Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in Children: Causes and Symptoms

What are the behaviors that alert us that our child has ODD?

The oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a dysfunctional disobedient, defiant and hostile behavior pattern towards authority figures that some children exhibit. that some children exhibit.

Sometimes expressions such as "child emperors" or "child emperor syndrome" are also used to refer to this type of behavior in childhood.

Causes of oppositional defiant disorder

It is a disorder whose incidence is higher in boys than in girls. Several investigations have shown that Oppositional defiant disorder affects 20% of children between 5 and 10 years of age.. However, educational psychologists and pedagogues agree that this figure may be somewhat exaggerated due to various biases when assessing this type of behavior and comparing it to what is considered normal child behavior.

Oppositional defiant disorder usually has its onset around 8 years of age, but depending on the case, it may even debut at the age of 4-5 years. It is often noted that is a dysfunctional behavior that is caused by a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors..

Symptoms

• The child does not obey adult commands.
• Anger and resentment towards other people
• Tendency to argue with adults
• Blames others for own mistakes and failures
• Poor relationship with peers -- has few or no friends because they withdraw from him or her
• Gets into trouble at school
• Low frustration tolerance
• Little patience
• Tends to take revenge if he/she feels he/she has received a grievance
• Is highly susceptible

To know if a child has oppositional defiant disorder, must repeat his behavior pattern for at least 6 months, fit within at least half of the symptoms described above, and clearly transgress the limits of usual childhood misbehavior.and clearly transgress the usual childhood boundaries of misbehavior.

The set of behaviors should be significantly different from other children of similar age and cognitive development. The behavior should result in significant problems in the school environment or in interpersonal relationships.

Detection and diagnosis

Children presenting symptomatology that fits with ODD should be evaluated by a psychiatrist or psychologist.

Whether we are talking about children or adolescents, there are certain psychopathologies that may entail symptoms and behaviors very similar to those of oppositional defiant disorder.and should therefore be taken into consideration:

• Anxiety disorders
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Bipolar disorder
• Cyclothymia
• Depression
• Learning-related disorders
• Drug addiction (obviously, much more common in adolescents than in children)

Therapy and treatment

The best person to evaluate and map out an effective treatment for these types of cases is a qualified mental health professional with expertise in individual therapy and developmental and family disorders.. For their part, parents should also learn a series of guidelines and tips to manage and improve the child's behavior.

There are also some drugs that can be administered in cases where ODD is a consequence of another underlying psychopathology, such as depression or child psychosis. In any case, pharmacological treatment should always be the last option, pharmacological treatment should always be a last resortsince psychological and family therapy report good levels of effectiveness in correcting this disorder.

Expectations and possible complications

Psychological therapy can have a good effect in most cases, but there are cases of especially problematic children whose behavioral pattern is more consolidated. Children with oppositional defiant disorder may grow into adolescence and adulthood with behavioral disorders..

In some cases, the child with ODD may develop an antisocial personality disorder in adulthood.

In order to treat the disorder early so that the prognosis is favorable, consult with your physician, psychologist or psychiatrist if you have concerns about whether your child may be adopting ODD patterns of behavior.

Preventing Oppositional Defiant Disorder

As parents we must be consistent in setting rules and limits for our children in the home environment.. In addition, we must apply punishments equivalent to the child's mischief; we must never be too severe or contradictory with rewards or punishments.

Children learn mainly by imitation, by imitation. This means that parents, as primary references for children, serve as a mirror for the development of certain behavioral patterns. Therefore, we must be careful. And of course, we must avoid mistreatment or emotional rejection because it could be a triggering factor for the onset of this disorder.

• Also it is important to encourage the child to enjoy a good self-esteem to prevent this type of maladaptive behavior from occurring. To this end, we recommend that you read the following article: "10 strategies to improve your child's self-esteem".

Some articles that can help you to educate your child correctly.

If you have five more minutes of reading time, we suggest you take a look at these posts that will give you some keys to prevent ODD and get your child to learn adaptive behavioral patterns.

• "The 8 basic tips to avoid spoiling your child".
• "Dealing with difficult kids: 7 practical tips"
• "Tips for nurturing emotional intelligence in your children"

Bibliographical references:

• Aitchison, J. (1992). The articulate mammal. Introduction to Psycholinguistics. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
• Bueno, M.; Espejo, B.; Rodríguez, F. and Toro, S. (2000). Children with blindness.
• Pérez Pereira, M. (1995). New perspectives in developmental psychology. A critical historical approach. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
• Pinker, S. (2001). The language instinct. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
• Villuendas, Mª.D. and Gordo López, A. (coords.) (2003). Gender relations in psychology and education. Madrid: Consejería de Educación. Comunidad de Madrid.