help! I think my son has ODD or bipolar

darlenev

New Member
i have been reading on odd and adhd and i think my 6 year old son has odd. nobody can handle him at school this all started when he was in pre school but its getting worse as he gets older this year he is in the first grade and i get calls from school on a regular basis. i have read about odd and it fits him to the T. what do i do should i take him to his doctor or make appointment with someone else. the school is already going to start him with some counsling. i am at my wits end dont know what to do anymore. please help me :(
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Hi there. don't want your post to get lost :tongue:

Sorry you had to be here, but we'll try to help.

Most of us here don't find ODD a helpful diagnosis nor do most of us believe it stands alone. It is usually the result of a bigger diagnosis causing the defiance. If you answer a few questions, we can help you more. I also am not a fan of school counselors, but that's a personal opinion. I'd rather take my child to privately picked therapists and you may need a neuropsychologist evaluation first.

1/Age of child

2/Are there any psychiatric problems or substance abuse issues on EITHER side of the family tree, even if bio. father is no longer in the picture (genes are passed along).

3/How was his early development? Did he talk on time, copy people, make strong eye contact with strangers, relate well to his peers, can he transition from one activity to another without a meldtown, does he have issues with sensitivity to smells or certain material or certain food or loud noise? Does he play appropriately with toys and, if not, what does he do with them? (Or she. I forgot the sex of the child already...sorry! :faint:). At his age NOW, can he communicate well, does he know how to have a give-and-take conversation, and can he relate well to his same age peers? Does he ever seem "in his own world?"

Others will be along. You may want to do a signature like I did below to give us a quick overview of your child.
 
Does the school behavior match the home behavior? What do you observe at home?

As a teacher myself for a number of years in several different schools, I think I've met the full range of school counselors, from excellent to lousy. Have you met the counselor? What was your impression?

Since the school counseling is already in the works, I'd definitely make an appointment to meet. It COULD be a decent place to START, and has the advantage of being readily available in a crisis and without a waiting list for an appointment. On the other hand, if after a meeting you think it's a "bad fit," speak up.

Exactly what types of behaviors are the teachers reporting to you?
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
ODD is basically a symptom of one or more underlying conditions. I've realized over the years that *I* have some ODD symptoms--I don't rage (did during my teens though), but if pressured or frightened by something I can't understand, I shut down.

As a small child, I ran and hid from whatever upset me. I wasn't being 'bad' or 'defiant'. I was doing those things as they seemed like the only way available for me to cope at the time.

Luckily, in this day and age (I'm nearly fifty) we have neuropsychologists who can perform extensive testing to determine underlying causes and give a good diagnosis.

Once you can get the underlying disorder better controlled, you will find that a lot of the ODD behaviors ease up.

The diagnosis is so important because ODD can be caused by many different things and in many cases they need radically different treatments.

I wish you the best of luck. Keep us posted.

toK
 

TPaul

Idecor8
Dear Darlene,
Welcome to the board. This will be a place that can help you when you walk down the path with a difficult child (Gift from God).

Like others have stated, ODD really is a symptom not a condition. My son, was first labeled ODD but I knew that most likely he was Bi polar, like his mother. ODD many times too tries to lay blame on the parent for lack of parenting skills. That is not what is wrong with our difficult child's. They have a real emotional, mental condition that needs medication and help to deal with.

I too highly suggest getting a good evaluation from a good doctor. My son has shown great improvement with the medications that he started on about 5 weeks ago. They do make him drowsy still a bit, but the change in his personality and actions has been, well almost like night and day. I have a loving, affecionate calmer son, that has been hiding somewhere because of the bipolar for years now.

Not all children have such a quick change, it takes time to find the right medication combination. Some is trial and error. But they can be helped and with the younger ones, starting early with medications can help them learn to take them, to be helped.

Make your self at home. Have a cup of coffee or hot tea. Read a little, type a little. Offer words of encouragement, take words of encouragement. Feeling overwhelmed with the process, take time to vent really loud and deep, and feel part of the load float away. There is strength in having others who have been there, done that, and have the t-shirt from it all.

Tpaul
 
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