Oppositional Defiant Disorder is defined as a pattern of ongoing behavior that displays disobedient, hostile and defiant behavior towards persons in positions of authority.
This is a behavior that goes beyond the usual ‘acting out’ that most children will display from time to time and show patterns of consistently obstinate behavior.
This may be the underlying cause if a child’s behavior is seem to interfere with a child’s functioning in the community, at school or at home and if the behavior seems to have been ongoing for as long as 6 months or more.
The symptoms of this disorder manifest in negative, defiant and hostile behavior such as:
- The child may be seem to very angry and frequently has episodes of losing his or her temper. He or she may display a lot of resentment.
- There is a deliberate seeming attempt to be uncooperative and disobedient in that the child refuses to comply with requests or follow rules.
- The child is combative and repeatedly argumentative.
- The child seems deliberately to be trying to ‘push buttons’ to try and annoy parents or other figures of authority.
- Refuses to take responsibility for own mistakes; seeks to blame others
- Takes umbrage easily and is provoked even by mild aggravation.
- The child may even seem deliberately or maliciously vindictive
