oppositional defiant disorder - experiences please

[sumum]

My ds already has dx of adhd, however there are still other issues and we were expecting to get a dx of asd soon.

However the salt has been into school and has said his communication is good(on her snapshot visit) and doesn't think he will meet asd critiria. The community pead thinks its asd as do I and the school.

She said there were significant problems in addition to the adhd and is thinking oppositional defiant disorder.

He has been very oppositional recently since starting junior school but i have put this down to anxiety due to asd?

Has anyone got a dc with a dx of odd and can you tell me what these children are like in reality.

I have googled and it's all a bit scary.

TIA

Hi Sumum I have no experience of ODD (DD has got a general diagnosis of ASD) but I thought it was part of the autistic spectrum.

Sumum my ds aged 7 has dx of ADHD. He doesn't have any defiance issues beyond that of an NT child, but I am interested to know why your ds got a dx of ADHD first? If you and others suspected ASD, was this not looked into or was it not as apparent at the time? I hope you don't mind me asking, but could you share with me the 'other issues' he has that leads you to suspect ASD? For what it's worth, my ds has also been moody and crabby since starting juniors - all part of the change and settling in, I think. Many thanks!

Hi, my ds was first referred to community pead when he started school in reception as it was clear he was struggling and school asked me to refer him.

Before that we questioned asd as he had speech delay and obsessed with thomas the tank, didn't like change ect, but was told this was all normal so we thought he was just immature.

many of his behavoiurs point to asd but each time salt saw him they said he was accessing the curriculum and could communicate so we had to wait months for other blood tests that all came back negative.

we also were asked to fill in connors questioners as part of the dx process and this flaged up adhd, the pead went into school and said he definatly met the criteria.
By this time his attention was definatly not what it should have been and he was very active, much more than his peers, which not so evident when he was younger.

so then he was prescribed meds, which he now takes and they have massively improved his concentration but have made his other quirks more obvious.

He is very rigid in his thinking, has some sensory issues and has obssesions and reacts badly to change and more recently is showing this oppositional behaviour.

the dx process has been going on for almost three years now, it is definatly more than adhd, everyone agrees on that, but what else is the question. the current salt said he was very complex

ds1 has no specific dx, but docs have variously suggested adhd/as/asd and his teacher last year suggested odd. he was prescribed ritalin, but we haven't given it to him, the circs were dubious and i don't feel that he's been properly assessed - it was more of a 'try this and see' thing.

he's also had some sensory issues. and has continence issues.

he sees the school counsellor for anger/ stubborness-type stuff, and i think is being referred to camhs-type service next. i am waiting for the gp to leave this month before i take him back tbh - he hypnotised him and ds was the worst i've ever seen him for days.

oh, he's nearly 9. definitely getting worse - always been stubborn and unable to sit down, but now angry angry angry with it.

that said - in a good moment he's great. he loves to dance and is a very bright boy.

(i do love him dearly, but he's been driving me crackers this week.)