
OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER (ODD)

RISK FACTORS
Biological
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Brain chemical abnormality (causes issue with communication in the brain)
Genetic
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Studies show that if there is a history of anxiety or personality disorders (ODD), children have an increased risk to develop one in their lifetime.
Environmental
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Family Life and Home environment
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Mental Illness in the Home or substance abuse
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Inconsistent discipline at home or school
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Lack of supervision
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Financial problems or stress in their family
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Abuse

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
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Persistent anger issues
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Tantrums
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Uncooperativeness consistently
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Hostile behaviors
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Exhibiting disobedience
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Disruption to others in daily life
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Arguing with adult figures
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Make fun of/deliberately annoy peers
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Blame others for their own mistakes
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Academic struggles

EFFECTS
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ODD can cause academic problems, social problems, and more.
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Children with ODD can not control how they act towards peers and will often have trouble socializing appropriately.
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Academically, kids with ODD are seen to struggle in school without treatment.

TREATMENTS
Therapy
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Therapy is seen as the most effective treatment for kids with ODD.
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Individual and family therapy
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The main focus of this form of therapy is to allow the child to communicate feelings, and with family, present to improve the relationships, and communication with the help of a therapist.
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Cognitive Problem-Solving Therapy
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The therapist works with the parent and child to find solutions to problems that work for everyone and is effective in helping the parents and children to learn to solve odd problem situations.
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Social Skills Training
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The child and therapist work together with various activities to build social skills, and then apply what is learned with peers in the child's daily life.
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Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
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With a therapist, the parents work to learn how to interact better with the child that will be effective and keep a good form of communication between the parent and child.
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HOW CAN A PARENT HELP THEIR CHILD WITH ODD?
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Some important skills for parents to work on if their child has odd are recognizing positive behaviors, set a daily routine, expose the child to proper discipline behaviors that areconsistent, and learn ways to calm yourself down as the parent, so you can keep control in difficult situations.
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The most important tip to parents that have a kid with ODD is to make sure you are patient and listen because it is extremely difficult for kids with ODD to be able to control their feelings and emotions.
Source: Liahona Academy ODD Infographic