Our 10 uear old son may be ODD

[Lollyloy]

Our 10 year old son has been displaying most traits of ODD since very early childhood, he has now become so aggressive he is violently attacking myself and his dad, he has been known to fabricate very damaging lies, i.e... he once told me that his father had been kissing another woman while my husband had taken our son out for a walk with the family dog. He has persistently defied us with most requests of daily things. However, at school he appears to keep below radar and manages to hold everything in until he comes home then it all comes out! so much so that he can destroy his bedroom in seconds!  what is our options now? we are seeing a team of specialists soon and do not want to appear as parents who have plucked a disorder form the web and attached to our son to excuse his behaviour, we really need help before he gets older as the behaviours are more extreme!  

[CaitlinS]

Getting support is very important, as having a child with such severe problems can be exhausting for you.  You said there is a team for him, but what about you getting into a parent support group? There are treatments for ODD, one of the most effective is Parent Child Interaction Therapy.  

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

My apology - I misread your note. Yes, his behavior is consistent with ODD and this condition demands a systematic program of behavior management. The specifics of such a plan should be forthcoming from the team you mentioned. Therapy per se is not particularly useful in addressing ODD.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

While your son may well display OCD, none of the symptoms/behaviors you describe are indicative of OCD. They are more typical of Disruptive Behavior Disorder and invite treatment. You will hopefully  learn how to proceed when you receive the feedback from the team.