Living With A Child With Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a scary ordeal to undergo whether you are a new parent or a seasoned one. The challenges are endless, but it’s possible to get through it. Develop a positive plan for behavior, discipline, and consequences and be consistent. This won’t change your child’s behavior overnight but will begin to grow and expand as you build your child’s skills and emotional resources. Find out what ODD is and the various ways to help make life with a child who has this condition a bit easier to manage. All of this information should help parents feel quite a bit more confident moving forward.

What Is ODD?

Oppositional defiant disorder is an affliction affecting 10.2 percent of all children. All kids will act out, but what makes children with ODD different is parents will notice a pattern of behavior. These behaviors will manifest in many ways, but will largely be comprised of disobedience, anger, irritable moods, hostile and defiant actions, and argumentative conduct.

Children won’t always display all of the symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder. Some afflictions may come and go, and some may be more severe than others. It’s important to record what behaviors you see in your child so you can come up with the best strategy.

Some typical behaviors parents will want to be on the lookout for are challenging authority, lying, blaming others, becoming easily annoyed or annoying others, and low self-esteem. This isn't a comprehensive list of behaviors, however, but just a few of the most common examples.

Keep reading to learn the importance of paying attention to your child's behavioral signs.