Disruptive Behaviour, Oppositional Defiant Disorder & Conduct Disorder

Disruptive Behaviour, Oppositional Defiant Disorder & Conduct Disorder

Struggling to manage disruptive behaviours in your child? Our Family Therapist Ms Joanne Goh shares her insights and how we can help.
It is common for children to behave in disruptive ways. This can lead to parental frustration, exhaustion, burnout, and marital strain.
Disruptive behaviours in children may include:
  • Throwing tantrums
  • Defiant attitude and behaviour
  • Constantly seeking attention
  • Bullying siblings
  • Interrupting others
  • Destroying toys and other objects
  • Being very rude and unkind to others
“Sometimes, the child may be surprisingly well-behaved in school, but persistently misbehave at home.” Ms Joanne explains that “this is because the roles and boundaries in school are made clear to the child, but are less clear at home.”
Children facing parental divorce have additional and unique challenges depending on factors such as:
  • Level of parenting skills
  • Parents’ ability to cope with transition through separation or divorce
  • Parents’ ability to communicate and share co-parenting duties
Disruptive children may be labeled as ‘bad’ and singled out by adults as having disciplinary and conduct issues. But there could be underlying reasons for their behaviours that can be effectively addressed.
Some risk factors for disruptive behaviours are:
  • Inconsistent parenting
  • Overly permissive parenting eg. Not seeing through instructions
  • Overly authoritarian parenting
  • Marital discord
  • Emotionally distressed parents
  • Underlying developmental issues such as ADHD, Autism, intellectual disability or other learning disabilities.
From the list above, we can see that most of the reasons for the child’s behaviour may be related to the adults in their lives, rather than an “intrinsic problem” in the child himself. It follows that if the parent develops greater competence and confidence in engaging and raising the child, the child’s behaviour can improve.
How can we help?
Our family therapist, Ms. Joanne Goh, is highly qualified and experienced in a specific type of therapy called Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).
PCIT is a short-term treatment program that combines play and behavioural therapy for young children with behavioural or emotional difficulties.
Our therapist will:
  • Work with caregivers to strengthen the parent-child bond
  • Impart effective skills and strategies to manage the child’s behaviours
  • Coach caregivers and provide real time feedback
It takes an average of 12 to 18 therapy sessions to achieve treatment goals.
3 age groups of the PCIT Program are:
  • PCIT Toddler : 12-24 months old (early intervention program)
  • PCIT Classic : 2-7 years old
  • PCIT Older Child : 7-10 years old
For families with children older than 10 years old, another therapy program will be offered (Defiant Child Program or Triple P Teens)
You can consider PCIT when…
  • Your child throws tantrums easily
  • Your child shows low frustration tolerance
  • You struggle to manage your child’s behaviours
  • Your child shows aggression (e.g. hitting, biting, pinching)
  • Your child shows severe separation anxiety or seems detached and withdrawn
  • You are stressed by the parental role
  • Relationship with the child is strained

Seek Help Today

Ms. Joanne has observed that most parents who come forward are already feeling very frustrated, helpless, and angry at their child, and at their wit's ends. So don’t wait until it is too late to seek help. As a responsible adult and dedicated parent, you have the power to change the way you interact with your child and be a calm and loving parent.

Let our experienced and highly qualified therapist equip you with effective skills and guide you in your parenting journey toward a more loving relationship with your child.
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