Treatment for your child will be determined by their physician or psychiatrist who will consider such things as:

• The age of the child

• The general health of the child as well as their medical history

• Just how bad your child’s symptoms are

• Which treatment they think your child may respond to well

• Your opinion

The possible treatments that may be available for children with oppositional defiant disorder include:

• Cognitive behavior therapy and psychotherapy. These therapies may help to improve a child’s problem solving, communication skills, anger management and impulse control.

• Some family therapy may be required with the aim to make some changes within the family structure and routines. Sometimes an increase in family interactions can help a child’s ODD symptoms and it can also be beneficial for the whole family to improve their communication skills. It is easy to lose control when you are a parent of a child that is constantly naughty and so family therapy can teach you new ways to deal with the child and ways to cope as a parent of a child with ODD.

• Your child may need some group therapy so that they can learn or improve their social and interpersonal skills.

• Medication is usually not very effective for oppositional defiant disorder itself, however if your child has ODD in co-existance with another disorder then medication could be suggested. Medications do have side effects so only use them as a last resort.

• Natural therapies are an option as often the cause of the child’s behavior problems could be an underlying problem such as leaky gut syndrome or a food intolerance. Often if these are taken care of there will be an incredible improvement in the child’s behavior.

The number of behavior disorders being diagnosed in children is definitely increasing over recent years and it is possible that this could be due to all the additives and preservatives that are including in the ingredients of most foods that we eat. It can be hugely beneficial to your child to have a healthy diet and to try and avoid as many additives and preservatives as possible.

Sheryl Polomka is a mother of an eight year old boy with Aspergers syndrome and ODD. She has now devoted a website to child behavior disorders which you can visit at http://www.ourexceptionalkids.com

To read one of her articles about the symptoms of ODD Click Here

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