![]() A lot of the bad behavior simply drops off.”īut ADHD medication is seldom all that’s needed to control oppositional behavior. And for many kids with ADHD and oppositional behavior, the stimulant medications are a kind of miracle. Says Riley, “If a kid is so impulsive or distracted that he can’t focus on the therapies we use to treat oppositional behavior,” he says, “he isn’t going to get very far. “Since oppositional behavior is often related to stress,” says Silver, “you have to address the source of the stress - the ADHD symptoms - before turning to behavioral issues.” The first step is to make sure that the child’s ADHD is under control. What Treatment Is Available to Manage My Defiant Child’s ODD & Severe ADHD Behavior?Īny child with ADHD who exhibits signs of oppositional behavior needs appropriate treatment that usually includes a combination of medication and family therapy. And left untreated, oppositional behavior can evolve into conduct disorder, an even more serious behavioral problem marked by physical violence, stealing, running away from home, fire-setting, and other highly destructive and often illegal behaviors. Older kids with ODD are less likely to outgrow it. They hone their oppositional attitude.”Ībout half of all preschoolers diagnosed with ODD outgrow the problem by age 8. So instead of feeling stupid, their defense is to feel cool. “They see themselves as getting in more trouble, and in some cases may have more difficulty mastering academic work - often despite an above-average intellect. “Children with ADHD know from a young age that they’re different from other kids,” he says. “Everything becomes everyone else’s fault, and the child doesn’t take responsibility for anything that goes wrong.” “When under stress - whether it’s because they have ADHD or their parents are getting divorced - a certain percentage of kids externalize their anxiety,” says Larry Silver, M.D., a psychiatrist at Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, D.C. “They misbehave not because they’re intentionally oppositional, but because they can’t control their impulses.”Īnother view is that oppositional behavior is simply a way for kids to cope with the frustration and emotional pain associated with having ADHD. “Many kids with ADHD who are diagnosed with ODD are really showing oppositional characteristics by default,” says Houston-based child psychologist Carol Brady, Ph.D. In many cases, however, oppositional behavior seems to be a manifestation of ADHD-related impulsivity. No one knows why so many kids with ADHD exhibit oppositional behavior. It’s not always easy, but it can be done - typically with the help of specialized psychotherapy. The unfortunate reality is that discipline strategies that work with neurotypical children simply don’t work with kids with ODD.įortunately, psychologists have developed effective behavior therapy for reining in even the most defiant child. In part, this is because friends and relatives tend to blame the behavior on ‘bad parenting.’ Inconsistent discipline may play a role in the development of ODD, but is rarely the sole cause. The toll on the marital relationship can be especially severe. The strain of dealing with an oppositional child affects the entire family. They keep throwing out the bait, and their parents keep taking it - until finally the parents end up with the kid in family therapy, wondering where they’ve gone wrong.” “As soon as you begin arguing with them, you’re on their turf. ![]() “These children are most comfortable when they’re in the middle of a conflict,” says Douglas Riley, Ph.D., author of The Defiant Child: A Parent’s Guide to Oppositional Defiant Disorder (#CommissionsEarned) and a child psychologist in Newport News, Virginia. An 11-year-old who punches a hole in the wall and then physically assaults his mother.A 7-year-old who shouts “No” to every request and who showers his parents with verbal abuse.A 4-year-old who gleefully annoys her parents by blasting the TV at top volume as soon as she wakes up.How bad can it get? Consider these real-life children diagnosed with both ADHD and ODD: Severe ADHD Behavior and Oppositional Defiant Disorder SymptomsĤ0 percent of children with ADHD also develop oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), a condition marked by chronic aggression, frequent outbursts, and a tendency to argue, ignore requests, and engage in intentionally annoying behavior. For them, parenting a defiant child is a daily strain. But almost half of all parents who have kids with ADHD live with severe behavior problems and discipline challenges on an almost daily basis. Every parent of a defiant child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD) knows what it’s like to deal with severe ADHD behavior problems - sometimes even the most well-behaved child lashes out, or refuses to comply with even the most benign request.
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