Introduction:
Other disorders, like anxiety, depression, learning disorders, etc., always accompany ADHD. Hence, children, parents, educators, and healthcare providers face many challenges. According to studies, children with ADHD tend to be diagnosed with ODD or behavioral problems.
What Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
ADHD is a condition in which there is a deficit of attention or hyperactivity impulses that affect functioning and development. This condition is seen in childhood and can last into adulthood.
All children cannot be grouped under ADHD, but some may exhibit a pattern of disruptive behavior. This type of behavior slowly leads to the finding of ADHD or ODD among children.
Children affected by ADHD exhibit distraction, are found to be disorganized and may find it difficult to sit still.
What Is Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
It is a challenging task to manage children. Even the management of well-behaved children is difficult sometimes. Children with ODD exhibit frequent anger, irritability, arguing, and defiance. These children show their symptoms to people around them and those well known. These include parents and other authority figures. Another symptom related to ODD is vindictiveness. This is a type of behavior that includes being cruel and seeking revenge. This behavior affects a child’s family life, social activities, school, and work.
How Are ADHD and ODD Connected?
ADHD is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood. ADHD is found to accompany other disorders as well. It is not unusual for it to occur with other disorders like ODD, anxiety, and depression. These conditions are known as comorbidities. ODD is found to be the most commonly occurring condition with ADHD.
It was estimated that four out of ten children with ADHD tend to have ODD as a comorbidity. These two conditions exhibit almost similar symptoms, but their causes are different. ADHD is a genetic disorder that runs in the family.
It is estimated that 40 % of children with ADHD may develop ODD. According to researchers, it was found that ODD is linked to ADHD because of related impulsivity. Many children with ADHD or ODD may show oppositional behavior. This oppositional behavior may be accountable because children with these conditions cannot control their impulses.
Other experts found that ODD is one of the ways for children to cope with frustration and emotional pain linked to ADHD.
ADHD and ODD show similarities in brain chemistry that is responsible for behaviors such as uncontrolled, aggressive, and impulsive behavior. In both conditions, boys are affected more than girls. The symptoms of both conditions should be present for at least six months before the diagnosis of ADHD and ODD.
These conditions are usually ignored because these behaviors are considered normal among children. Children with these conditions may not easily grow out of these phases compared to their peers or friends. Children with milder forms may overcome symptoms with age, but severe forms may not overcome them.
Symptoms of ADHD and ODD:
Children with ADHD, along with ODD, exhibit symptoms of both conditions.
Symptoms of ADHD include
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Attention deficit at school.
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Face difficulty focusing.
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Poor listeners and need help with following directions.
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Find it hard to organize.
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Misplacing things often.
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Can be distracted with ease.
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Tend to forget daily homework.
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Keep fidgeting.
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Talk more.
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Tend to act without thinking.
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Interrupt conversations.
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Do not have a sense of danger.
Symptoms of ODD include
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Show temper tantrums often.
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Argue with adults.
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Refuse things to be done told by adults or authoritative figures.
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Tend to question rules.
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They annoy or upset others.
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Refuse to follow the rules.
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Blame others for their mistakes.
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Get annoyed by others easily.
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They act angry.
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They tend to speak harshly or unkindly.
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They always try to seek revenge.
All these symptoms may affect the self-esteem of the child. This also affects the child’s ability to keep and make friends. Observing the symptoms of both conditions is confusing as they overlap. Hence, the help of healthcare providers should be taken into consideration.
The exact causes of these conditions are not known. Genetics and environmental factors may be involved in the causation of ADHD and ODD. Environmental factors, such as lead exposure, may be responsible for the risk of ADHD. A history of harsh discipline, abuse, and neglect at home may pose a risk to the development of ODD.
A study conducted in 2017 found the risk factors for both conditions, called ADHD and ODD.
These include,
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Parents with ADHD.
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Because of adverse life events.
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Parents who are being harsh and critical.
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Tend to show deviant peer affiliations.
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Children born into lower socioeconomic status.
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Children with higher birth weights.
How to Diagnose ADHD and ODD?
A doctor may refer the parents of children with ADHD and ODD to a mental health professional.
Diagnosis of ADHD:
Generally, ADHD is diagnosed during childhood, but it can be diagnosed during adulthood as well. It is difficult for a doctor to diagnose ADHD in children, as many symptoms are similar to those of normal children. Hence, teachers are usually the first to notice these children. There are no particular tests to diagnose, just that the doctor should have an appointment to rule out any other causes of the symptoms.
Diagnosis of ODD:
The diagnosis of ODD is usually done at the age of 5-8 years. The healthcare provider does the psychiatric evaluation with people connected to the child’s life. They need to conduct academic assessments and intelligence tests to know about the learning disabilities of the child. They check for poor performance in school and for other disorders like ADHD. A minimum of four symptoms of ODD must be present every day for at least six months to be diagnosed with ODD.
How to Treat ADHD and ODD?
Treatment of both conditions includes,
Step 1: ADHD in a child should be under control. This can be achieved by putting a child on a treatment plan for ADHD. These medications sometimes take care of the symptoms of ODD.
Step 2: Behavioral modification techniques may be employed to treat the conditions.
Step 3: In severe cases, a child should be treated by a family therapist trained in childhood behavioral problems. This can help the child, as the therapist can screen for other disorders such as anxiety, mood disorders, and bipolar disorder.
Conclusion:
ADHD is a condition in which a child may suffer because of many symptoms, like an attention deficit. ODD can occur along with ADHD, making it difficult to identify and treat. Sometimes, the symptoms overlap and are challenging for individuals around the child. Hence, it becomes important to know about ADHD and ODD, their symptoms, causes, and management. Knowing the conditions in detail helps in identifying them early. Early diagnosis always leads to effective treatment. This, in turn, helps achieve a good quality of life.
