How to Treat Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
Does your child have Oppositional Defiant Disorder? Are you looking for treatment strategies for Oppositional Defiant Disorder? If Oppositional Defiant Disorder child behavior is your concern you have come to the right place.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder vs. Normal Defiance
Some children are a bit more difficult by nature. Other children go through stages of oppositional defiance, such as during the teenage years. However, if your child is easily angered, continually argues, and intentionally disturbs others he might be one of the 5-10% of children who have Oppositional Defiant Disorder, the most common of all childhood psychiatric disorders.Oppositional Defiant Disorder is one of the three disruptive behavior disorders defined by the American Psychiatric Association in their handbook of mental disorders, the DSM-IV. Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder display belligerent and antagonistic behavior towards parents, teachers, and other adults in authority roles. These children tend to quarrel frequently with their peers and intentionally do things to irritate others. They also are easily annoyed.
Due to their difficult behavior, ODD children have a lot of problems in their interactions with others. Although it is the behavior of these children that is the root of most of their conflicts, ODD children do not see it that way. They usually blame others for the problems they encounter and do not take responsibility for their actions.
Does Your Child Have Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
It can be hard to tell the difference between the behavior of a stubborn child who is normal and a child who has Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Children display a wide range of behaviors and even a child with a high degree of oppositional defiance can be normal.The difference between oppositional defiance, which is normal and an oppositional defiance disorder is a matter of degree. How do you tell the difference?
If your child's oppositional defiant behavior is persistent, has been going on for at least six months, and is disrupting your family life, his home and school environment, and is clearly interfering with his ability to function normally, then your child's oppositional defiance may meet the criteria to be classified as a disorder.
Your child may have ODD if your child is regularly and consistently:
- Angry
- Disobedient
- Argumentative
- Quick to take offense
- Malicious
- Vindictive
- Aggressive toward other children
- Resentful
- Cruel
Oppositional Defiant Disorder children display their defiance by:
- Talking back to adults
- Refusing to obey requests from adults
- Blaming others for mistakes or misbehaviors
- Deliberately flaunting rules
- Willfully annoying others
- Being quick to anger
- Speaking harshly to others
- Seeking revenge
- Having frequent temper tantrums
- Having difficulty maintaining friendships
If your child is persistently disobedient, willfully defiant, constantly negative, or incessantly hostile toward you or other figures of authority, you may have a reason for concern.
Which ODD Behavior Bothers You the Most?
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Diagnosing Oppositional Defiant Disorder
It is difficult to accurately diagnose Oppositional Defiant Disorder. These children are very similar to normal children. Most children display defiance toward adults at times. The difference between ODD children and other normal children is only a matter of frequency and intensity, making the diagnosis of ODD more of a judgment call.
If you suspect your child's defiance is not normal for his age, you need to consult a qualified mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist, who has experience working with and diagnosing ODD in children. Your child should have a full evaluation, including a medical screen for problems such as sensory processing defects, muscle coordination problems, and an evaluation for learning disabilities.
If you would like to do a quick preliminary assessment yourself you can try this ODD Test
If you suspect your child's defiance is not normal for his age, you need to consult a qualified mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist, who has experience working with and diagnosing ODD in children. Your child should have a full evaluation, including a medical screen for problems such as sensory processing defects, muscle coordination problems, and an evaluation for learning disabilities.
If you would like to do a quick preliminary assessment yourself you can try this ODD Test
Why do Some Children Have ODD?
The most accurate answer is that nobody knows. There are two predominant theories.The first theory is that Oppositional Defiant Disorder comes as a result of disruption of normal behavioral development. Most two to four year old children demonstrate oppositional defiance that is quite similar to ODD. Researchers feel that ODD children may get stuck in this stage of development and never fully grow out of it. However, parents of ODD children often report that their children were more demanding and inflexible even at a young age, suggesting that ODD is not just a matter of arrested development.
Proponents of the second theory suggest that the defiance of Oppositional Defiant Disorder children is a result of negative interactions with adults that these children have while growing up.
There seem to be several physical factors that influence the appearance of ODD.
There are sexual differences. At younger ages, boys tend to have ODD more frequently than girls. However, as the children get older the sexual discrepancy goes away and in older children the rate of oppositional defiance is about the same.
There are strong indications that ODD can be an inherited trait. Also, mothers who smoke or drink excessively while pregnant have a greater chance of giving birth to children who will develop an oppositional defiance problem.
There are psychological and social factors that contribute to the likelihood of ODD occurring. Children who grow up in abusive or unstable homes or in homes where there is only a single parent are more likely to develop Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Also, children who are brought up in an environment where there is poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, or violence are more likely to develop oppositional defiance.
Co-existing Conditions
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is almost never a child's only problem. Usually ODD is one of several problems or disorders that a child has.
What other conditions accompany Oppositional Defiant Disorder? If your child has ODD, then there is a:
For this reason, if you think your child might have Oppositional Defiant Disorder you should have him evaluated for other problems as well. You need to uncover these other problems, because that will give you the keys to effectively treating his oppositional defiance in many instances, as we shall soon discuss.
What other conditions accompany Oppositional Defiant Disorder? If your child has ODD, then there is a:
- * 50-65% chance he also has ADHD
- * 35% chance he will eventually develop an affective disorder
- * 20% possibility he will develop Bipolar disorder or some other mood disorder in the future
- * 15% chance he will eventually have some type of personality disorder
- * Significant possibility he has an overlooked learning disorder
For this reason, if you think your child might have Oppositional Defiant Disorder you should have him evaluated for other problems as well. You need to uncover these other problems, because that will give you the keys to effectively treating his oppositional defiance in many instances, as we shall soon discuss.
Future Outlook
What will happen to your ODD child? Is he going to grow out of it? No one can tell for sure, but children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder usually follow one of four pathways.
- There are children that do outgrow their oppositional defiance. 50% of younger children who are believed to have ODD will no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for this condition by the time they are eight years old. However, if a child still has ODD when he is eight, there is only a 25% chance he will ever outgrow it.
- Occasionally, what was thought to be ODD when a child was younger is really a precursor of some other condition. 5-10% of preschool children who were believed to have ODD have their diagnosis changed later on to ADHD. At times the oppositional defiance of these children deteriorates and they eventually meet the criteria for Conduct Disorder, the most serious of the three disruptive behavior disorders in children. If the child is going to go in this direction, it is usually evident early in his life. Most children who have ODD for several years who have not yet showed signs of Conduct Disorder will probably never develop it.
- 5% will continue to have Oppositional Defiant Disorder and nothing else.
- Most children will continue to have ODD, but show signs of some other co-existing disorder.
Insights on Oppositional Defiance in Teens
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Treatment of Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Medical treatment for ODD focuses on treating the accompanying conditions first.Research shows that ODD children who also have ADHD have a 90% chance of eliminating their oppositional defiance if their ADHD is treated effectively. This is true even when the severity of ADHD by itself was not enough to warrant medical intervention.
Omega-3 oils and vitamin E were tested in ODD children. Both seemed to help with the behavior to some degree.
Psychological Treatment
The most effect way to address your child's Oppositional Defiant Disorder is through parent management training. These programs can be quite expensive. They often cost $100/week or more and last from several months up to half a year. Insurance usually will not pay for such programs. Given all that, some form of parent training program is vital if you really want to help your child.
Generally, the younger your child is when you enroll in such a program, the better the outcome will be. However, recently a new extremely effective method for addressing ODD teenage behavior was developed. If your oppositional defiant child is already a teenager, you still are able to help your child. See the recommended resources below for more information.
Generally, the younger your child is when you enroll in such a program, the better the outcome will be. However, recently a new extremely effective method for addressing ODD teenage behavior was developed. If your oppositional defiant child is already a teenager, you still are able to help your child. See the recommended resources below for more information.
What You Need to Do
There is still very little known about Oppositional Defiant Disorder. However, given what we know, the following are the current recommendations.
1. Get your child a thorough medical and psychological evaluation. You must know exactly what your child's problems are before you can take steps to eliminating them.
2. After you identify any other disorders that your child has, treat them aggressively. Addressing the conditions that accompany ODD can often be the quickest way to eliminate your child's oppositional defiance.
3. Consider giving your child an Omega-3 supplement and a vitamin E supplement. There are no ill effects of giving these nutrients and most children are deficient in them.
4. Enroll in a parent training program, either locally if you have the financial resources, or on line.
Conclusion
It is hard to raise a child who has Oppositional Defiant Disorder. However, it can be done.If you identify your child's other problems and treat them; AND if you develop your parenting skills through a specialized parenting program, then you will be successful.
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Recommended Resources
Information
- Child & Teen Discipline: FREE CD
- Get a FREE CD on how to deliver effective consequences to children and teens- This is a great resource!
- University of Virginia
- Detailed information on oppositional defiant disorder, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
- Health Scout
- Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention of Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Do you need help with an Oppositional Defiant Disorder child? Is your child's behavior and defiance destroying your family? We have information that will help you.
- Complete Connection Parenting Community
- A great blog on all sorts of parenting issues
- "Parenting with Control" e-Letter series
- A great newsletter for parents struggling with their children. There are separate letters for parents of younger children and parents of teens.
- University of Maryland
- Oppositional defiant disorder, Oppositional defiant disorder is a pattern of disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward authority figures. To fit this diagnosis, the pattern must persist for at least 6 months and must go beyond the bounds of normal childhood misbehavior.
Online Treatment Programs
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder Parenting Help
- Program to help parents take control of their child's difficult defiant behavior. For children for the ages of 3-12.
- Teen Behavior Program
- Program to help parents with difficult teen behavior. For ages 12 and older.
- ADD ADHD Child Treatment Program
- The complete integrated program that shows you how to get the right treatment plan for your ADHD child for less than the cost of one visit to your doctor.
Online Screening Tests
- ODD Screening Test
- Screening test for Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Complete Connection Parenting Community
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- Nicole Nicole Oct 1, 2009 @ 12:57 pm
- YOU can help your son! I too have a daughter with ODD and three other children who don't have ODD, I just need to continually be learning different parenting skills to work with my daughter because she responds differently than my other children do. It's not hopeless, just frustrating at times. But you can do it because you obviously love your son. It takes a ton of patience and there will be days when you want to pull your hair out but progress will be made slowly. He wants to show you love and respect, when times are hard you have to trust and believe in that.
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- lennie lennie Aug 26, 2009 @ 3:33 am
- hi , the article was very interesting for me to read and sums my child up all in one. And there is alot of other thing in the article i could benifit from to as well. thank you.
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Reply
- lennie lennie Aug 26, 2009 @ 3:33 am
- hi , the article was very interesting for me to read and sums my child up all in one. And there is alot of other thing in the article i could benifit from to as well. thank you.
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Reply
- Naomi Naomi Aug 11, 2009 @ 12:57 am
- I glimped the article and found it to be extremely informative/very very helpful.
"THANKS A MILLION"
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- Rob Miller Rob Miller Jul 27, 2009 @ 4:55 am
- None
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- CLAUDIA CLAUDIA Jun 30, 2009 @ 9:21 am
- This is a very educational wep page. I thank A. Kane for recommending it. I currently work in Venezuela as a Psychologist and am engaging in Parents Education Programs constantly. I believe we lack of a lot of information here in Venezuela. Thanks and best regards.
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- Michelle Michelle May 30, 2009 @ 11:43 am
- I too, as with all of you. Dealing with an ADHD/ODD child. He is 6 and will be 7 in July. He has been through every ADHD medicine on the market, and he also takes Prozac for his mood swings. I was hoping to find an ADHD med. that works for him. I have asked the doctor about bi-polar disorder, and yet he is too young to diagnose. He is a very, very smart child. I don't know what to do with him, he talks back, throws temper tantrums. And really don't know what to do. Can anyone help!!
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- Karen Karen May 27, 2009 @ 1:49 pm
- My biggest situation is that my son who is now 11 is very good at acting smart. I say acting smart (because I can see and so can his teachers and others) that he definetly needs help or assistance with school work or at a sport or even in addressing peers and won't take it.I have had him tested several times in the past that now the testing just makes me look as though i am looking for a disorder in him. Again he is very smart, very very althletic but o my goodness so angry. Often coaches want him (all sports, extreamly good at basketball, baseball, lacrosse, football,soccer) but all say to me how worried they are about his behavior. He has been suspended from school because of fighting with other kids, mouthing off to teachers and other staff. I am a single Mom of 4 children and often tell him I love him and try to use the word and instead of But when he has to tell me why things aren't his fault. Gosh I am trying and often feel at a loss for situations that arise with him.
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- fed up fed up May 21, 2009 @ 12:15 pm
- You obviously have never lived with a child with this disorder. Before you condemn, spend 24 hours with one of these kids. But be sure to leave your vaulables at home, because more then likely the kid will have them when you leave!
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- Linda stevens Linda stevens May 8, 2009 @ 4:37 am
- Dr. Kane is my favorite research resource. I am so deeply thankful to him and grateful for every one of his video's!! The endless emails and follow up contacts have kept me sane and hopeful. I cannot say enough good things about the benefits of reading and listening to everything one can find that he has out there. This news letter is one of the best resources yet! Thank you Thank you Thank you Dr. Anthony Kane.
Sincerely Linda Stevens in Virginia Beach
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by akane
Anthony Kane, MD is a physician, an international lecturer, and former director of special education. He is the author of a book, numerous articles, a... (more)
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