ABSTRACT
Conduct disorders account for between a third and a half of all child and adolescent clinic referrals. 'Parent training' refers to procedures in which a parent or parents are trained to interact differently with their child, based on the premise that child misbehaviour is inadvertently learned and sustained in the home by maladaptive parent-child interactions. A child can terminate an aversive parental command by compliance, but learns that coercive behaviours such as non-compliance, defiance and tantrums with increasing intensity may also terminate the aversive parental demand. Thorough assessment, careful monitoring and evaluation are important in child protection work. The aim is positive, observable behaviour change in the carer and child or their interaction. An intervention may need to address several factors in the child's environment, such as problem parenting behaviours and child behaviour problems, as well as efforts to alleviate family stress and isolation within a multi-agency framework.
