TOP, three letters mysterious to the general public but well known to many teachers. “If my child has difficulty with discipline it is because he suffers from ‘oppositional defiant disorder'”, more and more parents retort when they are summoned by the school. “The latter will jump on this hypothesis to explain the problematic behavior of their son or daughter because it absolves them of any responsibility. Unfortunately, as for the HPI [NDLR : hauts potentiels intellectuels]we put a little everything and anything behind this term”, annoys the clinical psychologist Didier Pleux, author of The educational authority, an emergency (Odile Jacob, 2024).
The forums of medical sites and those dedicated to childhood are full of confidences from fathers or mothers distraught in the face of the multiple manifestations of anger, resentment, opposition and protest from their child. For some, these behaviors tick all the boxes of the famous TOP that they brandish as the cause of their torment.
“My almost 5-year-old son will surely be diagnosed with ODD,” says this mother on Facebook, arguing that school “has become a nightmare for him” and that “the teacher can no longer find a solution to manage him in class”. Many “parenting coaches” exploit this vein by offering “miracle” tests, sessions or workshops that are often expensive. “Yet another new market that rides on the ignorance and confusion of parents!”, says Didier Pleux indignantly.
A small minority of students concerned
The appearance of this famous TOP is not recent. This behavioral disorder has been recognized and listed in international classifications since the 1980s. Affected children may present the following symptoms for more than six months: they lose their temper easily and repeatedly, challenge adults, refuse to obey rules, are easily annoyed and irritated, are vindictive, blame others for their own mistakes or excesses…
Contrary to what the number of testimonies devoted to the subject might suggest, TOP only concerns a small minority of students, i.e. 4 to 5% of boys and 2 to 3% of girls of school age. “If parents talk about it more today, it is undoubtedly because it is less complicated and less shameful to talk about it. I would not say that they are looking for excuses but rather that they are on the lookout for solutions and no longer hesitate to consult, which seems to me to be going in the right direction”, procrastinates Diane Purper-Ouakil, head of the child and adolescent psychological medicine department at Saint-Eloi University Hospital. from Montpellier.
The causes of this disorder can be extremely diverse. The appearance of ODD can be due to genetic factors as well as family contexts or even other pathologies. “A ‘dys’ child [NDLR : qui peut souffrir de dyslexie, dyscalculie, dysorthographie]”, undiagnosed as such and who encounters learning problems, may be led to develop this type of oppositional disorder”, suggests Diane Purper-Ouakil.
In about a third of cases, ODD is also associated with attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD). It can also be linked to a form of anxiety that is difficult to soothe. For Mario Speranza, child psychiatrist at the Versailles Hospital Center, the educational dimension must also be taken into account. “Studies show that those around them can have an impact when they do not set limits or rules. Or when, conversely, they adopt postures that are too rigid and poorly suited to the child’s needs. to express yourself,” he insists.
“Lack of authority”
Didier Pleux goes much further and sees in the “disintegration of authority in the family and at school” the main cause of the behavioral problems observed in children who develop a “form of intolerance to frustrations and effort.” “With all due respect to the fans of excessive psychiatrization for whom the appearance of these famous ODDs is primarily due to genetic predispositions! Certainly this avenue should not be neglected, but it is rarely the number one factor “, he says based on his experience.
“45 years ago, the children we followed in psychotherapy had problems with self-esteem and self-confidence caused by societal and parental authoritarianism,” he explains. “Today, it’s the opposite. The lack of authority and demands from parents means that children have difficulty accepting constraints and coming to terms with a difficult reality,” continues the psychologist for which it is entirely possible to be empathetic, respectful, while setting limits.
Other specialists, for their part, insist on the trap of “excessive punishments”. “As part of a TOP, two types of excess should be avoided: resignation and coercive escalation which could risk locking the child into a role and cutting him off from any way out,” insists Diane Purper-Ouakil, for whom certain parent assistance programs can be used. “They consist of offering parents educational strategies adapted to the various situations encountered,” she explains, also emphasizing the importance of better training teachers.
.