Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Teach Defiant Children The Skills They Need

Authored by William G. DeFoore, Ph.D.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (O.D.D.) is a scary diagnosis. But you don't have to be scared! We'll point you to the skills and training that will help you manage your child and bring out their best behavior.

Learn the causes and what to do about it right here. You are going to discover exactly what you need to know to get this problem solved once and for all.

It's all about using your good heart and mind to give your child what they need to overcome their anger issues.

Be aware that even though we're talking about a "disorder" here, it's not a permanent or incurable thing. It's a pattern and patterns can be changed.

What Is Oppositional Defiant Disorder?

According to the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), O.D.D. is "an ongoing pattern of disobedient, hostile and defiant behavior toward authority figures which goes beyond the bounds of normal childhood behavior." Learn more about oppositional defiant disorder from this Mayo Clinic article.

In other words, your kid is angry, belligerent, in your face and won't do what you ask him to. Well, you're not alone. Many parents face the problem of defiant children, and many parents have solved the problem!

Discover more information about Diagnostic Criteria for Oppositional Defiant Disorder

If the child meets at least four of these criteria, and they are interfering with the child's ability to function, then he or she technically meets the definition of oppositional and defiant.

What Causes Oppositional Defiant Disorder?

There are many possible causes of an oppositional issue in defiant children. For our purposes here, we're going to look at three main categories:

The child has not learned the necessary skills for appropriate social behavior, and so they resort to more primitive and aggressive behavior that requires little or no training. The other ingredient necessary for O.D.D. to develop for this type of child is inadequate guidance or absence of guidance by parents and other authorities. Defiant children in this scenario get the impression that their aggression and anger is effective in dealing with adults authority figures.
A variation on the above situation would be that of a spoiled child. Children who are spoiled develop an inflated sense of self-importance, and become demanding and dominant with all those around them. The child then becomes angry and aggressive in an effort to get her/his way.
The final category of causes we will explore is negative role modeling. If one or both of a child's parent is oppositional, aggressive and/or violent, it is very possible for the child to develop the symptoms of O.D.D.

As you can see in each of the above scenarios, we are not talking about "bad" children, or anything having to do with the idea of a "bad seed." Children all come into the world with the potential to develop in any number of different directions. While some kids are certainly more naturally aggressive, even those children can be taught the necessary social and emotional control skills to function well at home, in school and in society.

The good news here is, since this disorder is not a result of a child just being "bad," many effective treatments are available.

How Do You Help A Child With O.D.D.?

The most common effective treatments for oppositional defiant disorder are parent training programs, individual psychotherapy, family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and social skills training.

As a concerned parent, you can get started right here, by downloading and listening to Helping Your Children With Their Anger: A Guide For Parents. Take advantage of this no-risk opportunity and restore peace to your family.

Listen to previews below, and click the link to learn more or make your purchase.

HELPING YOUR CHILDREN WITH THEIR ANGER:
A Guide For Parents of Children and Adolescents

Powerful and effective! Get the control you need and teach your children control with successful child anger management techniques.

This audiobook is designed to help parents understand and teach their children effective anger management skills. Listen to Dr. DeFoore as he teaches you exactly what to do

Listen To Previews Now!