Hi you wonderful people, you,
I need someone to shine some light on the ODD label for me. I’m really struggling with it for my son this coming school year. Please let me know if there’s a more appropriate place for this topic on the forum. It’s about the use of the ODD label in school.
It worries me as far as how it is actually perceieved in the schools. I am an art teacher in the elem. my son will start attending next week, and I can tell you that we rarely get an ODD label on a kid, let alone a 6 yr old! And I really don’t think teacers know anything about it so they are most likely to assume it’s a poorly raised child, who’s unruley behavior at home is neglected. Or else just a “bad apple”. Maybe it’s just my school, but we hear nothing about it.
My belief about ODD, at least for my son, is that it is a real collection of prolonged behaviors that are developed as a result of other “comorbid” disorders that either are not being addressed or are in desperate need of intense therapy. I see alot of growth as a result of the additional suport I was able to get him. But he still has a peculiar anger issue that stands out as unusual. The school has made a BIP, which I hope the rest of the teachers will implement (Health fitness coach, music teacher, librarian, etc.) When I start thinking of this, I get mad because us teachers get staff development inservices on autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and the like, but do we ever hear anything about ODD? Notta. So there is no training for them (us) in dealing with these kids. So I get a little resentful that the district can go shooting off a label like this without explaination of any kind. I feel like I eed to go around explaining my son’s life story - “He couldn’t talk until he was 3 1/3 so he was frustrated, went around growling and grunting, constantly feeling misunderstood, he also has sensory integration processing problems, yadda yadda yadda…” Because I believe
the anger and control issue is a result of the other disorders. May be I’m not giving them enough credit before they get a chance to figure it out themselves. I have had many looks, and commets from people and I just have a need to be ready to explain his ehaviors to my peers.
If anyone has faced this problem please let me know how it went for you.
Also, I am curious as to what kind of services in school, such as counceling, or social group therapy, are offered if any. It just seems they should offer some sort of service besides a BIP, to address the ODD. I almost feel like denying the label and call it anxiety r make up my own name like “comorbid frustraion” of something. … I guess he’s just a chip off the old block. Any suggestions or related experiences would ne helpful.