Three Types of Behavioral Disorders In Children

The recipient of a PhD in psychology from The Ohio State University, Beth Grosshans is a retired clinical child psychologist. Beth Grosshans has worked with children and parents for over 25 years through her private practice in New Jersey. In 2008, She published a book titled “Beyond Time Out: From Chaos to Calm,” which discusses children's troubling behaviors and how parents might have contributed to such problems.

A child probably has a behavioral disorder if he or she shows troubling behaviors that are not typical of their age, in the absence of temporary stressors. However, defiant or impulsive attitudes in a particular instance don't mean a child has a behavioral disorder, as these are typically perfectly normal. Rather, behavioral disorders may be the case when such behaviors occur more often and for no known reason. There are different types of behavioral disorders in children, with many having similar signs. Common ones are:

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD): With a 2 to 1 ratio, ODD is more prevalent among boys than girls. Typical signs of ODD include stubbornness, low self-esteem, low frustration threshold, frequent temper tantrums, and intention to annoy others or cause trouble.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): With boys outnumbering girls, ADHD affects about 2 to 5 percent of all children. Signs include having trouble concentrating, restlessness, and carelessness.

Conduct Disorder (CD): Also prevalent among boys, conduct disorder is characterized by delinquent behaviors and disregard for rules. Children with CD tend to get into physical fights or lie more often, disobey parents or other authorities, lack empathy for others, use weapons in physical fights, and may also have the intention of running away from home.

Bed-Wetting Management In Children And Motivational Therapy

A retired clinical child psychologist, Dr. Beth Grosshans taught child development at Princeton Center for Teacher Education. Based in New Jersey, Beth Grosshans, Ph.D., has written a book on the parent/child relationship.

Also known as nighttime incontinence or nocturnal enuresis, bed-wetting refers to involuntary urination during sleep in a person that has reached the age where this is expected to have stopped (age 7). Some parents prevent this by helping their children set an alarm for toilet use at night, and most children get fully adapted to this training by age 5. If bed-wetting persists for a long time, it can result in emotional problems such as low self-esteem, and behavioral disorders. Aside from addressing the emotional and behavioral problems associated with bed-wetting, psychological management has been hypothesized to be helpful stop bed-wetting. In the past years, several studies were done to compare the efficacy of motivational therapy in treating enuresis.

In 1991, a randomized controlled trial was done on two groups to evaluate the effect of motivational therapy in managing bed-wetting. One category had a 3-step management program (which involved child encouragement, bladder retention training, and behavioral training), and the other group received the 3-step program plus motivational therapy where each child discussed problems with a psychiatrist. At the end of the study, 84.4 percent of the motivational therapy group, and 66.7 percent of the 3-step program group achieved 14 consecutive dry nights.

United Against Poverty Helps Clients Regain Independence

The New Jersey-based author of Beyond Time Out: From Chaos to Calm, retired child psychologist Dr. Beth Grosshans helps parents develop strategies to establish boundaries with children and create a more balanced family dynamic. Additionally, Dr. Beth Grosshans serves on the steering committee for United Against Poverty, a charitable organization that offers resources for Florida residents living in poverty.

Since 2003, United Against Poverty has worked to break cycles of poverty by operating food assistance programs throughout southern Florida. In addition to emergency food supplies and highly subsidized groceries, the organization operates the Success Training for Employment Program (STEP) to address the root causes of poverty. Through career training and coaching, the program equips clients with skills that help them regain dignity and become self-reliant.

Often, United Against Poverty clients give back to the organization by volunteering, in the process learning organizational and administrative skills required for nonprofit work. When job openings arise, United Against Poverty often hires from this volunteer pool in order to further empower and uplift its clients.