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Newbie thinks child might have ODD
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<blockquote data-quote="SRL" data-source="post: 259371" data-attributes="member: 701"><p>massmumma,</p><p> </p><p>There's not one of us who have difficult children who haven't struggled with denial, not wanted to hear a diagnosis, or vascillated depending on how the day went. What I do know is that when I read your first description (<em>She screams, talks back like she is 15, hits, kicks, punches walls, throws things, spits food out on the floor, swears, doesn't listen, destroys things,. Did I mention this happens everyday, several times a day. I try to dicipline her but nothing works and believe me I have tried everything.) </em>it tells me that you really could use some help. If your child has grown up in a stable environment with fairly consistent--not perfect--parenting, then this is not typical behavior, no matter how well she is doing in school. </p><p> </p><p>I have to say that I'm very surprised by your friend who has such a vast background in this area. Typically people like that are the first to suggest assessments, knowing how critical it is to get to the bottom of issues and get therapy (such as Occupational Therapist (OT)) going if needed. I would have expected her to offer to use the connections she's made professionally to help you link up with diagnosticians who could be trusted instead of cautioning you away from them, especially since you live in an area of the country where there are many options instead of just one doctor within reasonable travelling distance. Personally I think it's always fine to listen to family and friends, but I don't think it's any substitute for an impartial assessment and recommendations from professionals in specific diagnostic areas. </p><p> </p><p>I don't agree at all that it's really hard to diagnose at this age. I think first diagnoses are often "working diagnoses", meaning that when done by a reputable professional it gives you a starting point to go from and that of course may not be set in granite. Parents live with the diagnosis for awhile, research, observe, see how therapies are working or not working and if it doesn't seem quite right then it can be revisited or tweaked. It's pretty common to go through initial rounds and get some good data and recommendations and then to revisit it again as needed. in my opinion, it's more valuable to have something to go on than to not move forward because the doctor might not get it right. This is true even for children who aren't clear diagnostically or are atypical--for instance knowing that a child has spectrumish traits or is very sensory sensitive can allow the parent to tap into those camps (even if they don't have a diagnosis that fully meets the criteria) to help their child hopefully move away from extreme to more appropriate behaviors. </p><p> </p><p>In my opinion, a standalone diagnosis of ODD is of limited use (as in pretty much a waste). All it means is that the child has very difficult behaviors and the doctor doesn't know why. It also provides an insurance code in the event therapy might be covered. Without looking further, that's all you'll have to move forward on. If I had a child whose behaviors were causing serious functioning problems in the home then I'd want to know why. I'd also feel relieved if there were some reason behind them as opposed to just a child who acts out a lot. </p><p> </p><p>I realize that I've disagreed with about everything your friend has told you so it's bound to leave you confused and I'm sorry for that.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SRL, post: 259371, member: 701"] massmumma, There's not one of us who have difficult children who haven't struggled with denial, not wanted to hear a diagnosis, or vascillated depending on how the day went. What I do know is that when I read your first description ([I]She screams, talks back like she is 15, hits, kicks, punches walls, throws things, spits food out on the floor, swears, doesn't listen, destroys things,. Did I mention this happens everyday, several times a day. I try to dicipline her but nothing works and believe me I have tried everything.) [/I]it tells me that you really could use some help. If your child has grown up in a stable environment with fairly consistent--not perfect--parenting, then this is not typical behavior, no matter how well she is doing in school. I have to say that I'm very surprised by your friend who has such a vast background in this area. Typically people like that are the first to suggest assessments, knowing how critical it is to get to the bottom of issues and get therapy (such as Occupational Therapist (OT)) going if needed. I would have expected her to offer to use the connections she's made professionally to help you link up with diagnosticians who could be trusted instead of cautioning you away from them, especially since you live in an area of the country where there are many options instead of just one doctor within reasonable travelling distance. Personally I think it's always fine to listen to family and friends, but I don't think it's any substitute for an impartial assessment and recommendations from professionals in specific diagnostic areas. I don't agree at all that it's really hard to diagnose at this age. I think first diagnoses are often "working diagnoses", meaning that when done by a reputable professional it gives you a starting point to go from and that of course may not be set in granite. Parents live with the diagnosis for awhile, research, observe, see how therapies are working or not working and if it doesn't seem quite right then it can be revisited or tweaked. It's pretty common to go through initial rounds and get some good data and recommendations and then to revisit it again as needed. in my opinion, it's more valuable to have something to go on than to not move forward because the doctor might not get it right. This is true even for children who aren't clear diagnostically or are atypical--for instance knowing that a child has spectrumish traits or is very sensory sensitive can allow the parent to tap into those camps (even if they don't have a diagnosis that fully meets the criteria) to help their child hopefully move away from extreme to more appropriate behaviors. In my opinion, a standalone diagnosis of ODD is of limited use (as in pretty much a waste). All it means is that the child has very difficult behaviors and the doctor doesn't know why. It also provides an insurance code in the event therapy might be covered. Without looking further, that's all you'll have to move forward on. If I had a child whose behaviors were causing serious functioning problems in the home then I'd want to know why. I'd also feel relieved if there were some reason behind them as opposed to just a child who acts out a lot. I realize that I've disagreed with about everything your friend has told you so it's bound to leave you confused and I'm sorry for that. [/QUOTE]
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