Ask me anything - Adult diagnosed with ODD as a child and living with similar issues today

[mindinggaps]

@WorriedGrandma Do you have an update? I have been wondering about your situation.

 

[WorriedGrandma]

@WorriedGrandma Do you have an update? I have been wondering about your situation.

My son told me that my grandson is on medications for his outbursts, although he hasn't been specifically tested for ODD. He does seem to be doing better, but school is just now starting, so time will tell. He has been doing better lately. One article I read said that most kids outgrow this by the time they are 8. I'm hoping (as are his parents) that this will prove to be the case. I haven't heard of any problems during his summer programs, so that's definitely good. I know his parents will do what he needs.

I often feel like I'm walking a fine line between being supportive and being nosy.

 

[mindinggaps]

@WorriedGrandma Thanks so much for taking the time to provide this update. It does sound like things are trending in the right direction. It is very good to hear he is being properly treated and taking medications to manage the outbursts - this is very important. His parents do sound like they are doing everything they can, which will help over the long term.

Regarding the longer term and growing out of his issues, only time will tell. It does happen although I don't think leaving problems behind entirely is particularly common. I can only speak from personal experience, but I started medications for emotional and outburst control around 5 years old and still very much require them today. Obviously what we describe as an "outburst" manifests quite differently in adulthood, but ongoing treatment is required. Nevertheless, I think depending on the nature of the issue, with appropriate therapy and medications, even if his issues persist, a high quality of life is very possible!

 

[Copabanana]

Based on my experience and understanding CD is another diagnosis which is applied to youth as a sort of placeholder

Yes.

I believe it is often a precursor for a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder which cannot be diagnosed until 18.

Yes.

When you have a child who is dealing with involved issues it's best to have a neuropsychological evaluation done and by a licensed neuropsychologist.

Absolutely. Consider a regional children's hospital.

My personal experience, with a difficult school district, has been to find your own neuropsychologist because someone working for a school district might not be working in your child's best interest so their findings might be skewed a bit.

skewed a lot. School psychologists, while they consider the child may not work in the child's best interest. Rather they work for the school district. Potentially, hundreds of thousands of dollars are at stake. So the school psychologist's findings and recommendations may reflect the child's needs minimally if at all (I say this having been involved as a parent as well as professionally.)