Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

TurnaroundSue

Mandles wrote: »

I dont know. I thought my son had dyslexia as his behaviour was similar to another child with it . Turns out that he has aspergers. I didnt want a label but i am a bit glad now as i know how to act with a child with this and how i can help him. Your child might already be labeled by other kids & parents as i naughty child. By the way, i just looked it up and it practically describes my son also. Has your son no sense of danger aswell? this was another symptom of his.

Time is running out.You yourself can officially request a statement(statutory assessment) from the educational pshycologist(look on internet for your local one and give them a ring for details as you have to send them a letter requesting this) and he will be tested by a whole range of people. This is what i have just gone through. If he has a "label" teachers at school and collecge will probably treat him in a more understanding way as opposed to a naughty student which will make him get along better and no one needs to know if you want to keep it under your hat.

Just wanting to add when i first found out about my son i gave him omega 3 daily, less tv , cut out cows milk(the one i think it was and worth a try(try goats milk or soya) and he was a different child , no more massive tantrums injuring me or himself etc)

Many thanks Mandles - you have described exactly my thoughts and what I am trying to achieve. I am not just wanting my son to be labelled for the sake of it, if there is an underlying problem then I want to get him the help he needs and deserves and also in turn the teachers accepting that there is a real problem with his behaviour and him not just 'acting out' for the sake of it.

I have never thought of it being milk (as we have always been led to believe that it is a good form of calcium and richness) and this is one thing that my son has loads of. He is already taking Omega3 daily and we do try and monitor his tv, but at 15 that is alot harder now than when he was younger.

Many thanks for your comments, they really are appreciated - thank you.

TurnaroundSue

gerad_way wrote: »

Don't wait for your school. As a parent (parental assessment) you have a right to contact your Ed Psych and request him to be assessed. Don't wait for your school as they have to provide evidence etc. I wrote to the Ed Psych for my son and they replied to me within 2 weeks and my son was assessed the following week. DON'T WAIT. If he is considering going into fulltime education when he finishes school he will be given help etc like at school with support staff.

I will send a letter over the weekend, or once I can get the name and address and see whether we can go down this road. I do feel that even though he is nearing his education in school, if he goes to college then it will help with the support he will still require there.

Many thanks - I feel that it helps to speak to parents who have gone/are going through similiar situations to us and their experiences on getting the help that we need.

Mandles

I have added more to my previous post that may help regarding a part college course now which he may be entitled to.

TurnaroundSue

Mandles wrote: »

I have added more to my previous post that may help regarding a part college course now which he may be entitled to.

Thanks Mandles, have looked at your update and it is very useful. The school have offered my ds the option of doing 2/3 days in school and 3/2 days work experience, but the problem with this is that it will take around 4 weeks to put into place and then he will only have 4 weeks to go until his GCSEs start, so not really an option as it is too late - might have been better had we had this option presented earlier than now. My ds however still wants to go to school full time and sit all his GCSEs, but I am unsure whether this is actually achieveable unless he radically changes his behaviour (and from experience I don't know if he knows how to - it is not just a case of saying be good and he does), as otherwise he is out of the school permanently.

Does anyone know if he is able to sit his exams even though he might not be in school? Is this his right, or is it up to the school to decide whether or not he can sit them?

Mandles

I would think so as kids who are home schooled must get official exams. maybe say he will be home schooled if he gets expelled. He can always go to college and re sit them so dont lose hope.

hethmar

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

Have you read the thread properly?

An assessment isn't likely to be of much use - if he's on the verge of expulsion, then action by the school and parents is what's needed to prevent this at such a delicate time.
.

No need to be so aggressive.

On the contrary Polish - I have been through all this my self - have you? (Obviously Gerard Way and Mandles have also) and you have already stated you may not be that au fait with the British system.Personally I find it offensive that someone with no personal experience of this sort of behaviour and who has apparently trawled only the internet for knowledge, can dismiss the suggestions of people who have been through the same sort of problems and have the nerve to suggest its down to bad parenting.

As you are not aware of our system, I can assure you that the school will do everything it can to wriggle out of taking any action at all, particularly as they are hopeful the boy will shortly be off their hands and budget.

By bringing in the big guns, you find a total change in the attitude of the school.particularly at this "delicate time". Sue, one of the resources on that site is to put you in touch with parent befrienders locally who know the system inside out and are prepared to come with you to meetings and so on. It makes a lot of difference if you have someone with you who knows the ins and outs of what can and cant be done by the school and LEA. I bypassed the school and telephoned the Ed Psych in the first instance.

tattoed_bum

hi my friend's son has just been diagnosed with this he is only 6 though,
but she has had support from her gp who then conntacted the family intervention team they have helped her with techniques on how to deal with his behaviour and they in turn helped push for an assesment .
if you google family intervention team and the name of your town it should give you some information ,these team's help with children with behavioral (sp it's late lol) problems and are causing disruption within the family home

TurnaroundSue

hethmar wrote: »

No need to be so aggressive.

On the contrary Polish - I have been through all this my self - have you? (Obviously Gerard Way and Mandles have also) and you have already stated you may not be that au fait with the British system.Personally I find it offensive that someone with no personal experience of this sort of behaviour and who has apparently trawled only the internet for knowledge, can dismiss the suggestions of people who have been through the same sort of problems and have the nerve to suggest its down to bad parenting.

As you are not aware of our system, I can assure you that the school will do everything it can to wriggle out of taking any action at all, particularly as they are hopeful the boy will shortly be off their hands and budget.

By bringing in the big guns, you find a total change in the attitude of the school.particularly at this "delicate time". Sue, one of the resources on that site is to put you in touch with parent befrienders locally who know the system inside out and are prepared to come with you to meetings and so on. It makes a lot of difference if you have someone with you who knows the ins and outs of what can and cant be done by the school and LEA. I bypassed the school and telephoned the Ed Psych in the first instance.

Thanks Hethmar - you are right this is a delicate time and we need to be careful. A befriender would be really good as we are now at a lose on how to deal with this and whenever I talk to the head he always turns it round to his school is the best, doing all it can, where my ds is just being downright naughty - it is really frustrating and yes we don't know the ins and outs of what we are entitled to etc etc. I will contact my Ed Psych on Monday and see where what help they can give us.

TurnaroundSue

tattoed_bum wrote: »

hi my friend's son has just been diagnosed with this he is only 6 though,
but she has had support from her gp who then conntacted the family intervention team they have helped her with techniques on how to deal with his behaviour and they in turn helped push for an assesment .
if you google family intervention team and the name of your town it should give you some information ,these team's help with children with behavioral (sp it's late lol) problems and are causing disruption within the family home

Have to admit my gp has been cr*p. He told us there is nothing he can do and we have to go through the school. Said he would look into though when I challenged him and although I have rung 3 times in the last week to see what he was able to find out, guess what? not there, will ring me back, never has done:mad: :mad: . I am off to work shortly so will google family intervention team on my return - see, I didn't know there was such a thing. I am really pleased that your friend's son has had an early diagnosis and it appears that (s)he is getting all the support that they will need - just wish something more had been done for my ds at that age and maybe we might not be where we are now, with years of misery for him in school since that age (and before).

Many thanks

hethmar

You may be cheeky and ring CAMHs directly.

The school will, as you have found out, try to wash their hands of it as any special assistance will come out of their budget and may mean a new hall carpet cant be funded this year! (Believe me, that is the case). And also remember, the Ed Psych is employed by the LEA and will not fall over himself to make an assessment. CAMHs I found much better as they are not funded by the LEA and much more independent in their assessments.

Get a parent befriender - when I sat in youngest boys school with the LEA rep and some of his teachers and then gave them a form saying who would be representing me, their faces blanched - I swear they did. The person representing me had recently taken the governors of another school to court for lack of action over another child.