Conduct Disorder in Young Children - Research Paper Example

? Running Head: CONDUCT DISORDER IN YOUNG CHILDREN Conduct Disorder in Young Children The mental development and health of children are primary concern of parents and teachers. A child is said to have emotional disorder when he or she has a mental disorder which can be clinically diagnosed. It can, however, be extremely difficult to diagnose a mental disorder in young children because the criteria used to recognise the symptoms of disorder in children are same as those used in adults. Diagnosis becomes even more complicated because children often do not have the skill to verbally communicate their thoughts, feelings and reactions towards certain situation. The difficulty in diagnosis also arises from the normal growth and development of young children. There are several symptoms like anger ‘outbursts, irritability, sadness, shyness’ which can be considered as characteristics of emotional disorders among children but such symptoms can also be features of normal adolescent behaviour under specific circumstances (Walker & Melvin, 2010, pp.1-2). This paper focuses on conduct disorder which is a specific kind of behavioral disorder common among children and adolescents. Conduct Disorder Characteristics Conduct disorder is a common type of mental or emotional problem that happens to children and adolescents. Children who suffer from conduct disorder generally show persistency in patterns of disregard for rules and antisocial behavior for a long time. There are some typical symptoms like aggressive behavior, running away from home at night and causing destruction to property. These symptoms increase with age as children pass on to their adolescent stage (Searight et al., 2001). Conduct disorder among young children can also result in deterioration of academic performance because children suffering from the disorder can exhibit learning inabilities that apparently do not have any “intellectual, sensual or health” reasons. It becomes difficult for them to maintain normal interpersonal relationships with friends and teachers. Even in normal situation they tend to behave in abnormal manner. Moods of depression can be seen in them all the time and they show signs of disobedience towards parents and teachers. These children also develop a fear in relation to personal and school related problems (Behavior Disorder/Emotional Disturbances, n. d.). Young children with conduct disorder can display certain patterns in their behavior at home and schools. Negative traits are seen in them like bullying, threatening or intimidating other people. Such children can often get involved in physical fights and can use dangerous items as weapons to physically harm people and animals, something like knife, gun or a broken bottle. It is also common among these children to get engaged in stealing. Other people can be forced into sexual activity by them. Properties of others can be destroyed by these children by setting fire on them. Another trait that can be seen in them is that they can stealthily enter into other people’s houses or get into their cars. These children often show tendency to lie to obtain things they want and can also get engaged in shoplifting. The rules of schools and home are violated by them as they play truant at school or run away from home at night. (Facts for Families: Conduct Disorder, 2004, p. 1). Prevalence There are different ways to evaluate the prevalence of conduct disorder and, hence, it becomes difficult to compare results from different studies. While some studies show prevalence during a definite period of time, there are other studies which show “cumulative prevalence”. Different studies are conducted during different age ranges of children and methods also vary with each study. As a result of this, different studies produce different estimates for the prevalence of conduct disorder. The prevalence of conduct disorder generally gets enhanced among girls as they leave childhood and move into adolescent periods. This feature is not common among boys (Walker & Melvin, 2010, pp. 2-3). Conduct disorder is seen approximately in 6 to 16 percent of boys and 2 to 9 percent of girls (Searight, et al., 2001). It has been proved by recent studies that conduct disorders among young children and their rates of prevalence are affected by the social and economic backgrounds of the affected children. Studies have proved that children who come from economically poor families exhibit more emotional and behavioral problems and are mostly diagnosed with conduct disorder. It is seen that mothers having low income use physical punishment more often to discipline their children than mothers having high income. It has also been seen that mothers from low socioeconomic status do not generally bother about the needs and desires of their children and use commands more often. These harsh rearing methods of low income mothers become causes for conduct disorders among children. Conduct disorder is also prevalent among children belonging to parents who are stressed because such parents tend to be hostile and less responsive to basic needs of children. Another common prevalence of conduct disorder is found in children who are brought up by single parents. Single mothers are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression and this can have extreme negative effect on the psychology of the children (McNeil et al., 2001, pp. 340-342). Causes It is generally not possible to figure out actual reasons for emotional disturbance that cause conduct disorder. However, after intensive and all round research many factors like “heredity, brain disorder, diet, stress, and family functioning” have been suggested as some major causes (Emotional Disturbance, 2010). Assessment Assessment and diagnosis of all kinds of emotional or behavioral disorders among children should be done by a professional psychiatrist who specifically deals with mental health of young children. Conduct disorder is one of the most prevalent behavioral disorders among children and any kind of diagnosis must be made after discussions with the families of the children. To make proper assessment of conduct disorder, it is necessary to observe the behavioral pattern of the child and discuss with the family of the child. Instruments of good standard should be used. The interview of the child should be done in a structured manner. Another most important thing to note down is a complete social and medical history of the family of the child. The professional child psychologist should also consider the socioeconomic background of the child before assessing and diagnosing any emotional or behavioral disorder. If assessment is done accurately, then the child can be “equipped to navigate the developmental milestones of childhood and adolescence and make a successful adaptation to adulthood.” For proper assessment, it is necessary to take interviews of parents and teachers along with the affected children (Conduct Disorder, n. d.). It is also required to make proper assessment of conduct disorder onsets. Early onset conduct disorder can start even before the child reaches the age of 7. The children may have difficulty in learning language, may show extreme aggressiveness and can have difficulty in reading. As babies, they may show temperaments that can be difficult to control. They may not perform well in neuropsychological tests. Early onset conduct disorder happens mainly due to low level of parenting and its prognosis can be poor. Children with late onset conduct disorder usually have a normal childhood. Their nature is less violent during childhood and exhibited leadership qualities. Such children are more emotionally attached to their families. Generally, these children face major changes in their growing years which lead to the onset of conduct disorder. Prognosis for this kind of conduct disorder can show positive results (Learning Challenges: Conduct Disorder, n. d.). Identification Some amount of aggression and disobedience are found in all children even in normal circumstances. Their aggressive behavior is specifically displayed when they are angry, upset or hungry. Characteristics like disobedience, argumentativeness and lying are normal for any children going through adolescence years. Only when such aggressive or oppositional behavior takes severe forms, it can be said that the child has conduct disorder. It is the most severe form of mental disorder among children and is more common in boys than in girls. It is important to identify the symptoms of conduct disorder as early as possible so that proper treatment can be started without delay (WHO, 1992, p. 266). If early identification of the problem and timely intervention are not done, then antisocial behaviors will continue till the children reach the age of adulthood. Studies have shown that as many as 50% to 70% of young offenders, who have been arrested for criminal activities, have antisocial behavior from childhood (Hughes et al., 2008, p.3). Eligibility Young children with conduct disorder very often need help and services from different kinds of agencies that apply “different eligibility criteria”. In America, youths who are identified with conduct disorder are considered as eligible for joining services under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) in only some of the states (Eligibility for Services, n. d.). Role and Responsibility of Schools and Teachers Social Acceptance Reports have shown that children suffering from emotional disorders have lower level of acceptance by their peers and teachers in schools than children having behavioral disorders like conduct disorder. Younger children with behavioral disorders suffer from an overoptimistic perception of social acceptance. Children and their teachers have the tendency to keep high expectations and accordingly judge the “quality of peer interactions” (Ekornas et al., 2011, p.571). Adjustment Difficulties at School The academic success of children suffering from conduct disorder is negatively affected. Children with conduct disorder have low capacities for adjustment and as a result, they have low levels of social and academic skills. They cannot develop strong relationships with their peers. These children may also behave in aggressive manner in schools, which includes physically assaulting other children. This can result in expulsion from schools for violating the discipline of the schools. Moreover, these children can play truant on regular basis and this increases the probability of failing to graduate from high school. In addition to this, many of such children may meet “special education eligibility criteria” (Hughes et al., 2008, p. 2). Role of Teachers Children with conduct disorder are more often placed in “general-education” settings. It is the responsibility of the teachers to guide the education of these children by providing them support services. For this purpose, it is important for the teachers to have updated information on conduct disorder. The teachers of all schools, from elementary to high schools, must have the capability to identify the symptoms of conduct disorder and provide services accordingly. During early childhood, the most common symptoms are disobedience and oppositional behaviors. The children tend to become argumentative and irritable. It is necessary to recognise these symptoms and give proper guidance through childhood and adolescence years. With the correct form of influence the “progression from juvenile delinquency to adult antisocial behaviour” can be curbed. The children should be encouraged to become engaged with the education process. This will help them garner the skills and knowledge that will be useful to them in later years of their life (Hughes et al., 2008, pp. 3-4). General Education Teachers Often the emotional tantrums of a child with conduct disorder can disturb the peaceful ambiance of a classroom. The general education teachers find that the special requirements of such children often surpass the effective strategies applied by the teachers. The teachers feel the need to giving special attention and educational training to such children, but more often the teachers lack the knowledge of effective management of such children to ensure success. The training of general education teacher focuses more on the students across “content domains” than on students requiring special needs and attention. It is necessary to reduce the antisocial and aggressive behaviours among children suffering from conduct disorder and for this purpose the general education teachers need to develop “proactive classroom practices that focus on antecedent based interventions” (Niesyn, 2009, p.227). The teachers should implement practice of praising the children for their efforts to comply with the school rules. Whenever a child with conduct disorder displays positive behavior, he or she should be praised immediately and specifically. Students with conduct disorder often find it difficult to cope with independent work. Their stress can be reduced by giving them shorter assignments and encouraging them to submit their papers individually than in groups with other students. The teachers should move about the classroom and assist the students with their individual work both physically and verbally. This encourages the students to focus on their academic work and increase their positive behaviors. Another way of encouraging students is to make them reply to questions. Teachers should structure questions that will make the students give near accurate responses. For this it is needed to give prior information about the questions. As the students will reply correctly, the teachers will find the scope to praise them which in turn will encourage the students. Another way of managing the students is to introduce the “token economy system”. Under this practice, the students are given token every time they display appropriate behaviour. The tokens are exchanged later on with tangible rewards like toys (Niesyn, 2009, pp. 227-229). Canadian classroom Since a child spends a considerable amount of time in school, it is important for teachers to observe the behavioral patterns of children suffering from any kind of emotional and behavioral disorder which includes conduct disorder. The teachers must observe the academic performance of the children and their behavior at school. They must also observe the level of development in such children. The problems that the children face in learning a language or expressing themselves must also be observed. The relationship that the children develop with their peers is also to be observed by teachers. The teachers must also identify the strengths and weaknesses of these children and guide them accordingly. Children with conduct disorder often face failures and poor relationship with peers and teachers. They find it difficult to cope with the progress of studies. For these reasons, they often display high level of frustration at school which gets expressed in their aggressive manner, antisocial behavior and creating groups with other students with similar disorders. In Ontario, schools do not have classes or sufficient resources that are suitable for these kinds of children. The teachers are also not properly aware of “basic child management and parenting skills”. All these factors hinder the proper development of the children’s emotions and behaviors. Such children should be effectively managed in “day treatment programs with good follow-up and transition planning”. The common two approaches that the schools in Ontario apply are based on positive results from research. The two approaches are “contingency management and use of token economies”. With the help of these approaches, positive behavior is instilled in the children and negative behavior is discouraged. The schools adopt many programs to deal with “anger management, conflict resolution, social problem solving and social skill training” (Children’s Mental Health in Ontario, 2001, p. 6). The children are involved in a variety of programs to curb the growth of conduct disorder among them. In Ontario, the schools are recommended to build strong relationship with parents and to encourage healthy relationships among peers. The teachers must be aware of how to manage the difficult behavioral patterns of children with conduct disorder. (Children’s Mental Health in Ontario, 2001, pp. 6-15) Conclusion Conduct disorder is the most common form of behavioral disorder among young children. Those children with early onset conduct disorder must be identified at early stage so that necessary treatment can be applied without delay. The families of such children need to be educated with skills of parenting their children so that they can apply appropriate strategies to manage their disturbed children (Conduct Disorder: Treatment, n. d.). Children form the future generation and as such, they must be instilled with the right kind of behavior to maintain positive relationships with their peers, teachers and families. References Behavior disorder/emotional disturbances. (n.d.). CES. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Behavior_Disorders_Emotional_Disturbance Children’s mental health in Ontario. (2001). Children and adolescents with conduct disorder: Findings from the literature and clinical consultation in Ontario. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/documents/ EBP_conduct_disorder_findings.pdf Conduct disorder: Treatment. (n.d.). Aboutourkids. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://www.aboutourkids.org/families/disorders_treatments/az_disorder_guide/conduct_disorder/treatment Conduct disorder. (n.d.). NMHA. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://www.nmha.org/go/conduct-disorder Eligibility for Ssrvices. (n.d.). CECP. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://cecp.air.org/resources/20th/eligchar.asp Ekornas, B., Heimann, M., Tjus, T., Heyerdahl, S., & Lundervold, A. J. (2011). Primary school children's peer relationships: Discrepancies in self-perceived social acceptance in children with emotional or behavioral disorders. Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 30(6), 571. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6d4ad9c1-f56d-4549-8b2e-ebb81d26277d%40sessionmgr111&vid=4&hid=122 Emotional disturbance. (2010). NICHCY. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/emotionaldisturbance#def Facts for families: Conduct disorder. (2004). AACAP. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://www.aacap.org/galleries/FactsForFamilies/33_conduct_disorder.pdf Hughes, T.L., Crothers, L.M., & Jimerson, S.R. (2008). Identifying, assessing, and treating conduct disorder at school, USA: Springer. McNeil, C.B., Capage, L.C., & Bennett, G.M. (2001) Cultural issues in the treatment of young African American children diagnosed with disruptive behavior disorders, Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27(4), 340-342. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://jpepsy.oxfordjournals.org/content/27/4/339.full.pdf+html World Health Organization. (1992). The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioral disorders: Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. Geneva: WHO Learning challenges: Conduct disorder. (n.d.). ACPOSB. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://www.acposb.on.ca/LearnChall/CONDUCT_DIS.html Niesyn, M.E. (2009). Strategies for success: Evidence-based instructional practices for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Preventing School Failure, 53(4), 227-229. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a348286e-465f-4a9e-bdfd-0e8383c31d55%40sessionmgr114&vid=6&hid=107 Searight, H.R., Rottnek, F., & Abby, S.L. (2001). Conduct disorder: Diagnosis and treatment in primary care, AAFP. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0415/p1579.html Walker, J.S., & Melvin, J.K. (2010). Emotional disorders in children and adolescents. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/encyclopedia/pdf/ en/emotional_disorders_in_children_and_adolescents.pdf Read More