Every child has a moment or two when they don’t want to listen to their parents. After all, they’re young, emotional, and often unpredictable human beings with their own needs. But your child isn’t like that. They persistently and needlessly fight you on everything and have even lashed out physically at you and their siblings. More than once, you’ve felt they were out of control.
Do these behaviors mean your child has oppositional defiant disorder or ODD? Perhaps, even though this condition remains somewhat controversial in some sectors. Regardless of how it’s defined, ODD needs treatment. Left unmanaged, it can make your house miserable and as if your child is a terrorist holding your family hostage. Nobody deserves that kind of torment.
Thankfully, our team at A Cognitive Connection understands ODD and can give you the support you need. Our behavioral therapies focus on negating adverse behaviors and teaching children and adults how to handle themselves more healthily. Here’s what you need to know about this disorder and how you and your child can successfully work through this process.
What Is Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
The Mayo Clinic defines oppositional defiant disorder as “…a frequent and ongoing pattern of anger, irritability, arguing, and defiance toward parents and other authority figures.” In other words, it’s not your child saying “no” when they don’t want to eat broccoli for dinner. Instead, ODD would experience far more upsetting and even aggressive behaviors, like:
- Quickly and frequently losing their temper for little to no purpose
- Often “touchy” or being easily annoyed by others for little reason
- Angry and resentful behaviors when asked to do anything
- Regularly arguing with adults and anyone in authority
- Defying or refusing to follow adult requests and rules
- Blaming other people for their mistakes or behaviors
- Becoming vocally aggressive or hateful when upset about anything
- Getting “revenge” against others when they’re angry
ODD cases can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the child. A child with mild ODD may show symptoms in only one setting. For example, they may behave fine at school but react against you or vice versa. They may even be okay with you and their teachers but act out against their peers aggressively, such as screaming at or even hitting them for no reason.
By contrast, moderate ODD develops in at least two settings, such as at home and when out in public. Severe ODD may appear in three or more areas and significantly impact a child’s life. When a child has severe ODD, there may be few places where they don’t act out. For their parents and peers, this can make interacting with that child a daily impossibility.
Why Do Children Develop It?
Oppositional defiant disorder occurs in between 2-11% of all children and has many potential triggers. So, there’s no one reason why a child acts out in this way. Typically, ODD comes from a complex interlacing of genetics, brain health, and even learned behavior patterns. WebMD discusses a few of these factors and the ways that they can trigger ODD in many young ones:
- Brain Chemistry: Our mind’s chemistry dictates much about our behaviors. In this way, children with ODD likely have malfunctioning neurotransmitters that cause these symptoms. The exact causes are unclear and may not be treatable by medicines.
- Temperament: Some children are naturally easygoing and rarely argue with others. By contrast, some might be argumentative and difficult. Children with ODD likely have very challenging personalities and feel compelled to defy every order they’re given.
- Family History/Issues: A child from a family with a history of ODD, mood disorders, anxiety problems, and personality issues may be at higher risk of this condition. A dysfunctional family life, including violence and drug abuse, may cause some symptoms.
- Peer Influence: Children are almost as heavily influenced by their peers as they are by their parents. As they age, that influence might only increase. So, if a child is cheered for acting defiant in front of their teachers, they may start doing it more for validation.
At A Cognitive Connection, we know that raising a child with ODD can be very challenging. Some might not push against your authority constantly but infrequently. Others might basically run your home like a tyrant. This condition typically triggers wildly varying behaviors in children that will be as personalized as their fingerprints. Understanding them can streamline diagnosis.
Could It Affect Them Into Adulthood?
Unfortunately, behavioral problems like ODD often follow children into adulthood and plague them for years. For example, ODD could expand to become something as severe as Conduct Disorder or CD. CD usually includes frequent and rampant rule-breaking, including running away, skipping school, or staying out all night partying on weekdays as they become teenagers.
These behaviors could also worsen, including bullying others weaker than them, physically fighting with others, or acting cruelly towards animals. Some might even lie, steal, or damage other people’s property or start abusing drugs and alcohol. According to the CDC, behaviors like these can spiral out of control in adulthood and cause lifelong problems for a child.
Our team at A Cognitive Connection has seen this heartbreaking transition far too often but has helped many children break through these self-destructive behaviors. We won’t lie: while treating oppositional defiant disorder is possible, it requires a multifaceted approach. Thankfully, we understand how to work your child through ODD and help them become happier.
Can These Behaviors Be Treated?
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, there are multiple helpful care options available to reduce ODD symptom severity. Our team at A Cognitive Connection understands these unique options and will work hard to ensure your child gets the help they need through:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a powerful treatment option for helping children better understand themselves. They’ll learn how to control their troubling impulses and anger and practice coping techniques to avoid acting out aggressively.
- Family Counseling: Families with a child who has ODD will likely need therapy to understand better how they might influence these behaviors. Parents and siblings will learn to communicate successfully during counseling and have more vital family interaction with their children.
- Peer Group Treatment: During peer group therapy, children develop better social and interpersonal skills and interact with their fellows safely. This powerful tool includes various activities that help them avoid overreacting or being aggressive toward their peers.
- Classes and Courses: At A Cognitive Connection, we provide parenting classes and individual tutoring sessions to help children and parents learn from each other. Events like these help bridge the gap caused by oppositional defiant disorder and minimize symptom severity as well.
- Medicines: As previously mentioned, no drug can “cure” oppositional defiant disorder. Instead, medicines are often used to handle other symptoms and disorders that might co-occur in a child with ODD. For example, treating ADHD, depression, and anxiety can make this process easier.
At A Cognitive Connection, we can set up a treatment plan that makes sense for your children. We can provide cognitive behavioral therapy and other options that help your children mature correctly and become happier. Do you have anything else you need to know before scheduling treatment? We’re here to address all your questions and ensure you get answers.
When Should I Contact A Cognitive Connection for Help?
It’s essential to contact us at A Cognitive Connection if your child’s ODD behaviors are adversely impacting your family’s life. This frustrating behavioral issue doesn’t just challenge your child but can take over your whole home. Sadly, managing your child’s emotional outbursts and demanding behaviors will be everybody’s burden, one that’s often too heavy even to share.
So please don’t hesitate to call us at (719) 358-6637 or email CognitiveConnection@gmail.com to set up your appointment with our team of specialists. Our testimonials page highlights happy clients who used our care to improve their child’s behavior and their family’s life. With our treatments and kid-based events, you can regain a happy life with your child and family.
