THORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Theoretical Basis of
Warwick's Work
In
General
The main theoretical approaches to
behaviour change are:-
1.
Behavioural
Problems due to maladaptive learning - uses rewards and
punishments
3. Person Centred
Problems due to child's self-concept - aims to redress
discrepancies between the child's actual - and ideal - self
2. Cognitive Behavioural
Problems due to maladaptive thinking - uses training for
erroneous or unrealistic thinking
4. Psychodynamic
Problems due to unresolved unconscious conflicts - helps child to
gain insight and increase ego strength
OUR APPROACH
"interactive behaviour
imbalance"
ibi.org.uk
WARWICK DYER'S
APPROACH
Warwick believes that chronic bad behaviour creates what he has
termed an "interactive behaviour imbalance" (www.ibi.org.uk). He
does not see "bad behaviour" as the child's problem at all but an
interactional problem between child and authority figure which
the child is incapable of changing. Warwick therefore works
exclusively with the parents and teachers, through their accounts
of what is happening, and does not see or interact with the
children themselves.
Theoretical Position
Looking at responses that actually work Warwick has for many
years been attempting to define and clarify the principles that
form the basis of the changes he achieves
Warwick's approach is mainly behavioural
There are four reasons why, in Warwick's view, the behavioural
approach is the best suited for use with children who are badly
behaved. The behavioural approach: -
1. Does not require the child to have reached any particular
level of conceptual development and
2. Enables the parents or school staff to remain as the 'agents
of change' and the initiative to stay with them. This means
that they can make changes without a loss of leadership or the
child being made too aware that an outside agency is
involved.
3. The parents or school staff can then be trained change their
own behaviour and to focus on the interactive nature of the
problem.
4. All parents and teachers already use an intuitive version of
the Behavioural Approach - they use rewards and punishments
instinctively. However, lack of precision in their use is
always, in Warwick's view, one of the main reasons for the
problems they experience. Warwick has found it essential to
train parents and teachers to use rewards and sanctions
effectively.
Influences of the other approaches
Person Centred
Although he works exclusively with parents and educational staff
Warwick sees the child's perception of what the parents think of
them as central. Through exclusively Behavioural methods, he
trains parents and staff to maintain a positive approach and
reduce discrepancies between how the child would like to view
themselves and the view they see reflected from the authority
figures.
Cognitive Behavioural
An intuitive version of this third view is also often found in
use by parents. They are very often engaged in continuous
attempts to change what their children appear to think. This
often just adds to their problems and they need clear strategies
to avoid this trap. When working with badly behaved children,
Warwick does not view their apparent maladaptive, erroneous or
unrealistic processing as a problem associated with thinking at
all - but rather one generated by a lack of training to accept
consequences.
He believes problems stem from an emotional need to suspend logic
rather than a lack of logical thinking ability. He finds that
the unhelpful or unrealistic ways that children appear to think
are effectively changed by careful use of a combination of
techniques linking rewards and sanctions consistently and
positively applied.
The Problem with many Behaviour Interventions
Warwick believes that taking too little account of the
interactive nature of "bad behaviour" handicaps many
interventions. "Bad behaviour" is always, in his view, part of an
interactional problem.
Warwick believes that it is vital for professionals not to work
too far away from these interactions. For him, the parents' and
teachers response to behaviour is always the key factor.
Don't blame Parents
Warwick believes it makes no sense to blame parents for the bad
behaviour of their children, in his experience the vast majority
have always done their best and have often found it difficult to
find effective help.
The Need for Research
The following conclusions are all intuitively based but present
some interesting and concise areas for future research.
Position on Behaviour Disorders
Warwick believes that since many diagnoses of behaviour disorders
do not come with any comprehensive advice on behaviour management
it is probably best to assume, unless the professionals
specifically say otherwise, that the techniques that work with
"chronic bad behaviour" will still be needed. Although there is
currently no research to back it up Warwick inclines to the
belief that many behaviour disorders merely predispose the child
and the parent to have problems interacting rather than make it
inevitable that the child will behave badly. Interactive
behaviour techniques may not alter the underlying behaviour
disorder, ADHD, for instance, but may dramatically change the
trauma of living with it.
Common Characteristics
Although, again, research is needed to confirm his observations,
Warwick believes that children with "chronic bad behaviour" have
a range of characteristics as predictable as those associated
with the recognised behaviour disorders. He has introduced the
concept of "interactive behaviour imbalance" not to create
another behaviour disorder but to show that "bad behaviour" is
always a problem shared by the child and the parent. It is,
therefore, essential to search for both the problem and the
solution within these "interactions".
Characteristics of the child with "Interactive Behaviour
Imbalance"
Warwick's method involves speaking to clients every day,
including weekends, until the behaviour problem is solved.
Working in this way has produced some remarkable insights. By
far the most interesting is the realisation that his clients'
badly behaved children have remarkably similar characteristics.
They
· get into a temper if they are not getting their own
way
· seem not to be able to understand reasons or logical
explanations
· are defiant
· won't listen to you or talk over you when you are trying
to
explain
· are strong-willed, tend to wear you down
· find it difficult or impossible to lose even over small
unimportant
things
· tend to blame others for even small disappointments
When you attempt to punish them they will often
say they "don't care"
threaten or produce a temper tantrum or other retaliation
try to make you feel guilty
· say you are unfair
· say you don't love them
· say they don't like or love you
They may also
· appear to be selfish
· tend to argue with or be spiteful to brothers or
sisters
· tend to be spiteful to you, or say hurtful things
· tend to whine or complain
· often need a lot of reassurance and sometimes
· have a tendency to demand affection when they don't
deserve it
· occasionally still be sleeping in their parent's bed
Interactive behaviour problems do not always appear to affect
relationships outside the home but when they do the
children
tend not to have or not to keep friends
or tend to make friends with younger children
or with children they can dominate
or children who have similar difficulties to their own
May not have problems at school but when they do
may have problems with peers at break times
may take a strong dislike and get in trouble with new or
particular teachers
The above characteristics mean
· the child is usually very powerful within the family with
a
· strong will that may be overpowering
· but usually has very low self-esteem and is
· unhappy much of the time
As these last two characteristics always seem to be present
Warwick believes it makes no sense at all to call such children
"spoilt".
Children with these characteristics are often just badly behaved
yet this list looks as serious any of the lists of symptoms of
major disorders like ADHD or Aspergers Syndrome or Attachment
Disorder. In many ways, for the family, they can be just as
serious, but there is one big difference; with careful work by
parents these behaviours and their attendant characteristics can
be quickly trained away.
As parents we become painfully aware that we have no direct
access to our children's behaviour. Apart from the use of drugs
we have no direct way of modifying it. The only access we have
is through what we say and do, in other words through our own
behaviour.
Behaviour Change Consultancy
What are the
Characteristics of the typical child with "interactive behaviour
imbalance"?
ibi.org.uk - Click
Here
What is the
difference between a child with an "interactive behaviour
imbalance" and a child that is just "very badly
behaved"?
Click Here
What is the structure of your Interactive Behaviour Intervention
with families?
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