Conduct Disorder, Childhood Onset, Preschool

You said that your child is behaving in some ways that are concerning. Your child is doing (or has done) some of the following things:

Fighting with or Hurting Others

• Bullies, threatens or frightens others on purpose
• Starts physical fights
• Hurts people or animals on purpose
• Has used a weapon (e.g. a bat, brick, broken bottle, knife or gun) in order to hurt someone else
• Has attacked someone and stolen from them

Breaking Things or Setting Fires

• Sets fires on purpose
• Breaks or ruins other people's things on purpose

Lying or Stealing

• Has broken into someone else's building, house, or car
• Lies to obtain goods or favors or to get out of things
• Steals items when others are not around (e.g. shoplifting)

Does Not Follow Rules

• Often stays out at night even though parents tell him/her to come home earlier
• Runs away from home

Children who act in these ways have a problem called Conduct Disorder (CD). Conduct Disorder is very rare in young children. Very young children with CD often lie, steal, play with matches, start fires, and break things.

Children with CD have problems following rules. They also have do not behave in ways that society would have them behave. Your child may have Conduct Disorder.

Many children with CD also have other types of problems including:

• Feeling sad
• Lots of worries
• Alcohol or drug use
• Hard time focusing
• Hard time sitting still
• Hard time learning new things

Youngsters with CD may have a lot of problems down the road if they don't get help quickly. They could have lots of problems getting along with adults and other children. They often break laws or behave in an antisocial manner.

Adapted in part from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Facts for Families© series (1997) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Primary Care (DSM-PC) (1996).