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.
