Conduct disorder
When a young person's actions are putting people or relationships at risk, you may need both immediate support and a clearer understanding of what is happening. You can take harmful behaviour seriously while still seeing the young person as someone who needs care.
Serious, repeated difficulties need a full assessment.
Conduct disorder involves a persistent pattern of behaviour that violates other people's rights or major age-appropriate rules. It goes beyond an isolated disagreement or occasional rule breaking.
A professional needs to understand the young person's development, circumstances and other needs. A behaviour label should not replace their voice or be used to predict their future.
Based on American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Bring safety, context and care together.
- Current safety
Risks that need attention now
- Young person's voice
Their account of what is happening
- Full context
Health, learning, relationships and circumstances
- Coordinated support
A clear plan across relevant settings
Care needs a wider picture than a troubling incident.
A comprehensive assessment considers emotional and physical health, development, relationships, learning and the context of persistent behaviour. It is not a character judgment or a prediction of someone’s adult life.
Safety
Address immediate risk through appropriate professional help.
Other needs
Learning, mood, communication or trauma concerns may need assessment too.
Coordination
Home, education and health services may need a shared plan.
Based on AACAP
Explain the concern clearly, without defining the child by it.
A clinician can consider the pattern, severity and impact of concerns such as:
Safety
Aggression or threats that affect other people's or animals' safety.
Property concerns
Deliberate damage to property.
Trust and honesty
Repeated deceit or theft.
Serious rule concerns
Serious, ongoing rule violations affecting daily life.
Based on American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Bring the young person's life into the picture.
Assessment may involve the young person, family, education and other relevant professionals. It can explore learning, attention, mood, trauma, substance use and other possible needs alongside the behaviour itself.
A broad rating form cannot diagnose conduct disorder by itself. Ask how safety, the young person's account and different informants' observations will be considered separately.
Based on American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- 1Safety today
What support is needed to keep the young person and people around them safe?
- 2Their perspective
How will the young person be heard alongside family and school information?
- 3Coordinated care
Who brings the plan together, and who should we contact if things worsen?
Coordinate support across the places that matter.
Ask which age-appropriate support fits, how the young person will be involved and who can help with the next step.
Based on American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Ask what continuing support will look like.
Care may involve the child, family and education alongside treatment for coexisting needs. Ask who coordinates the plan and how progress is understood beyond the absence of incidents. If anyone is in immediate danger, use local emergency help rather than attempting to manage it through a checklist.
You deserve to understand your care.
Safety and support belong in the same conversation.
Understand the appointment
Find support. Prepare your next step.
Find care or prepare a conversation. You can ask for help before you have a diagnosis.
Your first sentence does not need to be perfect.
Tell an appropriate health professional what is happening, how it affects others and whether there are current safety concerns. Ask what help is available while assessment or treatment is being arranged.
Based on American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
“I am concerned about repeated behaviour that is affecting safety and relationships. We need help understanding the young person's needs and making a coordinated support plan.”Prepare for the appointment
Your questions, with room for nuance.
You can read just the answer you need.
Can a broad behaviour questionnaire diagnose this?
No. Informant questionnaires can contribute information, but a child-focused professional assessment is needed to understand persistent patterns and context.
Based on AACAP
Where this information comes from.
Use this hub to learn and prepare questions. It does not diagnose you or recommend a personal treatment plan. By Selfmora editorial; sources checked . Updated .
Additional explanations and examples: sources consulted . Examples illustrate ideas; they do not assess your personal health. Your questions
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