Meltdowns to Cooldowns: Effective Strategies for Assessing and Treating Disruptive Behaviors

This talk from child and adolescent psychiatrist Josiah Cox, MD, presents steps for efficient yet thorough assessments of youths with behaviors that are negatively impacting their lives. Cox describes how to choose words that protect kids’ self-esteem, explores the numerous factors that contribute to problematic attitudes and actions, and offers coaching strategies to help caregivers establish the solid relationships and routines that make young people feel seen and safe. He matches effective therapy techniques to specific conditions and situations, and gives resources to support families and doctors – including free phone consults for providers.

Learning Objectives:

• Examine the first steps in assessing/evaluating disruptive behaviors.

•  Recognize conditions that frequently present with disruptive behaviors.

• Identify behavioral approaches that target disruptive behaviors.

• Assess pharmacology approaches to targeting disruptive behaviors.