15 July 2017

Oppositional Defiance or Faulty Neuroception? @monadelahooke


I'm not a believer in the Oppositional Defiance Disorder because it is not organic, rather how the individual is perceived. Dr. Mona Delahooke made a case for this argument on her blog. If there is one part, early on in her piece that I fully agree with, is that "defiance" is often a way for a child to maintain order in their fragile environment.

Here is a teaser from her article:

Over the years I have come to believe that oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is not a label that should be used to describe young children. As a developmental psychologist, I view oppositional defiance as a child’s response to stress. Viewing children’s challenging behaviors on a continuum of stress and stress recovery reveals a whole new way to think about this stigmatizing disorder, as well as a new way to support children, informed by neuroscience.

Consider the case of Timmy, an 8 year-old boy in the foster care system, who was diagnosed with ODD when he was four years old. His numerous behavioral treatment plans seldom improved his oppositional behaviors. Prone to constantly disagree, run away and hit others, the child had been placed in three different foster homes in a single year. At school, after he found out that a beloved PE teacher was suddenly transferred, he refused all class work and eventually threw over his desk, frantic, when the teacher asked him to line up for lunch.

Oppositional defiance? Hardly.

Read the rest here.