The symptoms include a recurrent pattern of defiant, disobedient behavior towards authority figures for at least a period of 6 months.
Problems usually arise at home first, then spread to other areas of the child's life.
The number of symptoms often increases with age. The disturbance in behavior causes clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning. The DSM-IV criteria for Oppositional Defiant Disorder is available online. This course is developed as a result of a high demand from parents, youth leaders, and professionals seeking to understand and work with Oppositional Defiant Youth. From Darryl Hill, this is a list of 7 techniques for keeping perspective when dealing with an oppositional child.