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At some point, all children can become oppositional. They can be defiant, argumentative, disobedient, and unpleasant when they're tired, stressed, or upset. People who don't know what oppositional defiant disorder often ask whether this is a real disorder or whether they're just dealing with a child that needs to be disciplined.
What is Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)?
By definition, ODD is a behavioral disorder characterized by an ongoing pattern of being uncooperative, hostile, and defiant towards authority figures. Such disorder can seriously interfere with a person's day to day activities. The intensity and the frequency of a person's defiant behavior sets him/her apart from simply being a difficult child. As mentioned earlier, children are normally oppositional at certain times of their life. However, the consistency makes it very noticable. Eventually this will have a very negative effect on a child's social interactions, family life, and academic life.
Symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Temper tantrums
- Always refuses to comply with rules and requests, especially if made by an adult
- Refuses to own up to his/her mistakes and bad behavior
- Often shows anger and resentment
- Talks in a mean and spiteful way
- Always seeking revenge for wrong things done to him/her
- Makes deliberate effort towards annoying people
- Easily annoyed and offended
- Always questioning authority figures and the rules that they set
Studes show that between 1 to 16% of children have ODD, and it often also comes with other disorders such as ADHD, mood disorders, and learning disabilities. In such cases, ODD can be treated as coexisting disorders are also treated.
Possible treatment options for ODD
Once a child has been diagnosed with ODD, medication can be prescribed in order to help with some distressing symptoms, especially if ODD coexists with other conditions. A child with ODD can also go through individual psychotherapy in order to learn anger management, improve communication skills, and learn ways to increase flexibility and improve social skills. They can also go through family psychotherapy in order for the family to be involved in the healng process. It's also important for parents to undergo parent Management Training Programs in order to be able to effectively manage the child's behavior. Learning new parenting techniques can help them cope with the stress of having a child with ODD, and help their children manage the symptoms as well.
Suggestion for parents
- Praise any effort made to be flexible or cooperative. Positive reinforcement counts for a lot, but it's not easy to do when your child has ODD.
- Prioritize what you want your child to do. Since your child will always pick fights with you and will have trouble obeying what you say, pick your battles.
- Make rules and consequences clear and reasonable.
- Have other interests other than your child. Having a child with ODD can really test your patience and make life a lot more stressful. Having other things to focus on can help you manage your stress level better. This can help you be a better-adjusted parent to your child.
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