On this episode, we will dive into a question I hear from parents and teachers a lot: "Is the child just defiant, or is it their ADHD?" A child refuses to follow directions. They argue with teachers, have emotional outbursts, so the quick assumption is “They have Oppositional Defiant Disorder”. But what is the full story here?

What if what looks like defiance is just the child feeling overwhelmed? What if the disrespect is just the child struggling with executive functioning, emotional regulation, and feeling invisible due to challenges that come up because of their ADHD?

We will try to unpack the differences between ODD and ADHD, explore why these diagnoses are often confused, and what strategies can be helpful to process more effectively.

Instead of asking “What is wrong with this child?”, why can we think instead, “What is t ...