Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Children - Help for Parents

If you have a child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder you may be working very hard to regain control of your child with very little success, and the stress of that may be affecting the rest of your family and your relationship with your spouse.

You may even feel that you have tried everything and nothing seems to work. Moreover, it may even seem that the harder you have tried, the more your child has acted out, leaving you feeling a bit hopeless. Do not lose heart. Things can change.

If you are experiencing a child who is:
*Angered Easily
*Extremely sensitive
*Disrespectful
*Dishonest
*Rebellious
*Challenging of all rules and authority figures
*Argumentative
*Showing Poor academic Performance

...your child may have ODD and you would most likely benefit from an Online Parent Support Group led by a leader in this industry. To read more about Oppositional Defiant Disorder, visit this site.

The Online Parent Support Group is an online program that will teach you strategies that can work immediately. Mark Hutten has taught these strategies to parents for OVER 20 YEARS and just recently began videoing his seminars to he could help even more families. In his program, there are 150 proven techniques that you will be taught by video, book and online discussions with Mark himself. It is a GREAT RESOURCE for parents.

Here is some great information shared on the ALL PRO DAD website. These are very good tips for helping you deal with an ODD or ADHD child.
1. Be consistent in rules and discipline.
If your "no" is only a "no" some of the time, your child learns that perhaps by pressing you further, they will get what they want. Children are so intuitive. They pick up on the subtle things so easily. Therefore, you MUST be consistent in your parenting. I do know this is hard. It takes a lot of effort on your part. As a parent I too have struggled with this very thing.

2. Keep your own voice quiet and slow.
Anger is normal but needs to be controlled. Anger does not mean you do not love your child. It simply means the current behavior is not right. But getting loud and/or yelling will simply escalate the situation emotionally for both you and your child, AND, teach them that yelling is an appropriate way of dealing with their emotions.

3. Try to keep your emotions cool by bracing for expected turmoil.
Recognize and respond to any positive behavior, however small. If you search for good things, you will find them. Positive reinforcement is much more effective than negative tactics.

4. Avoid a ceaselessly negative approach:
"Stop." "Don't." "No." This will simply frustrate you and your child.

5. Separate behavior, which you may not like, from the child's person (e.g., "I like you. I don't like your tracking mud through the house.").

6. Establish a clear and consistent routine.
Construct a timetable for waking, eating, play, television, study, chores and bedtime.

7. Demonstrate new or difficult tasks, using action accompanied by short, clear, quiet explanations. Repeat the demonstration until learned, using audiovisual-sensory perceptions to reinforce the learning. The memory traces of a hyperactive child take longer to form. Be patient and repeat.

8. Designate a separate room or a part of a room that is his special area.
Avoid brilliant colors or complex patterns in the decor. Simplicity, solid colors, minimal clutter and a worktable facing a blank wall away from distractions help concentration. A hyperactive child cannot filter over-stimulation.

9. Do one thing at a time:
Give your child one toy from a closed box; clear the table of everything else when coloring; turn off the radio/television when he is doing homework. Multiple stimuli will hinder concentration and keep your child from focusing on the primary task.

10. Give your child responsibility, which is essential for growth.
The task should be within his capacity, although the assignment may need much supervision. Acceptance and recognition of his efforts (even when imperfect) is very important. Again, focus on the positive effort.

11. Read his pre-explosive warning signals. Quietly intervene to avoid explosions by distracting him or discussing the conflict calmly. Removal from the battle zone to the sanctuary of his room for a few minutes can help.

12. Restrict playmates to one or two at a time because he is so excitable. Your home is more suitable so you can provide structure and supervision. Explain your rules to the playmate and briefly tell the other parent your reasons.

13. Do not pity, tease, be frightened by or overindulge your child. He has a special condition of the nervous system that is manageable.

(Used with permission and adapted from Why ADHD Doesn't Mean Disaster by Dennis Swanberg, Diane Passno and Walter L. Larimore, M.D.)

Are you tired of endless arguments? Do you wish your child would listen to you? Are you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and frustrated? There is help for you.

Your relationship with your child does not have to stay this way. You simply need to acquire some new knowledge and fresh skills from for dealing with your child differently. Once you have these skills, you can begin working towards a better relationship with your child. One such expert is Mark Hutten, M.A.. He has a master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Norwich University, and over 20 years experience working with families. He even does home-based counseling for families having trouble with their child's emotional and behavioral problems.

One example of what Mark teaches is that your job as a parent is to teach your children that poor behavior results in poor consequences, while good behavior results in good consequences. He states that to do this, you will have to implement tough love and follow through with the consequences. Until the child experiences a significant degree of discomfort related to their poor choices, they are not going to choose to make better choices. Surprisingly, tough love is much harder on the parent than it is on the child.

In his program, he will also help you learn how to do things like:
1. Stop any argument with your child right away
2. Reduce the amount and/or frequency of outbursts, tantrums or yelling periods.
3. Use parenting techniques that work, while learning WHY they work.

You will be surprised to see how many things you could do just a bit differently, that will produce big results. He guarantee's that you will have success with his program. He is that sure of it's power.

Gaining a better relationship with your child by putting an end to their out-of-control behavior is definitely within your reach. Not only can you learn the skills and behaviors you need to adopt, but you can also receive online support from an expert in this field.

There is an Online Parent Support Group, complete with instructional videos to help you look inside your child's mind and gain a perspective into their world. This will give you insight into the motivations behind their actions. THIS is the knowledge you need. It will help you learn how to approach and deal with your child in a way that will get you the results you want.

This program provides practical, straightforward, step-by-step action plans to help you take immediate steps towards preventing or intervening in your childs poor choices. By taking the steps taught, you may be able to see success at home within your first week.

You know there is a problem, and you have come to the realization that you need help and want to see things change. Now you simply have to reach out and get the help you need. Only then, can you begin moving in a positive direction in dealing with your difficult child.