With so many children struggling with anger issues, I recently wrote a children’s book entitled My Friend, the Volcano about a boy who can’t stop himself from exploding in anger. During my years of treating children with anger management problems and in my research for my children’s book, one expert who I have trained with is Dr. Ross Greene. He wrote the phenomenal and informative text The Explosive Child and is at the forefront of helping children who are angry and defiant.
Dr. Greene agreed to answer some questions to help the general public understand what it means to have Oppositional Defiant Disorder or ODD, and to share some insights for treatment and management.
Rifka Schonfeld (RS): What is oppositional defiant disorder?
Ross Greene (RG): Oppositional defiant disorder is the diagnosis often given to kids who tantrum a lot, often refuse to do what they’re told, and do not follow rules and requests. While the diagnosis refers to specific behaviors, it does not provide any information about the problems and lagging skills that are causing those behaviors.
What is the difference between a child diagnosed with ODD and a child who has tantrums?
Lots of kids have tantrums. Technically, mental health diagnoses are only rendered if a child’s behavior is developmentally deviant (excessive given what we’d expect in a child at a certain age). But in purely practical terms, there may not be much difference between a kid who has a lot of tantrums and one diagnosed with ODD. Caregivers still need to identify the problems that are causing those behaviors.
What can parents do to help their children and themselves?
There are lots of resources available to children and families; the key is to identify the factors that are contributing to a child’s oppositional behavior. I tend to focus on identifying the problems that are setting the stage for oppositional episodes and helping caregivers and kids work together – collaboratively – on solving those problems. That can take place whether or not a child meets diagnostic criteria for oppositional defiant disorder. A mental health professional or counselor can assist; the website of my non-profit, Lives in the Balance – www.livesinthebalance.org – also contains a vast array of resources for parents and educators.
How does social skills training help with ODD?
If a child’s lagging skills are contributing to oppositional episodes, then social skills training could be helpful. But not every behaviorally challenging kid needs social skills training; only the ones that are lacking social skills. There are many other skills realms that can contribute to oppositional behavior; social is just of those realms.