When a child takes control in the family home, the REACT programme can help parents reassert their presence, counter tyrannical behaviour and finally restore an effective family dynamic. This parental guidance support takes the form of around ten sessions built around the programme’s 13 steps.
What is tyrannical behaviour in a child?
A child’s tyrannical behaviour is close to the DSM-V categories of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder and Conduct Disorders.
Frustration and difficulty managing emotions in children with ADHD can also lead to this tyrannical behaviour, as can other underlying vulnerabilities becoming more complex (separation anxiety, social anxiety, ASD…).
This tyrannical behaviour often emerges in early childhood: the child’s sense of omnipotence takes hold and shows itself through physical violence (damage, assaults…), verbal violence (insults, threats…) and/or psychological violence (blackmail, intimidation…). The family dynamic is reversed and daily life becomes organised around the child’s behaviour.
Note that this is not the result of an educational failing and should be distinguished from the “spoiled child” phenomenon.
The REACT parental guidance programme
Based on non-violent resistance, the REACT parental guidance programme unfolds over 13 steps. Its aim is to provide a concrete response to complex situations, so that parents can gradually restore their authority through calmer family relationships.
Open, among others, to psychologists and psychomotor therapists, this training enables these professionals to properly support families experiencing a child’s tyrannical behaviour.
Among the topics covered in the REACT programme are the concept of hyper-accommodation, escalation patterns and non-violent resistance, crisis management, setting up a support network, the “sit-in” and cold reactions, and managing screen time…
The Barkley method, poorly suited to tyrannical behaviour
The Barkley method is recommended for children with ODD or ADHD, as it aims to reward the child’s appropriate behaviour. However it is not recommended as a first-line approach for tyrannical behaviour, because the child does not want to give up their position as “boss”, which reassures them and lets them keep control over rewards and mastery over the parent.
With the REACT method, the focus is on the parent’s behaviour and does not require the child’s buy-in: the shift in family dynamics must come from the parent, who is usually motivated to change the situation.
If you are afraid of your child’s reactions, if you have given up doing things because of their behaviour, if you feel constrained in your decision-making, if you feel ashamed of what is happening in your home, or if your child is violent towards you, do not hesitate to reach out to a professional trained in the REACT method.
The Ora Visio platform provides access to psychologists and neuropsychologists who can help you reverse this destructive family dynamic and effectively help your child.
