I have a little boy with adhd and oppositonal defiant disorder.?

My son is a very loving little boy but he flies into terrible rages and temper tantrums and when he is all done he is loving and wants to cuddle. I would like some advice from other parents who are experiencing this type of behavior and what we can do to limit his outbursts and to try and keep him off medication? thank u
Answer:
Please don't think that the answer is limited to keeping him off medication. I know it is difficult to consider putting your own child on medication but, if it is necessary then you must make that important decision. I have seen too many lives ruined by denying medication. Oftentimes problems exacerbate with age, and too often children do not "grow out" of behaviors. Please talk to a professional in child development. I ignored my son's behavior for many years, thinking that he would come around. Unfortunately he didn't and he is now in prison for the rest of his life because of his anger.

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I hope you have a good child psychiatrist.

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I would talk to the pediatrician. The few kids I know like that have to be on medication or they become almost dangerous. My son is 11 and his best friend has the same thing. When they first met, this little boy didn't like something another kid said and went home and got a metal rake and went back to the park and started swinging it. I wouldn't let my son hang out with him for a long time. Now they have started talking again and are totally inseperable. His mother told me that the doctor said he could come off his meds for summer. Well they tried to wean him off and after just a couple of days of a lower dose he got violent. He threw a large rock at my son's head and left quite a goose egg. He was sorry, and is basically a good kid but if he is not on meds I won't let my son near him. Maybe there are some support groups in your area that you can join and talk to other parents for some ideas. It is really important that you talk to the doctor about that.

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Who diagnosed him? Are you sure he isn't bipolar? Does he remember the rages after they are over?

If you go to the web site for The Bipolar Child book, they have a quiz online with questions. The authors are Papolous (I hope I spelled that right). It's a hubby and wife team. If you Google the name of the book and find their web site there is a wealth of information.

Yes, kids can be bipolar, too! And the kids usually have either ADD or ADHD, and appear to be ODD, but after they are on meds you see that they aren't ODD. They are bipolar and only act ODD when their bipolar illness is untreated.

I don't know what your child's problem is. I am only suggesting this because if you get an accurate diagnosis then you can also get good treatment. My teen is BP, and his illness is severe...but with the right meds he is now living a normal life.

Yahoo! Groups has some terrific groups for parents with kids who are bipolar. If you go to Yahoo! groups and search you will find a place to go ask questions. Even if your child isn't bipolar, these parents will have a ton of information and be able to help you through the maze of mental health professionals. And lend a sympathetic, understanding ear! Only those of us who have lived with, or live with, a raging child can understand what it's like.

Don't blame yourself for your child's illness. You are looking for help, so you deserve a big hug right now! :)

Good luck!

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i'm so happy to hear that you are keeping your child from taking medication at such a young age. i take medication for bi-polar but personaly think that child shouldn't take in until they are older. but really the only thing you can do is ignore them when he has these outbusts and cries. when you ignore him he will quit eventulay, but don't baby him because it only ads fuel to the fire! i wouldn't spank him or yell at him either, just simply walk into the other room and start doing something. and when he comes into the room your in after cying, and such ask him if he done , and then hug him and hold him tell him you love him. sometimes kids can't control this thats why it's a disorder and not just a behavor problem.

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I am raising a child with O.D.D. One thing I realize helps is the way you correct or discourage in appropriate behavior. When he is displaying inappropriate behavior get down to his level calmly whisper to him and tell him what he did wrong and ASK him to correct it also tell him something he did correct possibly be fore you show him what he did wrong. Ever 30 minutes that he is displaying good behavior tell him how much of a good job he is doing. This helped alot with me and my child I hope this helps you.

P.S.
Explain this concept to the family and friends these kids hate to be embarrassed or ganged up on so one person disciplining him at a time once that situation has been resolved let it go. begin to praise him again and again.

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hi im not a parent but i do have ADHD and i have also oppositional defiant disorder and im right now 18 and i have had that since iv been a little kid but i dotn know from the view of a parent but i do know that mad really mad when i was smal my mom would just let it pass but so i wouldent get mad she also told me what was she goign to do and said we need to do this and if i did not want to she would just tell my why and stuff and if i was doing something bad she would not raise her voice she would alsways speak in a normal voice and tell me what was i doing wrong and why about the ADHD medication well i dont know iv tryed to not take them but my grades go down eaven when i try so i would recomend to try natural medication i dotn remember whats calld but its a natural medication that works the same way *** ritalin or metadate or any other medication but i hope i helped you atleas a little bit and if you want you can e-mail me at babygirl12200571@yahoo.com
ooh before i go do nto put him on estratera

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WOW. My little sister (age 7, ADHD and anxiety disorder sufferer) sounds exactly like that kid. Hey, I know how it feels to have a seemingly half insane/half lovingly adorable little sister/son. She's getting better now that she sees a therapist and we put her on these anxiety pills that I'm on too. Video games keep her enthralled but when she loses, she used to hit the nearest person but now after some therapy she keeps a little pillow with her and she squeezes it instead. We're just taking baby steps to help. Keeping her busy but not stressing her out works best. Best of luck!

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My son doesn't have the rage thing, but has the hyperactivity and ADHD. We tried eliminating any unnessecary sugars,caffiene, had counseling, tried diferent activities, and so much more. We had a local teacher come to the house once a week to help with reducing anxiety and hyperactivity with activities and learning aides and none of it worked. He also had a school phychologist and outside the school one as well. In the end i learned it was do or die. After 3 years of declining attitudes and grades and my son loosing friends cause he scared them so much we put him on Adderall XR and he has improved 100 fold and even though parents will tell me on here I was wrong, I always figure we know our own kids better then some unknown onYahoo. You have to try different things. We looked online for ADHD tips and seeked counseling for him by a child phycologist. We tried every resource a small town of 3,000 could have, but in the end we couldn't let him suffer anymore, because he knew he was different and he knew he was loosing friends, and he knew he was getting D's and F's and he hated it.
My son is still my son on this medicine except he can control himself now. When i set bounderies now, he understands and listens. He is control of himself, not the other way around. Tommorrow is his 7th Birthday and he has 12 friends coming to his swimming party and he is proud because he didn't have more than 2 firends last year. People can applaud you or chastise you for giving medicine, but it all comes down to your child and your beliefs, i am so glad I was open to medicine, my child is now normal because of it.

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