Teachers can be great allies in keeping your child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder safe and successful in school, but you'll need to make sure they have all the knowledge they need to help. Use these suggestions to create a information packet to bring educators up to speed.
Five Things Teachers Need to Know
1. Choose your battles carefully with my child. Selecting a couple of areas to focus on will work better than fighting over every misbehavior.
2. Clear, simply stated rules work better for my child than abstract rules and expectations.
3. If there will be any sort of change in my child's classroom or routine, please notify me as far in advance as possible so that we can all work together in preparing her for it.
4. My child has significant challenges, but he also has many strengths and gifts. Please use these to help him have experiences of success.
5. Please keep the lines of communication open between our home and the school. My child needs all the adults in her life working together.
Printouts to Share with Teachers
Children's Mental Health Disorder Fact Sheet for the Classroom: ODD
Source: Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health
Understanding ODD
Source: Suffolk, Virginia, Public Schools
Encouraging Cooperation from Students with Oppositional-Defiant Disorder
Source: Beach Center on Disability
Oppositional Defiant Students: Must Have Methods
Source: Youth Change
Conduct and Behavior Problems: Intervention and Resources for School Aged Youth
Source: Center for Mental Health in Schools
