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UK researchers are trialling an evidence-based program that teaches parents how to manage children with conduct disorders. Having a child with what's called a 'conduct disorder' can be a nightmare. They're defiant, have tantrums, can be aggressive, lie and steal. It's commoner in single parent and disadvantaged families and while there is a genetic component to conduct disorder, there's a strong environmental component. If you give parents a solid evidence-based package of good parenting skills - such as setting limits and consistently applying them, understanding how to give children feedback and measured discipline plus background knowledge, you can prevent full-blown conduct disorder. Trialling this in the real world is hard but researchers in Wales have done that with a program called the Incredible Years. It involves 12 weekly group sessions lasting a couple of hours with 12 parents. The placebo group were on a waiting list and eventually got the program too. The children ending up significantly calmer and more in control of their behaviour and even their siblings benefited. A cost analysis showed that it was good value for money. Governments love to jump on the parenting bandwagon but their challenge is provide evidence-based programs which are properly resourced in the suburbs which really need them.
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