Back to text of article | Info Centre Home | Contents | Search | eMJA Home

www.mja.com.au
© 1998 MJA

An 8-year-old boy was suspended from school for attacking his teacher with scissors after being reprimanded for hitting some classmates. He had a history of disobedience and running away from home, aggression to other children and stealing sweets and toys from shops. He was also impulsive, overactive and had poor concentration; these symptoms were treated with dexamphetamine by a paediatrician, with a resulting improvement in his concentration and activity level.

During assessment a recurring theme was evident in his free play: a toy cow and her calf were attacked and "eaten up" by a "wild lion", a "wild racing car" crashed into a toy car and "killed the mother and children", and the doll's house mother was "thrown around the room down the stairs and out the window" by a "wild robber". This gave the clue, apprehensively confirmed by the mother, that she and her son were the victims of domestic violence from her de facto partner. She had earlier separated from the boy's father because of his violence and drunkenness.

After informing her of how to contact the local family refuge, the mother elected to work on this problem with her partner in conjoint therapy. A behavioural program for her son was also initiated at home and school using rewards (e.g., football cards) for an absence of aggressive behaviour and a voluntary "time out" area if the boy felt he needed to calm down.

The boy rapidly lost his antisocial behaviour when the parental relationship improved, although he continued to require stimulant medication.

Back to article . . .