ODD over 40 yrs old?Reply to this Comment
Who can say whether bits and pieces of this behavior were around 40 years ago, but the diagnosis of ODD certainly wasn't. I would wager that when a child, or teen, exhibited these behaviors that long ago, people were certain they either were criminals or were going to be, and their parents were certain that they had failed somewhere along the line. The behavior was attributed to weak character, poor discipline, lack of morals, "bad seed", and so on. Those watching this behavior--casual observers OR confused parents-- would not likely have guessed that there was a brain chemical anomaly at work here.
The first thing a competent child-care professional will say to parents, if he or she has had experience with ODD children, is, "It's NOT your fault. Nothing you did or didn't do has caused your child to be like this". Many parents break down and weep with relief at this news, having carrying a huge burden of guilt up to that point. It has nothing to do with permissiveness or discipline, parenting skills or lack of them. The sooner the parents or caretakers can move beyond "What did I do?" to "What do I do now?", the sooner they can reclaim their sanity and look ahead, now armed with some knowledge and stronger questions to ask in order to save their family, their relationship, and their child.
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By: jacksongirl Posted: Jun 07 2008