Stanley Turecki - The Difficult Child: Expanded and Revised Edition

PRAISE FROM PARENTS

Dr. Tureckis understanding and knowledge of children with difficult temperaments is astounding.

The Difficult Child taught me to be a better parent to my difficult child and also made me a better parent for my easy child.

Dr. Tureckis program has taught me the real meaning of motherhood.

PRAISE FROM PROFESSIONALS

A clear and lucid prescription of how to deal with a difficult child. The compassionate understanding of the author is evident throughout.

Irving Philips, M.D., Past President,
American Academy of Child Psychiatry

A cornucopia of good ideas for assessing and intervening in these often disastrous relationship patterns.

Donald A. Bloch, M.D., Past President,
American Family Therapy Academy

A unique and extremely valuable book. I can recommend it enthusiastically.

William B. Carey, M.D., Director of Behavioral Pediatrics,
Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia;
author of Understanding Your Childs Temperament

This volume will sit on my shelf between Spock and Gesell.

Richard L. Saphir, M.D., Clinical Professor of Pediatrics,
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Virtually every teacher has taught a child who is difficult to handle. This book is invaluable in helping teachers and parents understand the roots of this behavior and thus, helping them cope more effectively.

Ellen Galinsky, co-author of The Preschool Years;
President, The National Association for the
Education of Young Children

THE DIFFICULT CHILD
A Bantam Book

PUBLISHING HISTORY
Bantam hardcover edition / October 1985
Revised trade paperback edition / October 1989
Second revised trade paperback edition / March 2000

All rights reserved.
Copyright 1985, 1989, and 2000 by Stanley Turecki, M.D., and Leslie Tonner.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information address: Bantam Books.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Turecki, Stanley.
The difficult child / by Stanley Turecki with Leslie Tonner.2nd. rev. ed.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-81573-6
1. Problem children. 2. Child rearing. 3. Hyperactive children. 4. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. 5. Child psychology. I. Tonner, Leslie. II. Title.

HQ773.T87 2000
649.153dc21
99-054275

Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words Bantam Books and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.

v3.1_r1

C HILD Q UESTIONS

The headings below identify possibly difficult areas of your childs temperament (his or her innate makeup). Rate your child, in an overall way, on each item, using this scale:

0 = No problem (never present or just a little)

1 = Moderate problem (sometimes present)

2 = Definite problem (often present)

3 = Extreme problem (nearly always or always)

WHAT YOUR RATING MEANS

I am a child and family psychiatrist and the parent of an ex-difficult child. Prior to my daughters birth I had completed my training in adult and child psychiatry, was affiliated with a good hospital, and had entered private practice. Like so many young psychiatrists, I was still searching for a truly personal style.

Jillian arrived on a cold winter morning in 1974. Within a day the head nurse in the newborn nursery remarked: That one is going to be trouble. A restless, irritable baby, totally unpredictable in her feeding, she seemed to be always screaming. Neither her mother nor a baby nurse could soothe her. Sleepless nights were the rule in our household, and by the time our daughter was six months old, her mother and I were both irritable and tense.