Children With Oppositional Defiant Disorder Term Paper

Children With Oppositional Defiant Disorder - Term Paper Example It is related to ADD and ADHD, and often, a diagnosis of ADHD leads to a diagnosis of ODD. About 30 to 50 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD also may have ODD (Lindstrom, Tuckwiller, and Hallahan 2008). ODD is considered a psychiatric disorder, and ADHD is considered a development disorder (Arzubi 2008). Oppositional defiant disorder is usually diagnosed in preadolescent children, and is sometimes lumped under other conduct disorders. Robb and Reber (2007) state a diagnosis stems from a pattern of defiant behavior continuing for at least six months and the behaviors must interfere with the child’s home life and school life. Frequency of the behavior set is the main clue. For a separate or singular diagnosis of ODD, these behaviors must not arise from a psychotic or a mood disorder. Van Acker (2007) adds that peer group variables such as bullying and isolation are also a factor, and community transformation such as influx of immigrants or concentrated poverty also have a role. In addition, there may be a genetic component or a biochemical factor (although this has not been determined by structured studies, only anecdotal evidence) and there most certainly are environmental factors at work in the child with ODD. Adopted children are twice as likely as non-adopted children to be diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder (Keyes, 2008). A Minnesota study looked at 540 adolescents who were not adopted and a similar-age group of 692 adolescents who were adopted in Minnesota. The adoptee group included 514 foreign children and 178 domestic adoptions. The study found that adolescents who were adopted as infants were significantly likely to be diagnosed with ODD in their teen years; twice as likely, in fact. The rates were 7 percent for adoptees and 3.5 percent diagnosis rate for non-adoptees. Another small study (155 subjects) conducted in obese