Oppositional Defiant Disorder

It is a relatively new diagnosis that kids are labelled with and not always with a great deal of accuracy. Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder repeatedly engage in a pattern of defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures. This behavior goes beyond acceptable misbehavior for the given child's age and the behavior has been continued for at least six months.

The key is to help kids discover the comfort and discomfort within their homes. Kids who act like this have homes that are either 'way too controlled' or 'completely out of control.' The label really doesn't matter (except for funding in the school systems); what matters is how to enable kids to tell their stories, feel their feelings, and take responsibility for their actions. When a kid acts out I ask them to consider 'who they are hurting?' and 'what their goals and dreams are?' More often than not if a kid can see that they are inhibiting 'their OWN goals' they modify behavior. TJS