If you have ever spent time around children, you’ll know that they have a tendency to get cranky, test boundaries, and act uncooperatively. Today, we’re going to talk about when these behaviors should warrant a diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Regardless of whether or not your child has this issue, today’s conversation contains a wealth of wisdom that is relevant to everyone who lives or works with children. Sharing this knowledge with us today is Kellie Cole, with Compassion Child and Family Counseling. Tune in to hear about what ODD is, how Kellie goes about observing a child’s behavior to determine whether they have ODD, and why it is so important to conduct a full evaluation before making a diagnosis. Kellie focuses largely on building the relationship between the parent and the child and empowering parents to grow out of shame and into the new ideas that she introduces them to. We discuss why consistency is so important, the value of teaching accountability, and how to learn to raise the child that you have instead of comparing them to others. Join us today to hear how Kellie uses her own stories to inspire others to build strong connections with their children and support them as they grow.
Key Points From This Episode:
Tweetables:
“In order to have this diagnosis of ODD, we need to see these behaviors for at least six months. The reason that’s important, is because we know that a cranky child can be hungry or tired, or maybe they’ve just come back from vacation and they’re off their routine. You certainly wouldn’t want to be quick to put a diagnosis on a child.” — Kellie Cole [0:03:52]
“In the medical field, especially when it comes to children, a child doesn’t just have one diagnosis, there’s usually two or three.” — Kellie Cole [0:07:03]
“One of my goals when I have a parent who has a child with ODD, is to really focus on the relationship between the parent and child because a good relationship, a good connection is based on mutual affection.” — Kellie Cole [0:13:20]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Compassion Child and Family Counseling
Kellie Cole on LinkedIn
Kellie Cole on Email
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