252 The Explosive Child(pathways), then to determine the specific roles each
adultistoplay in helpingwiththe PlanBproblem
solving and teaching. Even if the initial action plan
goes well, the whole crew should reconvene periodi-
cally to gauge progress, revisit triggers and pathways,
adjust goals, and revise the action plan accordingly.
In creating the action plan, it’s important to bear
in mind some of the principles discussed in earlier
chapters. First, there is no quick fix. It’s worth repeat-
ing: You don’t fix a reading disability in a week, and
you don’t fix this learning disability in a week either.
Second, ensuring good communication among adults is
absolutely essential. All the adults who interact with
the child must have a clear understanding of his
unique difficulties, the skills to implement Plan B,
and knowledge of the action plan. Third, blaming
doesn’t help. When things are going poorly at school,
parents have a tendency to blame the school staff,
and school personnel have a tendency to blame the
parents. Blaming misses the important point: The
child is frustrating all of us, and none of us has done
an incredible job of helping him yet, so let’s see if we
can put our heads together and come up with a plan
that incorporates the best we all have to offer.Let’s apply the above Plan B principles to a very com-
mon trigger, homework, which may well be the most