Alternative boarding school offering troubled teens programs and boot camps providing teenage help and parenting advice and tips.

While they existed for centuries, our modern appearance-based society has certainly placed eating disorders in a new light. While adults also suffer from eating disorders (the tragic case of Karen Carpenter comes to mind), teens are particularly at risk for them.

Early intervention is very important in helping teens look forward to a better adulthood. Because of the developmental changes that go on when children go through the adolescent phase, it sometimes make it harder for parents to determine whether the changes they notice in their children should make them concerned or not.

It can be a very emotionally draining and stressful experience to parent defiant teens. Parents need all the help they can get to not just get through the phase in one piece but also to help their teens become better adjusted adult who isn't always at odds or struggling against the people around them.

What can parents do?
When faced with the daily struggles of dealing with a defiant teen, it helps to keep a few things in mind. Here are a few tips for dealing with defiant teens:

Is your child often hostile, argumentative, goes out of his way to disobey authority figures and is often at odds with the people around him? Is your child's negative attitude obviously out of proportion and consistently apparent compared with other children of the same age group? Has this been going on for more than six months? Has it become so severe that it has already affected your child's life and the way that he functions everyday? Does your child have other preexisting conditions like learning disabilities, or mood disorders. The most common preexisting condition that go with ODD is ADHD. Recognizing the symptoms of ADHD can help determine if your child has it. If your child has other preexisting conditions, it may be time to take your child to the doctor and consider the possibility that he has ODD (Oppositional defiant disorder).