The Oppositional and Defiant Child


Working with the child who doesn't act out---
but doesn't act RIGHT!



REVISED (2004)


Presenter:


James D. Sutton, EdD
P.O. Box 672
Pleasanton, TX 78064
(800) 659-6628
Fax: (830) 281-2617


Program Focus:


This program is designed to assist educators, administrators, counselors and allied health care professionals in working with one of the most emotionally, behaviorally and academically problematic youngsters today -- the OPPOSITIONAL AND DEFIANT CHILD.

 

Participant Benefits:

bulletMore harmony in working with this youngster, less wasted time
 
bulletSatisfaction in influencing long-term change
 
bulletIncreased confidence and compliments in dealing effectively with this child

 

Needs Addressed by this Program:


Jenny is an example of this particular sort of youngster. She frustrates the dickens out of her teacher. She is on the brink of serious trouble in school; not so much for what what she is doing, but for what she is NOT doing. Although she is clearly bright and capable, Jenny is doing little in her studies. She is never prepared for class, and homework is rarely ever completed and turned in.

Things aren't any better at home. She often jokes around but, at the core Jenny seems quite unhappy.

In a congenial spirit of noncompliance, this youngster warms herself at the fires of resentment and misery. Essentially oblivious to her own nature, she destroys her positive outcomes. She is in serious trouble--AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW IT.

 

Intended Audience of this Program:


Special education/regular education teachers, child care professionals, counselors, administrators, school nurses, special education assessment personnel, special education supervisors/directors, drug awareness specialists, social workers and allied health care professionals.


Program Objectives:


Through this workshop and materials, participants will be able to:

1. Pinpoint 15 of the most commonly displayed oppositional and defiant behaviors.

2. Examine characteristics of inflexibility, explosiveness, noncompliance and intent to harm others as they apply (or not) to the oppositional and defiant child.

3. Consider how the oppositional and defiant youngster differs from the more serious classification of Conduct Disorder.

4. Know when an oppositional and defiant child is becoming more severe in behavior.

5. Understand the two primary ways this behavior is maintained.

6. Know why this youngster often attempts to disguise feelings and behavior.

7. Avoid the 7 most commonly employed "No-lutions," common interventions that don't work.

8. Identify the 3 reasons why oppositional and defiant behavior develops in the first place.

9. Explain how this behavior relates to ADHD and other conditions.

10. Capitalize on the 2 major approaches for positively redirecting oppositional and defiant behavior.

11. Gain strategies for helping this youngster to improve communication and relationships with significant others.

12. Employ constructive confrontation to redirect oppositional and defiant behavior.

13. Provide effective support services (counseling or therapy) for the oppositional and defiant child.

14. Handle the problem of task completion at home and school (homework and chores).

15. Help the youngster continue to grow as improvement is noted.

16. Consider options for more effective placement and programming at school.

17. Implement effective discipline with the oppositional and defiant child.

18. Conduct a successful conference with this youngster's parents.

 

Program Description:


Healthy youngsters know when it is important and appropriate to comply with the requests and directives of authority figures. The oppositional & defiant child, however, compulsively orchestrates his own misery with his continual testing of limits and an ongoing repertoire of noncompliant behaviors.

Addressing school-age youngsters, this program will take an intensive look at this disorder and how to deal with it, focusing on behaviors of procrastination, pouting and stubbornness, obstructionism and forms of intentional inefficiency, such as "forgetting" and chronic episodes of missing or incomplete school work.

This program involves a lecture methodology, with planned activities and group "brainstorming." A professionally prepared and newly revised 64-page workbook will be utilized.

NOTE:

This program acknowledges the fact that there can be a connection between the oppositional & defiant youngster and a dysfunctional family system. This connection can involve drug/alcohol abuse or dependency, as well as other compulsive disorders. For this reason, this program is an excellent one for professionals working in the field of drug/alcohol awareness.

 

Qualifications of the Presenter:


James D. Sutton, EdD

bulletTexas Psychologist License # 2790
 
bulletTexas Professional Counselor License # 06979
 
bulletTexas Certified Advanced Addiction Counselor # 1314-0900
 
bulletTexas Licensed Specialist in School Psychology # 6154
 
bulletTexas Education Agency certifications--see vita
 
bulletCertified Speaking Professional


Credit Hours Granted:

This program was developed to provide six (6) clock hours of credit. A half day format, When the Kid Who Can, Won't (3 hours), is also available.


Program Agenda:


8:30 -- 10:00
Introduction
Program Objectives
Overview of Interventions
Characteristic Behaviors
Comparison with Conduct Disorder
Insights into Overdependency

10:00 -- 10:15
Break

10:15 -- 12:00

The "Why" of  Noncompliance
How Expectations Can Become Toxic
The "Psycho-Behavioral Bind" Explained
What We Keep Doing That Doesn't Work
Three Reasons Why These Behaviors Happen
Comorbidity with ADHD and Other Conditions

12:00 -- 1:00
LUNCH

1:00 -- 2:15
Intervention
A Simple Model for Intervention and Management
Changing Behavior Through Changing Perception
Reinforcing Relationships
Constructive Confrontation
Support Work (Counseling or Therapy)

2:15 -- 2:30
Break

2:30 -- 4:00
More Intervention
Improving Task Initiation and Completion
Helping the Child Experience Continued Growth
Placement and Programming at School
Discipline Issues Unique to ODD
Conducting Successful Parent Conferences
Closing


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