Odd

[Hazelnut]

I'm investigating this possibility and totally overwhelmed ... Wondering if anyone else deals with this. Also I really want to pursue anything but drugs to help the behavior. I know elimination diets are probably first. Help?

[Zan&Zav]

i missed what your post was, but if you need them

[Hazelnut]

thank you! That's so nice.

I know I should have left it. It was about ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and wondering if anyone else out there deals with this or suspects they do. My post wasn't actually all that personal but I have come to loathe posting personal info online and once I get a ton of views and no posts, I just don't want to leave it there anymore. :

I searched but surprisingly didn't find that much about it here.

[lotusdebi]

I saw your post earlier, but didn't have the time to respond right away.

I thought that my older son might have ODD. It turns out that he has high-functioning autism, sensory processing disorder, and suspected ADHD. His autism is atypical enough that it wasn't obvious to his occupational therapists or to other parents of autistic kids; he was diagnosed by a well-regarded developmental pediatrician. Going casein-free has helped decrease his oppositional behaviors.

Hope that helps!

[Hazelnut]

Thanks. Why did you think your son had ODD? How did he act? I haven't really taken elimination diets too seriously yet, though we are artificial anything free, pretty much. I wouldn't know where to start. They frustrate me to no end, b/c you know how you try so hard to keep them healthy, and then even the raw organic dairy or certain fruits and veggies (in the case of feingold) are out.

The therapist suggested adhd or aspergers (maybe) in addition to the unofficial diagnosis of odd, but it just doesn't make sense to me. He fits the odd descriptions to a T. I have read endless descriptions of the others and asd and nothing makes sense. He used to meltdown a lot and sometimes acted out strangely in newer situations, but that has disappeared mostly. That was noticeable and alarming to me, but it was infrequent and has faded. He does great in school, makes friends, so I don't know. He's always made eye contact, had normal motor development, his speech seems "normal," so I guess even with the continuum, that didn't make sense. But I just knew something wasn't quite right. It's the ODD type stuff that is the pervasive problem. His brothers never, ever act this way.

[lotusdebi]

He was SO oppositional and defiant! His first response to any request was "No" or "Why" - if he bothered to respond at all (he often just ignored me). And he would argue every.single.thing. He's extremely strong-willed and persistent. His tantrums were nearly constant. He was belligerent. He didn't recognize any concept of authority and certainly didn't do anything just because an adult asked or told him to. It could be the simplest thing, and he would argue about it for no apparent reason.

It really has gotten much better since changing his diet. GABA and magnesium supplements have helped with his tantrums and meltdowns and anxiety, which were also contributing factors. He's also in occupational therapy 2x/week, weekly social skills group, and psychoherapy weekly (though we may be going to every other week soon since his behaviors have improved so much). Not only does he follow directions - sometimes even the first time I give them!! But he also tries to be helpful to me now in ways he never did before. It would take so much negotiating just to get out of the house before that we were often late, even if I started prepping him 30 minutes early. Now we're on time because he's not fighting with me all the time over everything. We're able to go do more things because I don't have to worry so much about his behaviors outside of the house. AND he and his brother went from getting along 50% of the time to getting along 99% of the time! He's also calmer and more in control of himself. All since going casein-free. I never put much stock in diet changes before trying this. It's really an amazing change.

Of the list of symptoms on one website (his behaviors prior to going casein-free in red):

* Negativity sometimes
* Defiance almost constantly
* Disobedience almost constantly
* Hostility directed toward authority figures often - especially towards men

These behaviors might cause your child to regularly and consistently show these signs and symptoms:

* Temper tantrumsoften
* Argumentativeness with adults near constant
* Refusal to comply with adult requests or rulesnear constant
* Deliberate annoyance of other people occasional
* Blaming others for mistakes or misbehavior constant. still does.
* Acting touchy and easily annoyed some of this seems to be sensory-related, but often
* Anger and resentment often
* Spiteful or vindictive behavior often
* Aggressiveness toward peers sometimes - primarily towards other boys, acts like he's just playing
* Difficulty maintaining friendshipsnot as much as you'd expect - he's quite popular, but I think that's because I still shadow and intervene a lot
* Academic problems We homeschool. I think he'd be arrested in a school setting. Attention problems and sitting still are primary concerns.

[khaoskat]

Another possible thing to look at or investigate is a Sleep Disorder. If your child is not getting enough sleep, or enough good quality sleep, it can present itself as ODD, ADHD, etc.

My DS1 was and can still be very ODD at times, but when we did the research combined with his other symptoms, we came up with an idea he might have sleep apnea. we talked with his ped, got a sleep study referral and found out he does have sleep apnea...