Child and Teen Defiance
What is Defiance?
Sometimes it's difficult to recognize the difference between a strong-willed or emotional child and one with oppositional defiant disorder. It's normal to exhibit oppositional behavior at certain stages of a child's development.
Signs of ODD generally begin during preschool years. Sometimes ODD may develop later, but almost always before the early teen years. These behaviors cause significant impairment with family, social activities, school and work.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association, lists criteria for diagnosing ODD. The DSM-5 criteria include emotional and behavioral symptoms that last at least six months.
Angry and irritable mood:
- Often and easily loses temper
- Is frequently touchy and easily annoyed by others
- Is often angry and resentful
Argumentative and defiant behavior:
- Often argues with adults or people in authority
- Often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults' requests or rules
- Often deliberately annoys or upsets people
- Often blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
Vindictiveness:
- Is often spiteful or vindictive
- Has shown spiteful or vindictive behavior at least twice in the past six months
ODD can vary in severity:
- Mild. Symptoms occur only in one setting, such as only at home, school, work or with peers.
- Moderate. Some symptoms occur in at least two settings.
- Severe. Some symptoms occur in three or more settings.
For some children, symptoms may first be seen only at home, but with time extend to other settings, such as school and with friends.
*From The Mayo Clinic
Causes
There's no known clear cause of oppositional defiant disorder. Contributing causes may be a combination of inherited and environmental factors, including:
- Genetics — a child's natural disposition or temperament and possibly neurobiological differences in the way nerves and the brain function
- Environment — problems with parenting that may involve a lack of supervision, inconsistent or harsh discipline, or abuse or neglect
Coexisting Issues
Many children and teens with ODD also have other mental health disorders, such as:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Conduct disorder
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Learning and communication disorders
Defiant Child And Teen Family Support Groups
The Defiant Child/Teen program provides an effective multi-step to support training parents in child/teen behavior management skills, child classes for ages 2 to 12 and teen classes for ages 13-18. Professionals will support the family with proven tools to help them understand the causes of noncompliant, defiant, oppositional, or socially hostile behavior at home or in school; take systematic steps to reduce it; and reinforce positive change while striving to:
- Reestablish your authority while building trust.
- Identify and enforce nonnegotiable rules.
- Use rewards and incentives that work.
- Communicate and problem-solve effectively—even in the heat of the moment.
- Restore positive feelings in your relationship.
- Develop your teen's skills for becoming a successful adult.
Program includes: a comprehensive assessment, group therapy format, parental support in groups, and individual therapy as needed.
Program is based on:
Your Defiant Child, Second Edition : Eight Steps to Better Behavior
Your Defiant Teen, Second Edition: 10 Steps to Resolve Conflict and Rebuild Your Relationship
Child Group
The Defiant Child Group is a 10 week commitment where parents meet and support each other with learning how to parent a child differently to met the unique needs that present as difficult behaviors. The program will begin with just parents and eventually will include the children to help change the environment first in order to increase the possibility of change for the child.
Teen Group
The Defiant Teen Group is a 18 week commitment where parents meet and support each other with learning how to parent a teen differently developing a partnership to decrease defiance. The program will begin with just parents and eventually will include the teen to help the parents understand their teen first in order to increase the possibility collaboration with the teen.
Cost
The Defiant Child group is $300 (up to two caregivers) for the total program. This includes a pre-assessment process, 10 group sessions, 2 hours of in home support and one booster session to follow up.
The Defiant Teen group is $540 (up to two caregivers) for the total program. This includes a pre-assessment process, 18 group sessions, 2 hours of in home support and one booster session to follow up.
Upcoming Groups
To be announced soon!