Parenting a child who has very defiant behavior or who is diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is different than parenting a “typical kid”.
ODD is defined as: “a child or teen who has a frequent and consistent pattern of anger, irritability, arguing, defiance and often vindictiveness towards their parent(s) or other authority figures.”
Children who consistently behave in this defiant way towards parents and authority figures don't eventually comply with most limit setting or consequences. Why? Because kids with this level of defiance are focused on being in control. When extremely defiant kids are facing a limit or consequence, their acting out behavior escalates, sometimes violently.
ODD is a very challenging diagnosis that takes a certain set of parenting techniques. Our articles below show you ways to effectively parent a child with very defiant behavior or ODD.
When someone has Oppositional Defiant Disorder, age is irrelevant. The sibling roles, even as adults, are ingrained after a lifetime of training. Both of my children are back home now -- my daughter having graduated from college and now working to pay off student loans, and my son working his way through school to avoid... Read more »
The start of every school year brings all sorts of images to mind: shopping for clothes and school supplies, getting back into a routine of dinner and bedtimes that may have become relaxed during summer, and relief from arguing siblings who have been stuck together 24/7 for the past three months. Many parents are relieved... Read more »
Are you a parent who feels like you’ve tried everything—and failed—in an attempt to manage your oppositional, defiant child? You’re not alone. Parenting an ODD kid can be one of the most frustrating things any parent faces. The good news is that there is hope. You may be thinking, “Yeah right, nothing can help my kid!” While it’s... Read more »
A diagnosis is an important piece of the puzzle we are trying to solve when we try to help kids with disabilities learn how to function. Many parents are relieved when they get a diagnosis for their acting-out, “problem child” because they see it as a guideline for the future. They think, “Now we’ll know... Read more »
Over the years, as technology has evolved and material things have become more readily available, our society has developed a strong sense of “the wants.” In this modern world, we don’t like to wait for things like computers, cars and houses—delayed gratification is a thing of the past. Our children have embraced this sense of... Read more »
This week, read about an oppositional, defiant teen in James Lehman's compelling book, Transform Your Problem Child. Meet the parents and family of Caleb, who have been dealing with their son's behavior since he was a young child, and "raising their tolerance for deviance" with each instance of acting out. When Caleb gets physically abusive,... Read more »
