ODD or normal naughtiness?

[MonsterMaskettiBall]

DD3.8 has been going through the 'terrible twos' or being a 'threenager' since since was about 20 months.

Or has she? Today her CM raised the possibility she has ODD because (her words) "I've never seen anything like it" (CM for 15+ years) She tantrums several times a day, whinging and whining and shouting. This week she has hit her preschool teacher whilst trying to make her do a time out and kicked her CM when she asked her to get off the sofa. She's regularly defiant and goes into rages for a long time without calming down.

I'm not keen to go down the diagnosis route because a) our CAMHs has an extremely long waiting list b) really even with a diagnosis the 'treatment' will be the same which is a Triple P course which I'm already trying to get us on.

Preschool have asked for a meeting with me so I imagine they're going to say something similar. It has been a truly awful week but today she was much better.

Has anyone been in a similar situation or got any advice?

A diagnoses gets you more than treatment though OP. It gets DD help in school which she might not otherwise access. It can get you DLA to help with your costs in trying to have a decent quality of life.

It's a very stressful situation by the sound of it and I think that at the moment, you may be feeling overwhelmed.

Don't however listen to well meaning but unqualified people like the childminder...she's not an educational psychologist and she should not be suggesting "it might be" anything. She doesn't know.

Go to the meeting and also see your doctor. Tell the doctor everything and ask for a referral to get an assessment. Get the ball rolling now...before school begins.

If it IS just tantrums then no harm done. If it's something else then you can gather support and get DD the help she needs.

I agree. Go to the meeting and see what they have to say, go to docs and see what they say. We are going through camh and it's taken ages, but what I want most from it is the support at school and to acces whatever other help I can get for DS. Most people I've spoken to who have had a diagnosis agree that it was the most useful thing they have done. its hard dealing with the tantrums day in and out so be nice to yourself too xxx