Children's behavioral problems often put parents in a quandary, but they can be overcome with careful examination and the correct course of action.

Nearly 20 percent of children in the U.S. have some kind of behavioral problem that may cause trouble with parents, teachers and other children. Glen Aylward, professor of pediatrics at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, explains some of the more common behavioral problems, which he has written about in his recent book.

SOUND BITE: " . . . a lot of them simply are more of an oppositional defiant type that causes the child to have problems both at home and school and with peers. However, we also run into problems in daily routine, getting dressed, toileting, eating. We see problems in social interactions. We see more, I guess internalizing problems where the child withdraws."

Aylward says most parents do the right thing, but it may need a little fine-tuning. Parents need to understand what is normal in terms of child development and what is a deviation from normal. Also, they need to understand why the child is engaging in that particular behavior. Aylward suggests a simple approach to solving behavioral problems:

SOUND BITE: " . . . first one needs to look at - what are the consequences for the child engaging in the problem. Secondly, I would look at - what are the reinforcements and rewards gleaned from the child engaging in this behavior. And, the third thing is how consistent is the intervention that the parents employ?"

Aylward says it is important to address behavioral problems in the early stages and maintain consistency. If the problem causes a significant amount of stress in the family or school situation, the child should be seen by a primary care physician or mental health counselor.