The Power of Positive Parenting, by Glenn I. Latham, Ed. D., is an essential tool for any
professional training parents to use behavior analytic principles to teach their children. Dr.
Latham draws on his more than 30 years of experience working with schools and families
to teach parents how to apply behavioral principles in the home. He takes scientific, data-
based procedures and explains them in a way most parents will find easy to understand.
His anecdotes and scripted conversations between parent and child are both educational
and entertaining. Throughout the book, Dr. Latham explains how behaviors are shaped
and stresses the importance of using positive reinforcement to increase children's
appropriate behaviors. He gives clear, concrete examples of how to reinforce appropriate
behavior, ignore inconsequential behavior and redirect inappropriate behavior. Dr. Latham
includes several chapters which address common problems such as fussy babies, tantrums,
tattling, lying and stealing, thumb sucking, sibling rivalry, managing television viewing,
and substance abuse. His chapter "Regarding Spanking: Don't" is one of the finest
arguments I have found against spanking as a behavior management technique. I share
this chapter with every parent in our school's parent education program. Our school keeps
a supply of this wonderful book available for parents and staff to purchase. The Power of
Positive Parenting is available from Northwest Publishing,