Brittany Leonard

OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANCE DISORDER

CENTRAL QUESTION: WHAT STRATEGIES CAN TEACHERS USE TO ENSURE STUDENTS DIAGNOSED WITH ODD SUCCEED TO

THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL?

What is ODD?- Oppositional Defiant Disorder is on ongoing pattern of the

following behaviours:- disruptive- disorganized- hostile- negative- defiant- causing conflict- frequent temper tantrums- argue excessively with adults- blame others for mistakes- say mean and hateful things when upset, often

perceived by adults as spiteful and vindictive- easily annoyed with others- display extreme reactions

- Why was I interested in this topic? I had a student in one of my classes last year diagnosed with it. I did not understand the disorder or how to address his

behaviour or to help him learn, so I decided to use research methods on how to help students like him succeed.

- Step #1: Sources of Background Knowledge- Step #2: Documentary: Taking Care: Child and Youth

Mental Health- Step #3: Debate: Oppositional Defiant Disorder- (Step #4: Interview with Nanaimo Chapter – Contact

List for 2014 wasn’t updated in time to complete this step)

- Step #5: Handbook: Understanding and Addressing Oppositional and Defiant Classroom Behvaiors

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STEP 1Sources of Background Knowledge

Incremental Theory: informing the test group that the ability that is being tested is relatively unstable, so it is

capable of being changed.

HOW TO INCREASE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN CHILDREN WITH ODD? AN IMPLICIT THEORY EFFECT

IMPAIRED DECISION MAKING IN ODD RELATED TO ALTERED PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO REINFORCEMENT

ADVANTAGEOUS:

Frequent small rewards

Occasional small penalties

SEDUCTIVE:

Frequent large rewards

Increasing penalties

DISADVANTAGEOUS:

Frequent small rewards

Increasing penalties

- high novelty seekers- low self-directedness- low cooperativeness- more anxious and

depressed- have more social and

attention problems- are prone to delinquent

and aggressive behaviours

- more persistent- greater self-directedness

Subject with ODD Subject with ODD and ADHD

DOES ODD HAVE TEMPERAMENT AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL PROFILES

INDEPENDENT OF ADD/ADHD

STEP 2Documentary: Taking Care: Child and Youth Mental

Health

TAKING CARE: CHILD AND YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH

- A parent explains the behaviour of her child:- “…it’s not selective listening, but having difficulty attending to

info that isn’t that important to him” (give students relevant information in steps if possible so it is easy to follow without all the “fluff”)

- “…it is important to learn how to manage your reactions and deal with things in as much of a matter-of-fact way as possible, in a positive and supportive way”

- try your best not to end up in a power struggle

STEP 3Debate: Oppositional Defiant

Disorder

- question of dominance- these children are more

defiant and aggressive

- best steps:- prevent outbursts before

they happen by instilling routine

- focus on socialization (sharing, rules)

- negotiation is good for older kids

- lack cognitive skills including: flexibility and adaptability,

frustration tolerance, problem solving

- best steps:- talk with the child to see why

they are reacting as they are- work to come up with a

solution together- the misunderstanding and poor treatment they face are

what makes matters worse/unsolvable later in life

Jordan Peterson – Clinical Psychologist

Ross Greene – Author and Psychologist

OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER

STEP 5Handbook: Understanding and Addressing

Oppositional and Defiant Classroom Behaviors

UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING OPPOSITIONAL AND DEFIANT CLASSROOM BEHAVIORS

1. Access prereferral services.2. Encourage family collaboration and communication.3. Collect assessment data and perform a functional behaviour assessment.4. Address students’ learning and motivational difficulties.5. Provide social skills instruction.6. Offer attribution training.7. Build relationships with students8. Develop students’ self-esteem.9. Give students choices.10. Be aware of verbal and nonverbal communication.11. Teach students to use self-management interventions.12. Follow routines and foster transitions.13. Establish and teach rules.14. Learn more about oppositional and defiant behaviours.

This handbook stated: “Educators need to be aware of the problems associated with labeling students. Such terms as oppositional defiant disorder locate problems within students rather than within the education system.”

- This statement stood out to me because I completely agree with it and it relates to the content of the handbook, which provides actions a teacher may take in order to help in the success of his/her students.

- It also relates to my “next steps” on the Slide #17.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Articles:- Having the child believe in him/herself is key to their success.- Frequent penalty is better than having larger penalty.- Children with ODD and ADHD are more persistent and more

self-directed (don’t assume having more than one disorder is worse than having only one).

Documentary:- Make sure to give information without all the “fluff”.- Respond in a matter-of-fact way (avoiding power struggle), but

be positive and supportive.

Debate:- Prevent! Prevent! Prevent! Have conversations to understand

why they are responding how they are. Stick to a schedule. Teach the skills they lack (esp. social skills)

Handbook:- In addition to those solutions above, create a plan with a

support group including the family.- Use attribution training to reflect on their own abilities and

areas of improvement, developing their sense of responsibility and self-esteem.

- Make learning interesting to get them motivated to learn.

SPECIFIC

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- Summary: This investigation has satisfied my question on what are some techniques to ensure that students with ODD (and other defiant behaviours) succeed at school.

- Reflection: In the first part of this inquiry, I learned about the characteristics of a child with ODD that I knew could be prevented in the classroom (negative, defiant, blame others). The articles, especially the handbook, each gave me a detailed method in addressing these behaviours more so than any other resource. The debate was useful in that it showed me that causes and solutions are still in the research stages, but that a consensus is made on some of the techniques to addressing this behaviour. The parent’s testimony in the documentary helped me to understand the child behind the disorder and that patience is key in helping children with ODD.

- Next steps: During this investigation, I decided that I want to learn more about a variety of learning styles and other disorders common in students to ensure their success. I believe it is the teacher’s responsibility to have the knowledge to ensure the success of all of his/her students. For these reasons, I have enrolled in a few online courses that discuss inclusive education (as demonstrated in my Portfolio Presentation).

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RESOURCES

D. Da Fonseca, F. Cury, A. Santos, P. Sarrazin, F. Poinso, C. Deruelle. "How to increase academic performance in children with oppositional defiant disorder? An implicit

theory effect.” Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 41.3 (2010): 234–237. Web. 18 October 2013.

  Hyo-Won Kim, Soo-Churl Cho, Boong-Nyun Kim, Jae-Won Kim, Min-Sup Shin, Jin-

Young Yeo. “Does oppositional defiant disorder have temperament and psychopathological profiles independent of attention deficit/hyperactivity

disorder?” Comprehensive Psychiatry. 51.4. (2010): 412–418. Web. 18 October 2013.

Marjolein Luman, Joseph A. Sergeant, Dirk L. Knol, Jaap Oosterlaan. “Impaired Decision Making in Oppositional Defiant Disorder Related to Altered

Psychophysiological Responses to Reinforcement.” Biological Psychiatry. 68.4 (2010): 337–344. Web. 18 October 2013.

 “Oppositional Defiant Disorder.” Youtube – tvoparents. 4 May 2010.

Salend, Spencer and Shawna Sylvestre. “Understanding and Addressing Oppositional and Defiant

Classroom Behaviors.” Teaching Exceptional Children. 37.6. (2005): 32-39. Web. 18 October

2013.

Taking Care: Child and Youth Mental Health: Knowledge Network. Open Learning Agency.

(2004). Web. 23 October 2013.