Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So it seems that some people want to label every child that acts up with some type of new 'disorder' and get appropriate medication and counseling. Most of these behavioral disorders are caused by loose parenting in my opinion. They are a sign of the times. Everyone is different. If your child is having a problem look to the root of the problem, it could be you.
I did a lot of dog training and the one thing I learned was there is no way to train all dogs by one training method. What works for one, may not, cannot, and will not work for another. It's one of the reason I prefer to work and train a dog one on one rather than in a class situation.
Yet we send all kinds of kids to public schools, 30 or more to a class, expose them all to the same curriculum, all pretty much at the same age, and expect them to react the same way. And then we wonder why some kids have problems. Add societal and parental expectations, and you wonder how the thing works as well as it does.
To give an example, most books and training experts recommend you start training a dog by 6 months of age. I know a lot of people who have pooh-poohed that and started their dogs very young, completing all their dogs' obedience degrees by the time the dogs were 7 months old. Yet looking back, if I could have done it over, I would have taught the very basics of obedience to my dog (and not demanded perfection) at a fairly young age, but for the perfection required for the obedience ring and the amount of attention it needed, I would have waited till my dog was about 2 1/2 years old. He simply wasn't mentally mature enough to take it all in before that age.
I should add that my trying to push him before he was ready resulted in a couple of awful years, but once I (not he) tumbled to a training method more suited to him, he continued to learn and do new things past the time most dogs are retired from showing and working.
I'm wondering how many parents started their kids out in first grade, wondering if maybe the kids should have waited a couple of years first. Of course, the stigma of being the oldest kid in the class would be absolutely miserable for most kids, but at the same time, if you have a child who needs a few years of living under his belt before he starts the most important part of his life, maybe it would be worth it. For children already coming into the world with ADHD, ODD, and other problems, going to school and not being able to understand the lessons, unable to keep still long enough to absorb it, or simply being frustrated by material being presented in a way that they can't comprehend and then being expected to learn it, can only compound their original problem.
For those looking for an alternative to reward-punishment systems, this approach has been shown to be very effective. It is based on the premise that kids do well if they can, but need help overcoming the barriers to that success. Worked wonders for our family!
I can't believe some of the responses I have read. I really wish it wasn't a "real disorder". I will tell you our story.
My husband and I have been fostering children for 15 years. I provided licensed family daycare in our home for 20 years. I have worked in a group daycare for 5 years
We have 3 biological adult children and have had just over 110 children placed in our home as foster children.
Just over 5 years ago we got a call from MCFD{child protection in British Columbia} They had a newborn straight from the hospital that needed a home. This baby was also born with TCH and Cocaine in his system. We took him in. We have raised him with so much love. We have applied for his adoption.
Two years ago his behaviors became out of control. He was the most calm. happy baby/toddler until this. After a while we went to his pediatrian asking for help and a diagnosis. After many tests. sessions with mental health and a referral we got the diagnosis of ODD. ADHD and conductive disorder. This child is SO wanted in our home, he is attached. appears "normal". But the word "no" is a trigger for him. he is unable to go along with the decisions he makes. he is violent at times to everyone in our home. we tread lightly by not allowing him to argue with us. He needs structure. advance warnings of new activities. no competition with other children.
Everything is a challenge to him, this also has been a blessing! He is very smart. very personable. don't tell him he can't make his bed. he will have it done in seconds!
We have never parented a child like this before. Who knows what his future will bring. One pediatrian said "sorry he is too young for jail"! He is a beautiful child who can read, spell and is starting French immersion kindergarten this fall.
So maybe next time you see a parent struggle to gain control of their child, or think "that child needs a spanking" please be patient, some days are really tough and we are doing the best we can.
The DSM is no magical wand but tries to stand as a description of groups of behaviors put together for medical coding and billing purposes in order to justify ''treatment'' which could be medication, counseling, case management, hospitilazation, etc. It attempts to describe severities and duration of these behaviors on a continuum. It is someone's ''opinion'' when they attach the medical diagnosis and it can be overused and misused and often is.
The problem with labels is that sometimes they keep people stuck. The beauty of labels is that they can capture in sharp focus the range of behaviors and personality traits unique to that diagnosis.
I worked for years in community mental health and I gotta tell you that, yes, some kids have all the traits of ODD to a severe, entrenched degree and the usual parental interventions, no matter how well delivered, rarely work.
These kids are a handful and though I am no fan of labels it truly is an indicator of the severity of the problem behaviors.
Last edited by HappyDogToday; 07-26-2015 at 01:39 AM..
I have worked with kids and parents for several years in different jobs. Life is becoming more difficult, information out there is confusing, and the world is changing at an exponential pace. I think there are real kids with real disorders, but in my experience, it is diluted because doctors only prescribe medicine, they don't treat the whole child. They are not coaches, counselors, psychologists, or psychiatrists. When medications are prescribed, counseling is supposed to take place as well because there are skills to be learned. The medical and counseling community recommend this, but rarely does counseling accompany medication. Doctors also do not take into account the whole picture of the family, possible co-morbid issues, other diagnosis, etc, that may be presenting as the diagnosed problem. I typically see other issues triggering behavior that looks like ODD or ADHD. So, these two diagnosis get treated with medicine, but the real problem lays dormant. I highly recommend parents take there child to a coach or counselor to address the whole child in order for positive, long-lasting results to take place. There are lots of great folks here to help. Don't' be afraid to reach out beyond the pediatrician. Its not their fault. They are doing what they are trained to do, which is great. Reach out to other professionals who can address the other issues. Its our children. They deserve the best care we can give.
I have worked with kids and parents for several years in different jobs. Life is becoming more difficult, information out there is confusing, and the world is changing at an exponential pace. I think there are real kids with real disorders, but in my experience, it is diluted because doctors only prescribe medicine, they don't treat the whole child. They are not coaches, counselors, psychologists, or psychiatrists. When medications are prescribed, counseling is supposed to take place as well because there are skills to be learned. The medical and counseling community recommend this, but rarely does counseling accompany medication. Doctors also do not take into account the whole picture of the family, possible co-morbid issues, other diagnosis, etc, that may be presenting as the diagnosed problem. I typically see other issues triggering behavior that looks like ODD or ADHD. So, these two diagnosis get treated with medicine, but the real problem lays dormant. I highly recommend parents take there child to a coach or counselor to address the whole child in order for positive, long-lasting results to take place. There are lots of great folks here to help. Don't' be afraid to reach out beyond the pediatrician. Its not their fault. They are doing what they are trained to do, which is great. Reach out to other professionals who can address the other issues. Its our children. They deserve the best care we can give.
Good advice. When my son received a mental health diagnosis I was told to medicate but that he didn't need therapy. By 3 psychiatrist. I listened and I wish I haven't. Because 3 years later we aren't really any better off in this area then we were. After we get some more about his health figured out, I am going to start him in therapy.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is caused by the emotional stress caused by living with ADHD. When people expect you to do things your ADHD brain cannot do, and get upset with you when you fail to meet their expectations, it causes a lot of stress and frustration for the ADHD child who already cannot regulate, inhibit and self soothe their anger. It's very easy for the child to eventually externalize the anger and resentment from dealing with a demanding world.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is really just the emotional impulsivity associated with ADHD, it just takes one symptom of ADHD to label the kid as ODD.
This concludes that ODD isn't real at all. It was proven by the leading ADHD expert Dr. Russel Barkley.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is caused by the emotional stress caused by living with ADHD. When people expect you to do things your ADHD brain cannot do, and get upset with you when you fail to meet their expectations, it causes a lot of stress and frustration for the ADHD child who already cannot regulate, inhibit and self soothe their anger. It's very easy for the child to eventually externalize the anger and resentment from dealing with a demanding world.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is really just the emotional impulsivity associated with ADHD, it just takes one symptom of ADHD to label the kid as ODD.
This concludes that ODD isn't real at all. It was proven by the leading ADHD expert Dr. Russel Barkley.
Do you have any proof that ODD is just a side effect ADHD and not an actual disorder?
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is caused by the emotional stress caused by living with ADHD. When people expect you to do things your ADHD brain cannot do, and get upset with you when you fail to meet their expectations, it causes a lot of stress and frustration for the ADHD child who already cannot regulate, inhibit and self soothe their anger. It's very easy for the child to eventually externalize the anger and resentment from dealing with a demanding world.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is really just the emotional impulsivity associated with ADHD, it just takes one symptom of ADHD to label the kid as ODD.
This concludes that ODD isn't real at all. It was proven by the leading ADHD expert Dr. Russel Barkley.
Sorry, but as the parent of a child who was labeled with ODD, but not ADHD, I would disagree. Without the link to Dr. Barkley, I would guess that he was referring to children who had ADHD and who were ALSO diagnosed with ODD. The reason I think this is because my daughter (who was removed from her bio mom at age five due to severe neglect) had very severe "control issues", which manifested in very angry and very oppositional behaviors. Now, she was diagnosed with ODD in 1997, nearly 20 years ago, so perhaps the criteria for a diagnosis of ODD has changed since then, but as I said, my daughter did not have any of the symptoms of ADHD. All of her teachers and counselors agreed on this, btw, as they also agreed, without exception, that she had very serious "control issues" and severe problems with any kind of adult authority.
Btw, my daughter finally did "outgrew" these issues to some degree, although not for many years. She is now 24 years old, married, and the mother of three and has had jobs in the past in which, of course, she had to submit to others in authority. However, as a result of spending so many years with a very difficult child, I have learned to take the opinions of "experts" in the field of psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy with a very large degree of skepticism; and I would also never think, "Well, she or he is just wrong", whether I was referring to an expert or to a parent. As many others have pointed out, each child is different.
Sorry, but as the parent of a child who was labeled with ODD, but not ADHD, I would disagree. Without the link to Dr. Barkley, I would guess that he was referring to children who had ADHD and who were ALSO diagnosed with ODD. The reason I think this is because my daughter (who was removed from her bio mom at age five due to severe neglect) had very severe "control issues", which manifested in very angry and very oppositional behaviors. Now, she was diagnosed with ODD in 1997, nearly 20 years ago, so perhaps the criteria for a diagnosis of ODD has changed since then, but as I said, my daughter did not have any of the symptoms of ADHD. All of her teachers and counselors agreed on this, btw, as they also agreed, without exception, that she had very serious "control issues" and severe problems with any kind of adult authority.
Btw, my daughter finally did "outgrew" these issues to some degree, although not for many years. She is now 24 years old, married, and the mother of three and has had jobs in the past in which, of course, she had to submit to others in authority. However, as a result of spending so many years with a very difficult child, I have learned to take the opinions of "experts" in the field of psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy with a very large degree of skepticism; and I would also never think, "Well, she or he is just wrong", whether I was referring to an expert or to a parent. As many others have pointed out, each child is different.
Just a thought....perhaps she had attachment disorder, not ODD?
In general, I do believe in the meat of mental health diagnoses. I don't buy ODD. I think it's a lable to slap on children struggling with other disorders. I have never once seen it in a child with no other co-morbs.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
misidentified disorders
