Identifying Oppositional Defiant Disorder

During adolescence, ODD is demonstrated differently as a result of developmental demands. While this is an developmental age where identity and becoming your own person is important, teens with ODD appear to take it to the extreme. They are not only defiant, but are seemingly willing to accept any consequence just to “win” an argument. For parents seeking help or deciding whether or not to seek professional help, a further frustrating aspect of adolescent ODD can be a teen’s ability to follow rules at school, work or church, with defiant behavior limited to the family home. This can lead others to criticize the parenting, resulting in parents not seeking appropriate professional help. In addition to the symptoms identified above, teens with ODD can demonstrate the following: 

1. Failure to follow daily living rules, such as; keeping a bedroom clean, completing chores, poor personal hygiene.
2. Failure to follow family curfew rules.
3. Agreeing tasks but failing to complete them through feigned ignorance.
4. Limited insight into personal difficulties and a tendency to blame others for shortcomings.
5. Trouble with police, usually for reasons of disrespect or provocation.

All children exhibit behaviors that could be labeled as "oppositional" from time to time: They may talk back, throw tantrums, break rules, annoy others, become angry, etc. Children are more likely to have trouble controlling their behavior when they are tired, hungry, frustrated, stressed, etc. Also, children can act out when their environmental demands exceed their abilities. For example, expecting a five-year-old to sit quietly during a long airplane ride, or when an authority figure is inconsistent about rules or allowable behavior. A parent should also consider whether a pervasive developmental disorder is creating a situation where expectations exceed ability. For example, asking a child with cognitive impairment or delayed language abilities to comprehend the rules that they are being presented with.

A child’s behavior should not be considered abnormal unless it occurs much more frequently than is typically observed by other children of a comparable age and developmental level, or when it seriously affects the child's social, family, and academic life.¹

Does your child exhibit symptoms of ODD? Complete the screening test. Keep in mind that only a trained professional can make a proper diagnosis. You may want to share the results of this screening with your child’s doctor.

Surveys suggest that between 2 and 16 percent of school-aged children are diagnosed with ODD, with rates somewhat higher among preschool-aged children.² ODD is usually diagnosed before the age of eight. If ODD persists into late childhood and adolescence it tends to be more severe, or may develop into Conduct Disorder. According to the DSM-IV, ODD is more prevalent among boys than girls before puberty, with rates being equal thereafter. However, other findings suggest that up to the age of eight, boys and girls are equally affected by ODD, but boys with ODD tend to be more disruptive than girls with ODD.²

Risk Factors for ODD include:

• Inconsistent or Harsh Discipline
• Lack of Positive Parental Involvement
• Living in an unstable family environment (e.g. stormy marriage, divorce, abuse or violence, unexpected unemployment)
• Inconsistent Child Care or Supervision
• Lack of positive parenting interactions

Recommendations for Parents:

• Be consistent with rules, routines and consequences.
• Set reasonable expectations. Recognize your child’s age and ability to understand your expectations and the consequences for not meeting those expectations.
• Pick your battles. Children with ODD are argumentative by nature. Do not reinforce this behavior. Instead remind them of your expectations and the consequence of not meeting the expectation. If the undesired behavior continues implement an appropriate consequence.

Children with ODD are not likely to simply "outgrow" the problem, at least not right away. Symptoms may improve over time as children and their families receive treatment or develop tools for coping with this disorder.

Time-Out is a discipline tool that most parents have heard of, but few understand completely. For many children, simply providing a quiet place to contemplate the consequences of engaging in an undesirable behavior can be effective. For children struggling with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or Conduct Disorder, a lack of appropriate time out implementation can actually lead to an increase in negative behavior. Learn how to make timeout a successful disciplinary tool.

Timeout is most effective with young children. If you find timeout is losing its effect or as your children become older, you may want to become more creative in clearly defining expectations and consequences.