It can be disheartening when your child or adolescent has been diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Parents can feel overwhelmed by the constant acting out behaviors of their children. However, with the proper therapy to treat ODD, many of the symptoms can be reduced or totally extinguished, allowing you and your child to live a calmer life.
Everyone gets cranky, especially children, but you’ve noticed that their mood goes above and beyond what you’d think is normal.
You feel like everything you say is met with an argument or battle. It’s rare that they don’t talk back.
When you ask your child to do something, they typically do the opposite or fight back, avoiding the task altogether.
It’s important to address several factors with ODD. Family-based therapy is helpful for ODD, and the child/adolescent may benefit from having their own therapist too.
ODD improves over time for many children. Follow-up studies have shown that with appropriate support, the signs and symptoms of ODD resolve within three years in approximately 67% of the children diagnosed with this disorder.
There is no known cause for ODD. Contributing causes may be a combination of inherited and environmental factors.
It is important for parents to have support from a therapist who specializes in ODD to understand how to and how not to react to their child.
When you’re ready to talk, we’re ready to listen. Fill out the form below to get in touch with Ally Psych and schedule your appointment.
