Extremely Aggressive and Explosive Children

Abstract

Nearly all children referred for PCIT present with clinical levels of disruptive behavior including aggression, noncompliance, and tantrums. In this chapter, we consider children who are extreme outliers displaying highly aggressive, disruptive, and explosive behavior. All PCIT therapists will encounter children from time to time who challenge the boundaries of their expertise in behavioral management. These children often have been expelled from multiple daycare settings and sometimes require therapeutic preschools, day treatment programs, or inpatient stays. They may have histories significant for prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol and come from homes with domestic violence and child maltreatment.