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I was talking to a parent the other day, and the parent said their kid has ADHD (doesn't everyone, now?) and "Oppositional Defiant Disorder", or ODD. ODD was a new one to me, so I looked it up...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mayo Clinic
Definition
Even the best-behaved children can be difficult and challenging at times. But if your child or teen has a frequent and persistent pattern of anger, irritability, arguing, defiance or vindictiveness toward you and other authority figures, he or she may have oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).
As a parent, you don't have to go it alone in trying to manage a child with ODD. Doctors, counselors and child development experts can help.
Treatment of ODD involves therapy, training to help build positive family interactions and skills to manage behaviors, and possibly medications to treat related mental health conditions.
I'm starting to think we create medical labels to make excuses for everything. It isn't your fault you don't discipline your child, and it isn't your fault he acts up. He just has "Oppositional Defiant Disorder", and the disorder makes him not do what you say.
It seemed to me like the teen was being a regular teenager without boundaries. He's picks on and cusses his parents, and they don't know what to do with him. They got onto him for something he did, and he went around moving furniture and unplugging stuff to get back at them. If you let a teen run wild without any consequences, of course they're going to take advantage of every inch you give them and try to take more. However, if you discipline your child or teen and enforce a certain standard, they won't get "Oppositional Defiant Disorder".
A coworker summed it up pretty well when he said the cure for ODD back in the day was a belt.
I'm opening the floor for discussion from psychologists/non-spanking parents who will say this disorder is real and the parents who keep their kids in line who say it is a made up excuse. Go!
There is plenty of literature about the difference between this disorder and normal childhood rebellion/limit-testing. There is also a handy book that summarizes it, known as DSM IV.
Psychiatric diagnoses have specific criteria that differentiate symptoms from normal behavior and experiences. Opinions on an Internet forum don't change that.
I was talking to a parent the other day, and the parent said their kid has ADHD (doesn't everyone, now?) and "Oppositional Defiant Disorder", or ODD. ODD was a new one to me, so I looked it up...
I'm starting to think we create medical labels to make excuses for everything. It isn't your fault you don't discipline your child, and it isn't your fault he acts up. He just has "Oppositional Defiant Disorder", and the disorder makes him not do what you say.
It seemed to me like the teen was being a regular teenager without boundaries. He's picks on and cusses his parents, and they don't know what to do with him. They got onto him for something he did, and he went around moving furniture and unplugging stuff to get back at them. If you let a teen run wild without any consequences, of course they're going to take advantage of every inch you give them and try to take more. However, if you discipline your child or teen and enforce a certain standard, they won't get "Oppositional Defiant Disorder".
A coworker summed it up pretty well when he said the cure for ODD back in the day was a belt.
I'm opening the floor for discussion from psychologists/non-spanking parents who will say this disorder is real and the parents who keep their kids in line who say it is a made up excuse. Go!
Of course it's real....it's not just a kid being surly and not listening.
And many of these kids with ODD had in develop after neglect and excessive corporal punishments ( though not always ).
Have you even read the DSM criteria for diagnosis?
I saw "ODD" the other day and thought it was a typo for ADD .
This is the first time I've really heard of it. I think...that this could be real. I think there is a difference between normal teen angst and rebellion and extreme anger/borderline psychotic behavior. I got angry at my parents as a teen, but I never attacked them or did anything to get back at them. And my parents weren't even very strict. I was never really punished as a teen, BUT I didn't really need to be either.
The thing with these "new" disorders is that they aren't new at all. We just didn't study the behavior back then (at least not extensively) to see if there is a difference between a hyper child and ADD or an angry teen and ODD. First we have to find out what normal behavior is, then test to find out how abnormal a person's behavior has to be and if there is a large enough sector displaying these symptoms to create a diagnosis and form treatments. This takes a lot of time to do correctly.
As far as the "belt" comment. I hate that response. To me it means the person has no understanding of child behavior and discipline and since they don't know what they are talking about, they just give a short easy answer: spanking. Research shows that spanking not only does not correct behavior for the long term, but it can have lifelong psychological effects on the child, such as insecurity, anger, depression and addiction. I would actually wonder how many of these teens with ODD were spanked regularly as a child ??
As a parent of a child with ODD it is very real and it is not just a teenager disorder. It has nothing to do with age but long term behavior lasting more than six months. My child was diagnose at age three and we are now heading towards the teen years. I have two children and I parent differently, my ODD child needs more structure, more boundaries and constant reminder. I don't have to do this with the other child. So if you think children with ODD is due to parenting skills it's quite the opposite, we are more on the to teach them how to live and succeed in the world that has less understanding.
I had a student with an ODD diagnosis 15 years ago. It is a real issue for some kids. Obviously, like all medical dxs sometime there are people who demand a dx when it isn't warranted but that doesn't make it any less real for those who do have it.
I've heard of it, because I know someone who was diagnosed as an adolescent. He was subsequently diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder as a young adult. He was prone to fits of anger that were significantly out of proportion to the circumstances. It was more than just a teenage temper tantrum. He scared the heck out of me and still does.
I had a student with an ODD diagnosis 15 years ago. It is a real issue for some kids. Obviously, like all medical dxs sometime there are people who demand a dx when it isn't warranted but that doesn't make it any less real for those who do have it.
That is one point I forgot to add. I think things like this are sometimes over diagnosed, which undermines the people who truly have it. That doesn't make it any less real or in need of treatment though.
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