)?

Answer 6

1. Schedule feeding, sleeping, and interactions
2. Do not overstimulate
3. Allow to develop some tolerance to frustration
4. Allow to self-soothe
5. Time outs, spanking and consequences are NOT appropriate

Question 7

What are recommendations regarding early toddlers discipline (1-2yo)?

Answer 7

1. Remove the child from object or person and redirect the toddler’s attention
2. Parent should remain with the child
3. Use very brief verbal explanation i.e. no - hot

Question 8

What are recommendations regarding late toddlers discipline (2-3yo)?

Answer 8

1. Parental supervision
2. Set limits and routines
3. Have realistic expectations of the child’s achievement capabilities
4. Remove the child from the place of misbehavior and hold child until regains control
5. Give simple verbal explanation and reassurance when child regains control
6. Redirect toddler to new activity

Question 9

What are recommendations regarding preschool and kindergarten-age children discipline (3-5yo)?

Answer 9

1. Can follow some verbal rules
2. Require supervision for carry through directions and for safety
3. Time outs can be used
4. Redirection or small logical consequences
5. Approval and praise are powerful motivators
6. Lectures do not work

Question 10

What are recommendations regarding school-age children discipline (6-12yo)?

Answer 10

1. Parental supervision
2. Provide good role models
3. Set consistent rules
4. Use praise approval
5. Withdrawal or delay of privileges
6. Logical Consequences
7. Time outs

Question 11

What are recommendations regarding adolescents discipline (13-18yo)?

Answer 11

1. Parental availability
2. Setting rules in non-critical way
3. Do not belittle, lecture, or predict catastrophes
4. Do NOT spank
5. Contracting is effective
6. Logical consequences

Question 12

What are some ways that parents can use rules and limits to promote effective discipline?

Answer 12

1. Reinforce desirable behaviour
2. Avoid nagging and making threats without consequences
3. Apply rules consistently.
4. Ignore unimportant and irrelevant behaviour
5. Set reasonable and consistent limits.
6. Consequences need to be realistic.
7. State acceptable and appropriate behaviour that is attainable.
8. Prioritize rules. Give top priority to safety, then to correcting behaviour that harms people and property, and then to behaviour such as whining, temper tantrums and interrupting.
9. Concentrate on two or three rules at first.
10. Know and accept age-appropriate behaviour.
11. Allow for the child’s temperament and individuality (goodness of fit). A strong-willed child needs to be raised differently from the so-called ‘compliant child’.

Question 13

What are helpful suggestions regarding consequences?

Answer 13

1. Apply consequences as soon as possible.
2. Do not enter into arguments with the child during the correction process.
3. Make the consequences brief.
4. Parents should mean what they say and say it without shouting at the child. Verbal abuse is no less damaging than physical punishment.
5. Follow consequences with love and trust, and ensure that the child knows the correction is directed against the behaviour and not the person. Guard against humiliating the child. Model forgiveness and avoid bringing up past mistakes.

Question 14

What are recommendations for time outs?

Answer 14

1. Introduce by age 24mo
2. Time-outs should last 1 minute per year of the child’s age to a max. of 5min
3. Pick the right place
4. Prepare the child by briefly helping him or her connect the behavior with the time-out (i.e. no-hitting)
5. Parents should avoid using time-out for teaching or preaching, ignore the child in time-out
6. Parent should be the time keeper
7. After time out is over offer a new activity and move on

Question 15

What is reasoning or away-from the moment discussion?

Answer 15

Dealing with difficult behavior not in the head of the moment or in advance
Appropriate for children >3-4yo

Question 16

What are the recommendations regarding disciplinary spanking?

Answer 16

CPS strongly discourage this and all other forms of physical punishment.