Behavioural and emotional disorders in children ?

 The main concept behind this blog is ,"Knowing  about the problems in crisply short and clear and it will automatically helps you to tackle the problem".

Common behaviour disorders in children include: 

oppositional defieant disorder (ODD),

conduct disorder (CD),

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Treatment for these mental health disorders can include therapy, education and medication.

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD):

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a childhood behavioural problem characterised by constant disobedience and hostility. Around one in 10 children under the age of 12 years are thought to have ODD, with boys outnumbering girls by two to one.

ODD is one of a group of behavioural disorders known collectively as disruptive behaviour disorders, which include conduct disorder (CD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Early intervention and treatment is important, since children with untreated ODD may continue to be difficult and antisocial into their adult years. This can impact on their relationships, career prospects and quality of life. Some children with ODD will develop the more serious conduct disorder (CD), which is characterised by aggressive law-breaking and violent behaviours.

ODD behaviours usually surface when the child is at primary school, but the disorder can be found in children as young as 3 years of age.

A child with ODD may:

become easily angered, annoyed or irritated

have frequent temper tantrums

argue frequently with adults, particularly the most familiar adults in their lives such as parents

refuse to obey rules

seem to deliberately try to annoy or aggravate others

have low self-esteem

have a low frustration threshold

seek to blame others for any accidents or bad behaviour.

Link to conduct disorder

Without intervention and treatment, some children with ODD progress to develop conduct disorder (CD), which is characterised by aggressive and delinquent behaviours including:

Lying

being sadistic or cruel to animals and people

physically or sexually abusing others

law-breaking behaviours such as deliberately lighting fires, vandalism or stealing.

Family life and ODD

The cause of disruptive behaviour disorders is unknown, but the quality of the child’s family life seems to be an important factor in the development of ODD. Some studies have found that certain environmental factors in the family increase the risk of disruptive behaviour disorders. 

These include:

poor parenting skills (inadequate supervision, harsh or inconsistent discipline, rejection)

marital conflict,

domestic violence,

physical abuse,

sexual abuse,

neglect,

poverty,

substance misuse by parents or carers.

Diagnosis of ODD:

ODD is professionally diagnosed by a child psychologist, child psychiatrist or paediatrician specialising in behavioural disorders. Diagnosis involves detailed interviews with the child (if they are old enough), parents and teachers, and comparing the child’s behaviour with the checklist for ODD contained in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders from the American Psychiatric Association.

Treatment of ODD:

Treatment options for ODD may include:

Parental training – to help the parents better manage and interact with their child, including behavioural techniques that reinforce good behaviour and discourage bad behaviour. This is the primary form of treatment and the most effective. Social support is increased if the parents are trained in groups with other parents who have children with ODD.

Functional family therapy – to teach all family members to communicate and problem-solve more effectively.

Consistency of care – all carers of the child (including parents, grandparents, teachers, child care workers and so on) need to be consistent in the way they behave towards and manage the child.

Conduct disorder (CD):

Conduct disorder (CD) is a behavioural problem in children and adolescents, which may involve aggression and law-breaking tendencies.

Behaviours include aggression to animals and other people, and law-breaking activities such as deliberately lighting fires, shoplifting and vandalism.

The child’s family life is a significant risk factor in the development of CD.

Treatment options include behaviour therapy, psychotherapy, parent management training and functional family therapy.

Conduct disorder (CD) refers to a set of problem behaviours exhibited by children and adolescents, which may involve the violation of a person, their rights or their property. It is characterised by aggression and, sometimes, law-breaking activities.

CD is one of a group of behavioural disorders known collectively as disruptive behaviour disorders, which include Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Early intervention and treatment is important, since children with untreated CD are at increased risk of developing a range of problems during their adult years including substance use, personality disorders and mental illnesses.

The characteristics of CD:

Some of the typical behaviours of a child with CD may include:

refusal to obey parents or other authority figures

truancy

tendency to use drugs, including tobacco and alcohol, at a very early age

lack of empathy for others

spiteful and vengeful behaviour

being aggressive to animals

being aggressive to people, including bullying and physical or sexual abuse

tendency to hang out in gangs

keenness to start physical fights

using weapons in physical fights

lying

law-breaking behaviour such as stealing, deliberately lighting fires, breaking into houses, shoplifting, sexual abuse and vandalism

a tendency to run away

learning difficulties

low self-esteem

suicidal tendencies.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD):

A child with ADHD has three main symptoms – inattention, impulsivity and overactivity.

Not all children with these symptoms have ADHD.

No single test can diagnose ADHD. Assessment by a doctor or psychologist involves putting together lots of pieces of information to make a diagnosis.

A child with ADHD needs support and understanding from their family, carers and teachers.

Medication, positive parenting strategies, school support and counselling may help children with ADHD and their families.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects a young child’s behaviour and learning. Children with ADHD often have difficulty concentrating (are easily distracted), and may also be impulsive and overactive. ADHD is not the child’s or the parents’ fault.

Many children with ADHD say they do not understand why they sometimes feel out of control or very lonely. The exact cause of ADHD is not known.

ADHD is a developmental disorder:

ADHD is a 'neurodevelopmental' disorder (brain development disorder), which can affect a number of areas of brain function. It not a sign of low intelligence. With understanding, care and medical treatment people with ADHD can be successfully supported to overcome these difficulties.

Children with ADHD experience difficulties with:

inattention – having difficulty concentrating, forgetting instructions, moving from one task to another without completing anything

impulsivity – such as talking over the top of others, having a ‘short fuse’, being accident prone

overactivity – constant restlessness and fidgeting

emotional regulation

social navigation

sleep.

All young children have a limited attention span and sometimes do things without thinking, but only a few of these children have ADHD.

Diagnosis of ADHD:

If you are concerned about your child, see your GP (doctor). They can refer your child to a doctor who specialises in child and youth health (a paediatrician), a child psychologist or a child psychiatrist, who can assess your child.

There is no single test for ADHD. A specialist can only diagnose ADHD after making a detailed assessment. They need to collect a range of information about the child – especially from parents or carers and the child's school. For ADHD to be diagnosed, the symptoms of ADHD must be obvious in most areas of the child’s life.

The assessment can include a history of the child’s behaviours, any trauma or illness they have experienced, and their relationships and family.

Doctors and psychologists use a variety of tools, scales and criteria when diagnosing ADHD.

Inattention criteria for diagnosing ADHD:

A child with symptoms of inattention may, on a regular basis:

not give close attention to details, or make seemingly careless mistakes in school work or other activities

have difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities

not seem to listen when spoken to directly

not follow through on instructions

not finish school work, chores or other duties (but not because they are being wilful or do not understand instructions)

have difficulty organising tasks and activities

avoid, dislike or be unwilling to do tasks that need continuing mental effort (such as school work or homework)

lose things needed for tasks or activities (such as toys, school assignments, pencils, books or tools)

be easily distracted

be forgetful in daily activities.

A child with six or more of these symptoms of inattention for at least six months (to a degree that interferes with their everyday life and is inconsistent with the usual developmental level of a child their age) may be diagnosed with the inattention aspect of ADHD.