8 yr old son with ODD

I feel for you. My brother, now 19, has ADD and ODD. It is emotionally draining for the whole family. About 3 weeks ago my mom had to give up because she cannot handle his lack of respect and his lack of listening skills. She sent him to had and the strong male influence is doing well for him. Dad put him on a very rigid schedule and he is following it. Just don't give in and keep things structured

First, if you haven't already, hire a therapist that is familiar with adoption/attachment issues. I live with 2 ODD children and it is the most frustrating disibility. Try not to get angry, it makes it worse. As often as possible, dump the problem back on your child. If he acts up at school, let him face the school's consequences. Offer choices rather than demands. "You can clean your rom tonight, or I will clean it with a trashbag tomorrow." If your ready for school by 7 you may choose your breakfast, if not we're serving oatmeal(or whatever)at 7:30." Make sure both choices are o'kay with you.

hi have 4 boys and all but 1 have adhad and i was all as told that one of the had adhad he never had it he has bipolar bipolar is almost the same singhs as add so I wolud get a 2 and 3 opp it is verry hard they dont like to have rules and they dont like to here NO you need to be stong and stand by on what ever you say you can not give one rule and then when he/she is doing good change slack off as this is wht i was doing is your child any any meds You as a parent have to know your child so meds work great and some dont so u may have to go thro a lto before you find one that works for him you have to find a dr that know how to deal with children with this .......... good luck

As you can see, everone has their own story, which may or may not apply to you and your child...only you can tell. But, regarding treatment, you should consult with a therapist. The most effective treatment approach for ODD is one developed by Dr. Russell Barkley, who also writes about ADHD. The parent book, Your Defiant Child, is excellent. You may want to begin with that. If you follow it with precisely, doing exactely what is described and prescribed, and do not get any results in about two months, then you need to go on to the next step: You should find a therapist who can evaluate your child for a variety of mental health disorders. Many conditons present with ODD-like symptoms and if the approach of Dr. Barkely does not work it is likely your child does not have ODD but another mental health disorder. If your child was adopted and may have experienced maltreatment during the first few years of life, then you should get a therapist who is trained and experienced in such issues see: [URL=http://www.attach.org]Assoc for the Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children[/URL] for someone in your area who fits the bill. regards