New. And scared

[kalli]

Hi there,

My 5 yr old son was just diagnosed by a neurological psychiatric with ODD. I am seeing the therapist today for the first time, any tips? I need a plan something to try and to follow. I am nervous that our house is always going to be stressful and a battle ground. Does this get better over time? Or am I totally deluding myself.

He does not have any other issues he scored above average on all cognitive tests, he did have a stroke in utero which is why we got the testing done.

Thanks so much,

kalli

 

[Malika]

Welcome. It seems to me - and I am very far from being an expert, I'm afraid - that if ALL your son has is ODD, then that can be dealt with by behavioural methods, such as those set out in the book called "The Explosive Child". It seems unusual for that to be the only diagnosis. Others will more knowledge will have more advice.

 

[Ktllc]

No expert either, but my son was diagnose with ODD as well. He will go through more testing though because we suspect some processing issues as well. Anyhow, we just started therapy and I'm really following the therapist's lead. I have a good feeling with her (so does my difficult child) and I think it is best to let her do her job. We only had 2 sessions but here is how it went: 1 session a lot of question addressed to me to kind of have a good understanding of the situation. 2nd session a few more questions and then she came up with a plan: main issues and tools to address them (exemple: we'll be working on a cool-down area for difficult child). Of course she talked to difficult child as well, observed him while we were talikng and I did ask a few question. I just felt I should let her ask the question, let her cover everything. As far as wether things will get better, nobody knows but let's try to be optimistice: let's have some faith in the power of therapy! At least, I can tell you it is really nice, as a mom, to have someone actually understands what we are going through. When I walk out of there, not only did difficult child had a good time but I feel hopeful.

 

[nvts]

Hi! I second reading The Explosive Child by Ross Greene...it's a fantastic book and can give you some idea as to what's going on in his mind when he's having a meltdown. I would make sure that I have a new neuropsychologist done on a regular basis, because it's very rare for ODD to be a standalone diagnosis at such a young age.

I do congratulate you on addressing it as soon as possible. I would also recommend that you have him checked for sensory issues - it could be a major factor when dealing with kids like this. Occupational Therapy can go a long way!

Welcome to the group - lots of experience and a lot of strong shoulders to lean on!

Beth

 

[SRL]

Hi Kalli, welcome to our forum. Sorry you've had to find us, but I hope you'll find good help and encouragement here.

I'll second Beth's suggestion of remaining on top of things diagnosis-wise by redoing the assessments down the road, or possibly seeking another opinion. Standalone ODD is not typical, but since this may be stemming from a brain injury, it's not what we're used to seeing.

Sorry, we can't offer you a crystal ball and tell you that things will get better. Usually they do, as parents get more information about their child through assessments, find strategies and treatments that work, and the child matures. Most of the time it's a combination of the child improving and us parents learning to live with a game plan that was way different than we thought we signed up for.