Anybody here have ODD and/or ADHD?

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I think my 4 year old son has Oppositional/Defiant Disorder. I am curious about his prospects as an adult. If you have this diagnosis, or another conduct disorder, can you tell me about how it was treated?

ADHD, OCD, traits of Tourettes & Dyslexia in addition to AS.. and probably a few other things.

Treatments:

Medication (Dexedrine)
Diet (Highly important)
Exercise (Especially cardio, as it's the sure fire way to release all of the main neurotransmitters in our brains that keep them functioning)
Meditation (Certainly helps with mental calmness, focus etc.)
Some metaphysical things you'd either believe or think were BS :p

I probably used to meet criteria for ODD, though I was never actually diagnosed (and I'm glad for it). In my case, it was due to a bad school setting, and homeschooling cured it.

Personally, I think ODD is a wastebasket diagnosis for a whole pile of different problems. It describes behavior that can be caused by many different things.

The majority of ODD kids seem to fall into two categories, referred to as the 'hot' and 'cold' type.

The 'hot' type have mood-regulation problems. They are often generally irritable, or else they go from happy to raging at a moment's notice. They tend to have a bias towards perceiving hostility in ambiguous situations - for example if someone accidentally bumps into them, they assume it was deliberate and retaliate. However, on the good side, they understand right from wrong (eg pass the moral/conventional test, testing understanding the difference between 'against the rules' vs 'inherently wrong'), and they often do show empathy to others in distress (especially someone they like). Some of these kids seem to have a naturally difficult temperament (eg high emotional reactivity plus poor executive functions), some were poorly parented (eg overly harsh discipline, or inconsistent discipline), some have serious traumatic experiences, and some have a mix of multiple risk factors.

The 'cold' type don't feel guilt or compassion, or don't feel those strongly enough. These kids are basically budding psychopaths. (And not in the Hannibal Lector sense - most psychopaths aren't as smart or good at planning, and only a few are severely violent.) They lack the capability to feel some of the central emotions to morality, and as a result, morality itself makes very little sense to them. On the other hand, they can feel anger just as strongly as any other kid, and often have very little control over their anger. These kids tend stand out from other ODD kids in being a lot more manipulative, and more charming when they want to be. Whereas another ODD kid (say the 'hot' type) might have a meltdown because he's genuinely lost control, the 'cold' type could deliberately have a full-blown meltdown as a calculated ploy to get what they want.

And then there are the miscellaneous ODD kids, most of whom show ODD traits only secondary to another condition and are best treated by ignoring the ODD diagnosis and dealing with the other condition. (In general, if a kid has ODD plus another diagnosis, effective treatment of the other condition usually cures the ODD. Especially if the other diagnosis is a mood or anxiety disorder.)

My kids' neuro said to be very wary of the ODD dx. He specializes only in neurobehavioral issues and he said he has only very rarely seen a true case of ODD, although he has come across many kids with the dx from other places. He believes most oppositional and defiant behaviors in kids are due to problems associated with other issues, not true ODD. When my son was younger, I wondered if he had ODD because he was always oppositional. Always contradicting. Or at least that was the way it looked. He had me in tears on a regular basis. His neuro said he was most definitely NOT ODD. As it turns out, now at the age of 11, he is one of the most compliant, cooperative kids I know, even though he questions everything. He's not being oppositional, and he is not contradicting. He is processing.

What makes you think your son has it?

I have ADD and I would say I have a successful life. However, truth be told, if you were to simply look at my raw IQ, I have not accomplished what I "should" have, and I know it is a result of the ADD. A colleague of mine with a similar background who "started" in our career path around the same time as me is now a C-level executive and I am a director with a very limited span of control. I know I am every bit as smart and talented as she is, but there is no way I would have ever gotten to her level. There is no way I will ever get higher than I am. I am maxed out right now, not because of knowledge or talent, but because I have reached the highest level I can due to the constraints of multiple executive functioning issues. I would implode if I tried to do more.

I am diagnosed with both AS and ADHD-C.
I also have a pending diagnosis of ODD, the shrinks still have to make the official diagnosis.

I have bad ADHD

ADHD.

Diagnosed as an adult. I take Dexedrine IR for it.

For young children, Ritalin or Concerta (XR Ritalin) are better drug choices, as they're not nearly as harsh a stimulant. They're dopamine re-uptake inhibitors. They don't stimulate the release of dopamine like Dexedrine does, but rather, they prevent what is produced from being reabsorbed by the brain, so it allows it to pool and build up in brain fluid. You still need a natural stimulus to trigger the release of dopamine, though, which is why (IMO) Ritalin success rates are hit or miss - as Doctors don't know how to prescribe it. Besides "swallow this pill," the other 1/2 of the prescription should be "and go for a quick sprint," as running will release dopamine, serotonin, & norepinephrine. So will anything that makes you happy, but it's hard to guarantee a happy moment for a groggy kid in the morning - whereas dopamine will be release 100% for sure if the kid (or anyone.) goes for a quick jog.

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