ADHD & ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder): Can They Occur Together?

Описание: Children with ODD are often characterized as being easily annoyed by others, highly irritable, arguing with those in authority, blaming others for their mistakes, and are frequently vindictive or spiteful. *
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Many parents of children with ODD train each other to interact in a hostile and argumentative manner. This process is called mutual training. As the child becomes more oppositional, defiant, and argumentative, the parent in return becomes more hostile or non-responsive. Their child responds to the parent’s response or lack of thereof with more negative behaviors. Then, the interaction intensifies. You get the point. *
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This is where parents are at a loss, so then they respond using the punishment spiral. The punishment spiral occurs when a parent increasingly takes away more privileges, stuff, or the child’s social life until the child is left with no privileges, no stuff, and no social life. Yet, the behavior remains unchanged.
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The thing about ODD and ADHD is that many children may initially start out with ADHD, which, as we have already discussed (in previous posts), is a neurodevelopmental disorder (brain-based). *
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However, when that child with ADHD engages in environments in which they feel misunderstood, are constantly penalized and punished for careless mistakes, and always feel like they can’t do anything right, they start to develop a mentality of “I can’t do anything right” and can become more defiant and argumentative in an attempt to justify their behaviors. *
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This opens the door to combined ADHD and ODD. I hear this often as a pediatric psychologist, especially with pre-teens and teens. *
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