ODD & Conduct Disorder

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

  • Oppositional Defiant Disorder is characterized by an ongoing pattern of anger-guided disobedience, and excessively defiant and hostile behavior towards authority that persists for at least 6 months.
  • ODD is characterized by the frequent occurrence of 4 of the following behaviors: losing temper, arguing with adults, actively defying or refusing to comply with the requests or rules of adults, deliberately doing things to annoy other people, blaming others for his or her own mistakes, being touchy or easily annoyed by others, being angry or resentful, or being spiteful or vindictive.
  • To meet diagnosis criteria, the behaviors must occur more frequently that is typically observed in individuals of comparable developmental level, and lead to significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning.
  • ODD and ADHD often co-occur. 
Treatment Options for ODD
We recommend parent training for parents of children with ODD. Implementing limit setting, AM and PM routines, and effective commands are essential for behavior modification and can be learned through participation in the UCLA Parenting Program

Conduct Disorder

  • Conduct Disorder refers to a group of behavioral and emotional problems in children and adolescents. Individuals with a conduct disorder have excessive difficulty following rules and behaving in a socially acceptable way. They tend to be impulsive, hard to control, and not concerned about the feelings of other people.
  • Individuals with a conduct disorder have a repetitive and persistent pattern of behaviors that fall into four major groupings, including: aggression to people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, and serious violation of rules.  
  • It is common for children with a conduct disorder to have coexisting conditions such as mood disorders, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, ADHD, or learning problems.

Treatment Options for Conduct Disorder

We recommend parent training and problem-solving skills training for children diagnosed with conduct disorder. Implementing limit setting, AM and PM routines, and effective commands are essential for behavior modification and can be learned through participation in the UCLA Parenting Program. UCLA does not currently offer a specific problem-solving skills training program for children, but many therapists use these techniques in their practices.