Child with ODD help please

[Jonathan]

I have a son he is 6 years old. He was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD. He is currently taking Vavyanse for his ADHD. He is constantly arguing still laughs when you correct him, and he makes very strange noises and sounds. Its like when Im talking to him no one is there. He has a blank look in his eyes. I want to know if this behaviour is normal for ODD? Does anyone else out there have this problem. Im a single parent and need some ideas on how to deal with this. Any help would be appreciated.

[trinityroyal]

Hello Jonathan and welcome.

You've found a great forum here, full of advice, support and help.

First off, some questions.
1) Who diagnosed your son with ADHD/ODD?
2) What was his early development like? Any speech delay, any issues with fine motor skills
3) Does he have any issues with eye contact?
4) Does he have any sensory issues, such as sensitivity to touch, noise, light etc.?
5) Any unusual play habits, e.g. lining up or spinning toys?
6) How does he do with transitions from one activity to the next? Are they difficult?

Sorry to fire so many questions at you right off the bat, but they really help us to point you in the right direction.

ADHD/ODD is often a starting point for a diagnosis, rather than a conclusion. So many childhood issues present with hyperactive behaviour and ADHD is the most obvious diagnosis, so usually the one we're given first. As for ODD, it describes behaviour and it's often a symptom of a deeper issue, rather than a stand-alone diagnosos.

Just an example: My GFG, who has Asperger's syndrome, bipolar and a few other things, was initially diagnosed ADHD/ODD. The mania from bipolar looked just like ADHD behaviour, and the oppositional behaviour came from our mishandling of him because we didn't know about the Asperger's or the other issues. Once we had better information about what was truly wrong with him, we were better able to help him.

Others will be along to weigh in with advice, support and help.

So glad you found us, but sorry that you had to.

Trinity

[MidwestMom]

Hi, and welcome to our little place

Most of us on this board do not believe ODD stands alone and in my layman's opinion, no, it sounds like more than ADHD/ODD. And no his behavior is not "normal" for any child. I would take him to a Neuropsych AND a child neurologist (no, they are far from the same sort of professional). The Neuropsych will test him from 6-10 hours to pinpoint what could be wrong. He could be on the autism spectrum, especially with the stare. But he could be having seizures too (which is why I'd go to a Neurologist as well). Did his biological father have any mental health issues which could have been genetically passed along? Even if bio. dad is not there, he still resides within your son. Was bio. dad a substance abuser? Did he have problems in school? Does anyone in YOUR family have psychiatric issues or neurological differences? The genetics he inherited can point you to the diagnosis. Do you live in the US? IMO it's a little harder to get help if you live elsewhere.

The one thing I would NOT do is wait for it to go away. Most likely, without diagnosis and treatment, he will just get worse.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do!!!

[lizanne2]

Welcome. While I can never seem to add such good advice i just want to echo one thing. Most first dxes are starting points. These illnesses are complicated things and appear similiar to each other. And then add that children aren't often able to self report things, well, this is a process. So, kudos to you for reaching out to others and checking in with whats normal and what others have observed.

As far as the single mom thing, we have lots of them here. that brings its own stresses. (As having a partner in this can bring its own stresses as well). I am a single mom with 2 gfgs that survived through to their teens.

So, sending my support.

[TerryJ2]

Hi Jonathan, welcome.

No, his behavior is not normal ODD. The vacant gaze and odd sounds are something else altogether. You must get him evaluated.

Best of luck! Check back w/us and let us know how it's going.

[miles2go]

Jonathan, I assume you are a single father not mother as some above did.
Welcome from the (few) fathers here.
ODD is a symptom of several possible conditions, and I would include a psychiatrist (unless you already are seeing one with the ADHD diagnosis and then he needs to know more of what you describe).
My son was also diagnosed with ADHD around age 6 and treated with concerta only to see a couple of years later that he's rather a bipolar. On concerta he would get manageable in class (but almost frozen) but would have a major meltdown in a week or so, stronger than usual.
Meltdowns would be (and still are sometimes) of extreme emotional high and distress when restricted and insisting things done or redone just his way, and then exhaustion.
Laughing when disciplined, absent look is what I see too, but it is inconclusive of course, so what's family history? Addictions/alcoholism, violence, suicides, other emotional extremes (trouble with law etc)?

[Marguerite]

Johnathon, definitely get a neuropsych assessment happening. You need some answers and tis sounds like more than ADHD. You need to have them consider PDD, among other things.

For you to have something to think about, go to www.childbrain.com and look for the online PDD questionnaire. You can't use it to diagnose but you can print out the results and show them to a health professional, so you can let them see the sort of things that are concerning you.

Marg

[cmh0150]

Also, a newbie here.

Certainly, cannot add any substance to the good words given here (as I have been lurking trying to absorb things) but wanted to say that we are fostering/adopting a ten year old

ODD is his diagnosis. We have had him in our home for only four months. When he first got here, we got a lot of the odd noises and sounds; less now than before.

His meds were changed from Vyvanse to Focalin (along with remeron, clonidine and lamotrigine). But we believe a lot of the change is due to our constant engagement with him. Anyway, I need to post elsewhere info on the household and will do that. I just wanted to reach out and talk about our experience with our gfg.

[allhaileris]

My now 7 y.o. was given the dx of ODD at age 3.5. Now she's dx'ed with PDD-NOS, but there is still somehting else going on (which I need to post about). I am no help at all, but I agree with most here in saying ODD is just the first dx of many.

[Audrey]

I will agree with all that recommended a Neuropsych eval. That's what it usually takes to get through the nuances of behaviors to find the root cause behind it all. That's their specialty.

ODD is so vague that any gfg could fall into that Dx.!

I'd be concerned too with possible PDD/Autism spectrum disorder. My 5 year old does the giggle/laugh and stare through me or around me whenever he's disciplined. But it's his way of dealing with an uncomfortable emotion, not defiance. That's how Asperger's works in him.

Good luck!

[TPaul]

Welcome to one of the best boards on the net!!

I to am one of the minority men that post here on the board, but whether you are a mother or father with a gfg (child with a challenge), this is board and its members will offer a great amount of information and support.

They hold a wealth of knowledge and even more importantly sometimes, experience on how challenging to parents that a GFG can be. They have seen what works, what doesn't work, what can be done, what should not be done, and how to search and find the right medical opinions and testing to help our kids fight this challenge head on.

Feel free to ask any questions, rant if needed, complain, rejoice, laugh, cry, or just about anything else one needs. They are a great group of people and we are bound together with a cord of concern, love and care for those in our lives that are a GFG.

Welcome again,
Tpaul