WateryTart_ndSword t1_izdei1q wrote on December 8, 2022 at 7:35 AM

For the record, symptoms of traumatic stress in young children are very often mistaken for both ADHD and ODD. It’s also very unusual for someone to receive an ODD diagnosis by itself—it’s almost always in conjunction with other diagnoses.

And the psychologist is right in that your daughter is still too young to receive these behavioral diagnoses with full confidence. Treat these test results as guidelines for care—they’re not set in stone, & they don’t dictate what your daughter’s future will look like.

You should definitely continue to have your daughter tested as she gets older & makes more progress in therapy.

I assume you have been as open as you’re being here, but just to make sure it’s said: Your daughter’s therapist & school psychologist need to know about the history of abuse she suffered as well as witnessed.

It’s really been a very short time (both empirically & relatively) that your daughter’s been in a wholly safe environment—it’s not surprising at all she doesn’t feel/hasn’t adapted to that safety & security yet.

Keep doing what you’re doing, Mama. You’ve made all the right moves by getting out & getting mental health care for your kiddos!

And the old you deserves sympathy too—she had it rough & her vulnerabilities were mercilessly preyed upon. You didn’t deserve that any more than your kids did. So make sure you get yourself the same level of care! 💜

Procrastn8ngArtst t1_izeu5om wrote on December 8, 2022 at 4:22 PM

This needs to be higher in the thread, you're very right. Experienced trauma and symptoms of PTSD at a young age are frequently misdiagnosed as behavioral disorders because it's more difficult to get the emotional symptoms from children. I assume it's because they don't have the language to talk about it. Based on this post alone, I would assume a trauma disorder is more likely than anything else.

And you did catch this very young, you've already made steps to get her - and the other children, and yourself - out of the situation, and steps to get treatment too. You're doing everything right. It's a rough patch, to be sure, but you're doing well. You're there, and you care, and that is going to be the best thing you do for her.