ADHD/ODD | ADHD Information

I use "we'll see" alot because I usually base where we go on what mood he is in at that particular time .. and if he wants to go somewhere or get a treat or something .. I usually say we'll see how your behavior is in school or at home and go over the specific rules (ie staying in his seat at school, no talking back, no raising his voice etc) and base his rewards on these things .. even if he does these things less frequently than the norm .. he gets a small reward .. which might be the ice cream truck that rides around the neighborhood. Lately he hasn't been trying at all for rewards .. we are falling back into the negative reinforcement which he does not do well with at all! But if I do say we'll see and he has followed the rules and has a pleasant mood .. I make every effort to reward him even if I can't I call my parents to see if they can ... they are my only support when my husband is at work all day and night. I know this went off subject but my point was I use we'll see probably too much.

IMac, no i don't promise things that i can't fulfill. I use the word "maybe" a lot. It just so happened on that particular day that i was running around taking my dad all over the place (recently diagnosed with cancer) and by the time i got home i was exhausted. Sometimes i do wonder if he even tries to understand where i'm coming from.

Sounds like your son and my son would get along great...or get mad at each other! HA. My son's voice isn't high pitched it's almost raspy and deep but loud...almost like he doesn't think you heard him the first time around.

Yes! If you promise him something or say tomorrow we will do so and so, and we don't end up doing it, he starts saying that i lied to him. Everything has to be explained in detail...the reason why something's changed.

How old is your son?

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[QUOTE=munkies]momiss2 thank you for you msg. what med's is your son on? mine is on 20mg. sr ritalin and it doesn't seem to help ODD part, just focusing. [/QUOTE]

There no meds for ODD behavior. ODD behavior is not normally a stand alone dx. Once you correctly medicate the other disorder, the ODD usually at least abates a bit. Maybe you haven't found the right other diagnosis yet. The stims can make ODD symptoms worse, unless it really is stand alone ADHD with no mood disorders or high functioning autism. I wouldn't dismiss it. Good luck.

OlderMom38831.412962963

frazzledmominpa:

my son will repeat questions and phrases too until he receives a response. but he's not picky about what he wears...although he doesn't like washing his hands with soap, and he also doesn't like to drink out of other people's drinks (OCD?). He get's extremely hyper when there's a lot going on and he get's easily frustred. He talks loud and fast, which causes him to stutter, when he's around other kids... i think because of this and his being so sensitive (his feelings get hurt easily and he gets mad) are the reasons he really doesn't have any friends. If he does hang around someone at school it's usually someone 2 or 3 years younger than him. It makes me so sad. i wish we could all meet since i have no one that has a child like mine that can relate.

Hi almostsane..

My son will not drink out of other peoples cups either .. sometimes I wll open a juicebox for him and if he catches me take a little sip he refuses to drink it .. thats YOURS now mom! And yeah he tends to hang with the 5 year olds around here because he loves to be the boss .. and they put up with it. And that makes me sad too because it isn't helping him mature any. And the parents round here just do not understand. My son talks loud and slow .. very high pitched annoying voice at almost a scream level .. we have to remind him to lower it constantly. Filled with And UH and UH .. he may talk fast but he is slow getting to the point that you want to help him finish his sentence .. then he screams about being talked over. This has become one of the most annoying aspects of him as of lately. He is obsessed with playing with his friends after school .. everyday same routine .. he runs up to these kids parents to ask if they can play only to hear maybe tomorrow ... he screams YOU ALWAYS SAY TOMORROW .. tomorrow tomorrow then he cries the whole way home. And of course it doesn't happen tomorrow and he does NOT forget! It is very trying. Thanks .. thought I'd add that! Its good to get it off my chest. I am going to meet his new Behavior specialist in about 15 minutes she is due here. Time for another treatment plan and more DX when he gets his new eval!

Hi everyone, Im new here. My son is also dx with adhd/ODD/mood disorders too. Life has been one emotional rollercoaster with him so far. He cannot handle the stimulants well. He has been on adderall (very violent and weepy) strattera (total zombie and cranky) concerta (headaches, stomach aches, over emotional) Metadate (did OK but lost weight due to the drug) Now he is on focalin 2.5 mg three times daily. We tried the XR but that did not work for him (back to talking nonstop and crankier again) He still has problems .. He doesn't hit other kids in school anymore .. but he still has to be the boss .. cannot stand other people talking or being talked over .. yet he does his share! He listens on the first prompt most times now but still has that defiance in him. Telling him NOT to do something before he actually does it is like telling him to DO IT. He needs constant attention and seeks this negatively. He is going on 8 .. things have gotten better but we still have a long way to go. I have an extremely hard time finding doctors for him that accept his insurance and when I do it takes nearly 6 months to get an appt. Its sad! I really want him seen by a neuropsych but cannot find one around here who accepts his insurance and cannot afford to pay out of pocket. Oh he is also on clonidine which used to make him cranky until we cut it down to one quarter .01mg pill three times a day. Im just so frustrated with the school. He went to a different school last year and I was not in there ONCE for a meeting other than the two they give any parent during the year. This year and in kindergarten .. at his regular school .. I am in there every other week. Its like when your child has labels .. they are no longer aloud to be a child .. and EVERYTHING is picked at.   Sometimes these teachers have tunnelvision for these children and that alone can cause anxiety and moodiness. My neighbors are the same way with my son .. their non dx's kids are worse than mine out their raising hell yet .. my son is baaaad! Im not just being prejudice either. And he does not like other parents telling him what to do either .. He calls them stupid to their face or covers his ears and sings as to not hear them. Ugg! So I'm struggling with the same issues .. everytime he goes for a new eval .. a new dx is thrown on his paperwork. He is generally happy .. especially OFF ALL meds ... just way overactive but not that moody. He has a great sense of humor and loves to be with his friends .. which he has alot of friends but not one special friend that he hangs with all the time.   We do playdates more so than have him hang out with the neighborhood kids because that is a bad situation. OK sorry for rambling .. your not alone!! It helps me to know that Im not either but I feel that way most times here in this town. Thanks for listening.frustrated, ADHD meds tend to make mood disordered children worse. Has he at least seen a Psychiatirist (the one with the MD?). I'm surprised they haven't thought of trying him off the stims and Straterra and trying a mood stabilizer. Stms and Straterra can trigger worsening behavior/mania in kids (which doesn't look like adult mania) if a child has any tendancy at all towards bipolar disorder. It can even trigger it early. Good luck finding a NeuroPsych. They tend to be at children's hospitals and university hospitals. Maybe they're more flexible about insurance than those in strictly private practice. Frustratedinpa, has your son been evaluated by a board-certified child psychiatrist who has experience treating children with mood disorders? If he's happy but overactive off meds and he's worse on meds, I think you need first to know what's going on with your child moodwise, and then if his dx warrants meds, he needs a medical professional who has cutting-edge knowledge of psychopharmacology (the board-certified child psychiatrist). Pediatricians and psychologists won't do in this situation. Good luck. [QUOTE=momiss2]My son is adhd. He's ODD as well, but I didn't want or need a paper trail so he's not been diagnosed with it. The med.s take away alot of the symptoms of ODD, but definitely not all. He started saying no and meaning it while very young and it continued. He argues any time someone will listen. The key is to ignore it. Tell him what you want him to do, and walk away. Ignore the argueing by saying I'm not talking about that anymore, or I'm not argueing with you. It worked best when I walked away in a calm manner. It worked because he no longer became really angry, which would some times turn into a blow up, because I became angry too. If he continued to follow me around argueing he would calmly be sent to his room, so the situation wouldn't get worse. I would use When thens-When you do what you were asked, then you can watch T.V. etc. etc.   It takes alot of practice, and doesn't work overnight. He still tries to argue, at 15, but I say briefly what I want, or say thats an interesting point of view, then walk away. I hope this was helpful, but if not theres lots of others with excellent ideas here.[/QUOTE]

momiss2's post reminded me of dealing with arguing in the past. (simple negativity was ignored and walked away from)

1. Listening to what they want
2. "I hear you want to ...."
    State what ever house rule it might fall under. (our house rules have been pretty simple. ... Respect all people & things and follow directions. Most things fall under one of the two categories.)
    State your reasoning for the decision.
3. As an active listener, restate whatever they are requesting or thinking as "I hear that you..." or "It seems to me that you think(feel, want)..."
4. Restate the rule at some point and then ask if there is anything else they want to say. (my kids usually didn't need to add too much at this point, because I wasn't arguing with them, but since everyone's different, I wonder how long someone could go on talking.

This has worked for me and i hope it helps someone who hasn't tried it.

jfla238829.2891898148We have two major childrens hospitals in our area, one of which the neuropsych will not accept his insurance and one of which will BUT we have to wait 6-9 months for an appt .. I guess I should just make the appt .. time goes so quickly anyway and nothing is getting done. His developmental pediatrician does not "think" he is bipolar, autistic (which I thought he was years ago, no eye contact, so repetitive, sensory issues). The psych that gave him the dx of mood disorders saw him once for an eval for his behavior team specialists that see him at school and at home. There was alot in her report I didn't quite agree with too. Anxiety and depression run in our family. So I really need more doctors to look at this .. doctors who KNOW what they are looking for .. his developmental ped does not handle anxiety, depression or mood disorders so I guess I will have to get that appt with the neuropsych! Thanks for the replies.I have two different screen names apparently on two different computers .. I am also frustratedinpa.If you're concerned about mood issues, the only medical professional to evaluate and treat mood disorders (anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder), IMHO, is a board-certfied child psychiatrist. Neuropsychs are great for assessing neurological disorders such as ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders.He has lots of PDD symptoms and bipolar is often mistaken for PDD...lol. All these disorders tend to mimic each other. However, with PDD/autistic spectrum, the kids don't make good eye contact, have severe social issues (sometimes don't even WANT to socialize--sometimes are very inappropriate), have trouble amusing themselves, transitioning, often (not always) have speech delays/issues, and have severe sensory issues. We had to wait a while to see the NeuroPsych, but it was quite worth it. He spent twelve hours with my son before sprouting the diagnosis of the day and pulling out a prescription pad with very little testing or observation of the child. We had bad luck with a Dev. Pediatrician. She didn't "get" the autistic symptoms. She diagnosed ADHD. She was wrong.OlderMom38829.6341898148Thanks .. I would like to achieve both .. he has seen a childrens psych at age 4 but we stopped going to him as he was milking us and the insurance company and actually fell asleep during one of our sessions. When I had questions for him about things I have read he became very irritated. So I need to find a new one and also wouldnt be a bad idea to have a neuro eval as well. That way we can cover all the bases and leave no "stones" unturned.My daughter has moderate to severe adhd and oppositional defiency what helps is a good behavior plan by a psychologist and her being on meds have helped. When one disorder is under control the other controls itself. My life still has its moments i want to scream and give in but with my supports I can do anything.

He has wrap around service at school .. he had it at home last summer and he became even more defiant and we found it too invasive for us. My son would go over a friends house and i would end up sitting with his tss talking .. it just didn't work out. We do not have a new behavior plan because I had to get rid of the first company he was with .. most of the behavior team were horrible and frauding left and right with their hours .. I didn't even know what I was signing half the time and he wasn't getting his hours he was supposed to .. we just recently got a new team in place and I will be meeting with his behavior specialist on Monday. Lets hope this company works out. He has a behavior plan at school which works well too, He has to bring home a paper that I am to sign daily which lists his good behavior or bad behavior on it .. everytime they had stopped using it .. he knew and took advantage of it ... he is too smart for his own good lol. Which he is very bright but cannot seem to apply that at school .. the class is chaotic with what they call "CENTERS" where there are 5 groups throughout the class all doing different things .. he cannot concentrate with ALL of that going on at once. He needs a class where all the kids are doing the same lesson at the same time .. but ya cant tell the school that .. and there is alot of kids having problems in the class so I wonder if it is the centers that is the problem.

Another thing is he doesn't like the feel of certain fabrics .. flannel he will not wear and sometimes I will put a shirt on him and he will scream its itchy and take it off .. certain fabrics affect him that way. And he repeats the same phrase over and over again until he gets a response .. he requires a response! He talks so much sometimes I wonder if he has the capacity to think .. but at times he manages to do so. He also hates when we talk in the car .. he will say all of our talking is making his ears pop. Or gives him a headache .. any excuse to get us to stop talking .. Is this defiance? Im confused about that. He also gets really upset when he is interuppted and boy will he tell you! And he does this to us ALL the time. He doesn't have AS many tantrums as he used to but very occasionally he will .. he used to have them often and he would tantrum until he made himself throw up.. and he is quite the puker. He also grew out of his night terrors too he would also throw up after an episode of that .. and that seemed to be the only thing that would snap him out of it. He used to wet the bed alot too but hasn't done that in about a year. He always wants to be with a friend and is never withdrawn but he gets really excitable .. or overstimulated especially if there is more than one child at a time that he is playing with. It can get out of control and he needs constant supervision outdoors. Its rough .. really rough .. I do not have a very good support system ... alot of times I feel like its me against the world. My mom and dad help me with some weekends and take us out places but my sister and her family dont let him do anything over their house and always have something to say about him and us as parents. Yet I remember babysitting her son when he got kicked out of two daycares for biting and scratching the kids bloody .. he whacked me in the face a few times but I kept him under control most times with what I had learned with my own son. I see these things and it drives me nuts ... I dont know which is the harder struggle .. dealing with ignorant people or dealing with my son .. and I have a teenage daughter too .. and I feel so bad for her that my time is mostly consumed by my son. She is mainly quiet, great student, but now has that teenage attitude kicking in. They get along very seldom ... but when they do .. its the greatest. Oh gosh .. Im writing way too much .. had a rough day today.

The meds help somewhat but it can go either way with him .. he is totally unpredictable in that sense. He had great days and really bad days. He can focus one day but be irritable .. cant focus the next day but be very pleasant .. so the meds for him while controlling one things is doing nothing or making the other worse actually. And we can't go higher with the stims .. the higher the dose the worse behavior he gets .. the more clonidine he gets the nastier and sleepier and weepier he gets. So we stay low dose and that seems to take the edge off somedays. We will keep trying though!! More therapy choices are also out there which we cannot afford .. we are on our THIRD time applying for SSI benefits for this reason for him .. he needs structured activities and they are all costly!!

Munkies: Slow response but my sons on Adderall xr 40mg. a day, sons 15 now, thats why to higher dose. I repeat that it helps the ODD, doesn't get rid of it all together. They do have trouble when no one argues back, or wants to fight with them. It's no fun to do it alone.

That would be nice if we were closer :) to get together .. My neighbors are all awful about my son .. yet them and their kids are no better .. it is neglect in their cases .. they are drug addicts (prescription so it is legal and easy for them to get). I had contacted the advocate group in my area prior to applying for ssi this time and they agreed to help me should my son be denied again. Thanks for the input and Congrats on getting in the study! Thats wonderful and I hope it is much advantage to you and your daughter. Yeah there are longer stories here too with my sister and brother .. too much to get into .. bottom line is they (in my case) just do not understand. The funniest thing is my brother is adhd / bipolar and he can't understand why I cannot "control" my son. He is in serious denial about himself.[QUOTE=frazzledmominpa]

he will not wear and sometimes I will put a shirt on him and he will scream its itchy and take it off .. certain fabrics affect him that way. And he repeats the same phrase over and over again until he gets a response .. he requires a response! He talks so much sometimes I wonder if he has the capacity to think .. but at times he manages to do so. He also hates when we talk in the car .. he will say all of our talking is making his ears pop. Or gives him a headache .. any excuse to get us to stop talking .. Is this defiance? Im confused about that. He also gets really upset when he is interuppted and boy will he tell you! And he does this to us ALL the time. He doesn't have AS many tantrums as he used to but very occasionally he will .. he used to have them often and he would tantrum until he made himself throw up.. and he is quite the puker. He also grew out of his night terrors too he would also throw up after an episode of that .. and that seemed to be the only thing that would snap him out of it. He used to wet the bed alot too but hasn't done that in about a year. He always wants to be with a friend and is never withdrawn but he gets really excitable .. or overstimulated especially if there is more than one child at a time that he is playing with. It can get out of control and he needs constant supervision outdoors. Its rough .. really rough .. I do not have a very good support system ... alot of times I feel like its me against the world. My mom and dad help me with some weekends and take us out places but my sister and her family dont let him do anything over their house and always have something to say about him and us as parents. Yet I remember babysitting her son when he got kicked out of two daycares for biting and scratching the kids bloody .. he whacked me in the face a few times but I kept him under control most times with what I had learned with my own son. I see these things and it drives me nuts ... I dont know which is the harder struggle .. dealing with ignorant people or dealing with my son .. and I have a teenage daughter too .. and I feel so bad for her that my time is mostly consumed by my son. She is mainly quiet, great student, but now has that teenage attitude kicking in. They get along very seldom ... but when they do .. its the greatest. Oh gosh .. Im writing way too much .. had a rough day today.

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I can so relate about the clothing thing for my girl is picky too and will not wear denim and acts just like your son only she is more verbal than anything. I can also relate to the cost of therapy for money is tight with us too and that is why our psychologist consults over the phone more to help us out since their are no serious behavior issues. I now have her enrolled in a university study and they will monitor her more closely for free and will work with her psychologist too.

As for the SSI thing obtain a legal aide or attorney would be my advice I am a social worker and I had to do so for my clients many of times. Also keep all documentation the more the better. As far as the stressed out part I understand for I have lack of help around here as well, I had to force my husband to do something with his daughter to give me some space. I do not get any help around my house and I make all the decisions it is a hard life. Too bad you did not live closer to me we can escape together a day. As far as family help I only have my mother-in-law my parents are gone and I do have siblings but No too long of story. I hope things get better for you Jill

I've asked his doctors a few times if this could be what was going on. I told them that he lacked the eye contact as a baby .. he had speech delays (and also repeated the same thing over and over again as a toddler) and still takes speech therapy at school .. the meds just aren't helping him like I think they should be and tend to make him even more aggressive .. we have tried many and at many different dosages .. he can only tolerate 2.5 of focalin which calms him down but he is still rather aggressive but not violent. Just very verbal. Monday morning I will call around again to find a neuro .. even if I have to ask my mom to pay for the visit for me since I cannot afford it. It will be well worth it. Thank you so much .. Ive always felt deep in my heart this is what he had .. we'll see.

He would also cry as a toddler if his hands were dirty .. or wet .. now however he doesn't mind that. It is just the fabrics .. sometimes he loves his blanket other times it is "itchy" and he throws it off the bed .. same thing with some shirts and pants too. Getting him dressed in the morning is always fun lol sometimes we go through three shirts before we finally get the right one .. and in the winter he has to have a cotton undershirt on but sometimes even just the sleeves of a shirt will bother him.

What type of interventions are you using for the asp? Are their meds to control it or should he be OFF all meds when we discover what the problem really is?

If this kid is sensitive to fabric and repeats phrases, you need to take him to a NeuroPsych. These are huge red flags for autism spectrum disorder and have nothing to do with ADHD. My son was very similiar before his interventions. You're right that it's probably not bipolar, but it very likely could be ASD. And a psycologist, even a psychiatrist, could miss it unless he is tested appropriately. Good luck. My son's 1st dx. was ADHD/ODD. He is not. Higher functioning autistic kids can not tolerate too much commotion and my son is also upset when people talk too much, even at twelve years old. It is not defiance. The kids can't handle all the noise and to them even quiet stuff can be noise. My son will say "don't yell" even when I speak to him just above a whisper. YOu really need an evaluation. He isn't being defiant and my guess is (and I'd bet money on it) that the ODD is absolutely a wrong diagnosis. OlderMom38830.4783796296 is there anyone out there with an ADHD and ODD(Oppositional Defiance Disorder)???? i have a 5 yr old who struggles with his impulses, add on the ODD and it is a constant battle over what he can and can't do. he will argue his point or defiantly do what he wants until i give up or he is locked in his room(which is never a pretty experience). any suggestions of techniques to make his life anger free?
munkies38827.5771296296Yes, he's ok with lots of change, it's just when you promise to do something he gets upset...but not to the point where he goes into a rage. I just have to explain to him in detail why the plan changed. Just yesterday, i told him that i would take him to wal-mart later on that evening...when evening came around i was tired and asked him if we could go another day...he got upset at me because i told him that we would go that afternoon...so we ended up at wal-mart. if i flat out tell him no, he gets upset and starts getting angry, but if i explain it to him and maybe give him some choices, he seems to do better.momiss2 thank you for you msg. what med's is your son on? mine is on 20mg. sr ritalin and it doesn't seem to help ODD part, just focusing. We used to have a child across the street from us who has adhd and they didn't get along .. boy did they butt heads. They were so much alike. My son has a really hard time with change and transitions .. he either gets overexcited or angry it can really go either way .. he gets totally thrown off. Had a nice conversation with his new bsc today .. she also sees children with autism and also said to me it sounded like he had many symptoms of high functioning autism. I said well great .. where do I find a neuropsych in this area .. she said to call my pediatrician .. which I have in the past but I got the run around .. and well, your son has adhd and can exhibit the same behaviors as other things .. then why is no meds helping him and even tend to make him worse?? I guess I have to shove now because Im finished pushing. Wish me luck!

Eci and therapy interventions are what have helped our son most. Our son gets speech at school also. He talks loud just like Mom and his poppie both. He mimics things a lot. Repeats songs and tv well. School is not just for him. Play is what he loves most. Vitamins and depakote er are what he is on. They help him both as well. I knew at 4 months he was very different than his sister. I thought some was just being a boy. When he started school I see is not like the other boys at all. He is more involved than he was as a toddler with kids also. He dosen't get their responses though to him. He doesn't get why they don't want to include him in stuff. They say mean stuff like are you Gay? He likes stuff they do not?Scouts, gymnastics to name a few.

.IMac38945.5244791667IMac- I used to do that. I figured out that it backfires, big time!!! Now I only promise if I will be able to do that barring major emergency or death. My kids know maybe means maybe, and that probably means no. If you beg and plead, my no gets louder.

Munkies,

Sorry I'm chiming in here late.

For the record, there is NO medication for ODD alone. As many of the other posters have stated here, with ODD there is usually an underlying problem (such as the ADHD) that is triggering the ODD.

This has been the case with my son, Dylan, who was later found to be Bipolar (not saying that your child is at all, just stating facts here).

I, personally, have a very difficult time with the ODD diagnosis, because my son is cured of it. Once we got him the right dx, the right meds and the right parenting skills on my behalf, the ODD went away completely.

Let me say it wasn't an easy task to get rid of. It took almost a full two years on my part. Most parents cringe at this and tell me I'm crazy. That may be the case LOL!

We went through rigorous behavioral modification to get to this point. I took many parenting classes. I had to change ME and the way I was parenting my children before my children could change.

Charts, rewards, consequences and a flat affect worked here for us. I know, I know, charts don't work - I hear that daily. But they worked here. I have a kid with Bipolar, PDD, ADHD - he's "complex" per our pdoc, and it worked.

We had to start very small and gradually work up to the achieved goals. If you would like some information on how I did charts and things of that nature here, feel free to PM me and I can give you some information. It's too extensive to put here.

As far as the anger goes - I would also keep an eye on that. My son at 6, 7 and even 8 years old was stuck with the ADHD dx. It wasn't until he was 9 that things exploded.

Good luck

Janna

Please read these books your child is described in them to a tee.

Dr Ross Greene "The Explosive Child"

"Parenting The Explosive Child" and a CD

I just posted something about this same subject, I hope you read the information and it helps.

Welcome! Has your son been evaluated by a board-certified child psychiatrist? Is he on any ADHD meds? If so, are they making things better or worse?

I've never found ODD a particularly helpful diagnosis. It's merely a collection of behaviors with no known cause. ODD rarely travels alone. In general, when you treat the underlying disorder (like ADHD), the oppositional behaviors subside.

A thoughtful book that will help you parent your son is The Explosive Child by Ross Greene.

My son also has both disorders. Read the book smallmom posted above, and another one by the same author, Your Defiant Child. My son's ODD is not severe, but is definitely there. My son has learned when I say no it means no. Even though he knows this he will ask and ask and ask. He doesn't rage, but man can he argue and pester.

ADHD/ODD is very often actually early onset bipolar disorder, especially if there is raging, defiance, and sleep problems. Stims can make it worse. It's important to make sure the dx. is right and it is best to do that through a Psychiatrist (with the MD). Non-MD Psycologists and therapists tend to dx. the ODD and often miss other disorders. ODD is, however, rarely diagnosed by MD Psychiatrists and is more a symptom than an actual disorder on it's own. High functioning autism is also often first dxd. as ADHD/ODD, but they tend to rage less and have more sensory issues. I have a few sites you may want to look at.

www.bpkids.org

www.bpchildresearch.org

www.conductdisorders.com

www.childbrain.com

OlderMom38827.697962963My son is adhd. He's ODD as well, but I didn't want or need a paper trail so he's not been diagnosed with it. The med.s take away alot of the symptoms of ODD, but definitely not all. He started saying no and meaning it while very young and it continued. He argues any time someone will listen. The key is to ignore it. Tell him what you want him to do, and walk away. Ignore the argueing by saying I'm not talking about that anymore, or I'm not argueing with you. It worked best when I walked away in a calm manner. It worked because he no longer became really angry, which would some times turn into a blow up, because I became angry too. If he continued to follow me around argueing he would calmly be sent to his room, so the situation wouldn't get worse. I would use When thens-When you do what you were asked, then you can watch T.V. etc. etc. It takes alot of practice, and doesn't work overnight. He still tries to argue, at 15, but I say briefly what I want, or say thats an interesting point of view, then walk away. I hope this was helpful, but if not theres lots of others with excellent ideas here.Just keep an eye on the "very angry." I had early onset bp and I did rage, but only about once a month. Some kids do it every day. It morphed into full blown bp by age 13 (a very early age). In kids, bp sort of looks like angry, rageful, even violent ADHD. Your kid may be suffering from rebound effect of meds and, then again, it could be more than ADHD, but if you're comfortable with the dx., so be it. If you ever want a re-evaluation, I recommend a NeuroPsych. They do actual performance tests and dx. ADHD and beyond. Take care :) OlderMom38827.873900463My son is 8. We are searching for a med that will help without side effects that are intolerable. Most of what sets him off is over stimulation. No just irritates him as it does us all. Any time there is a group of kids that get out of control, he will end up in the middle, and has to be the center of attention.ok so i looked at the web sites and i think "rage" isn't the right word. very very very angry is more like it. so crazymama-how old is your child? is child on med's? sounds like we have a similar child. we are working on the No means NO. some days better than others. he has a very hard time with other adults telling him No!!!!!
thanks yall
My ds was dx ODD at 4, then ADHD at 8. Since we started medicating him (adderall) for the last 2 months, I have noticed a significant decrease in the ODD symptoms. If the meds had made the ODD worse, he would have needed to be re-evaluated for bipolar. sarahandbabies38827.7918402778.IMac38945.5248148148