Deciding how to discipline a child can be one of the hardest parts of being a parent.

Even parents of generally well-behaved children can find themselves at a loss when trying

to discipline

a defiant toddler or a surly teenager. In this episode, psychologist Alan Kasden discusses the most

effective techniques for getting the behavior parents want, techniques that are backed up by

hundreds of research studies. Dr. Kasden also addresses the question of spanking.

Does it work? He tells us what decades of research have shown about the consequences of corporal

punishment. I'm Audrey Hamilton, and this is Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale University and Director of the Yale Parenting Center.

He was the 2008 president of the American Psychological Association.

He has authored 49 books on topics related to parenting, child psychotherapy, and violence.

Welcome, Dr. Kasten. Thank you so much for having me.

Let's start with aggression in children. When does aggression in children become a serious problem

that might warrant

professional attention?

Well, one can look at three criteria usually, and the first one of these is impairment.

And impairment means that somehow the functioning in everyday situations is a problem.

And this is true of all the psychiatric disorders for children, adolescents, and adults.

In the child's case, functioning at school and in peer relations might start breaking down.

And so that would be one criterion.

Is the child impaired in daily functioning?

The second one is unmanageability.

Parents and teachers do all sorts of things to manage a child, and usually these work pretty well.

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