On the last night of the seven-week FAST (Family Attachment Skills Training) program, ten to twenty parents and grandparents sat quietly, circling numbers on a rating form designed to diagnose Oppositional Defiant Disorder and determine its level of disruptiveness. A mildly tense silence blanketed the room as ten ODD children and their siblings sat and waited.
As I collected the completed forms and matched them to the same ratings on the first night of FAST, I felt a familiar excitement grow with each match. Feeling giddy, I finally called the first child up to the front of the room. I reintroduced the child to the group: “This is Marcus. He’s ten years-old, and on the first night of Group, he had an ODD score of 21. That’s a pretty serious level of ODD, Marcus. You were good at it!” Everyone laughed and my delight was building.
With my arm around his shoulder, I loudly proclaimed, “Tonight his score is 4!! NO MORE ODD!!! Everyone cheered and clapped. I asked Marcus’s parents to stand and receive applause as well. there were a few tears.
My book, Breaking Up With ODD, outlines the FAST treatment so that both parents and professionals helping parents can implement it. Click on the link on this website for access.