Autism and "Oppositional Defiant Disorder" CW: CHILD ABUSE / ABLEISM
Curious if anyone else was "diagnosed" with oppositional defiant disorder as a kid, especially in conjunction or misdiagnosis for autism?
I was a heavily traumatized, very isolated autistic kid who would struggle a lot with teachers, peers, not comprehending "authority", questioning things I didn't understand, not doing things I disagreed with, etc
**THIS PART IS MORE GRAPHICALLY ABLEIST, CHILD ABUSE:**
I would frequently experience meltdowns, to which I would literally be locked in rooms and threatened with police in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. I would hide and have to be dragged out of small spaces since that was my attempt at feeling safe during breakdowns.
For some reason, all of this got me diagnosed with "oppositional defiant disorder" on top of my autism rather than help or understanding. This "diagnosis" followed me for years and set the precedent for teachers to abuse me, including cussing me out. Even my therapists quit!
Being isolated and abused for having these autistic symptoms(literally diagnosed with something called "ODD".) heavily contributed to my reclamation of evil autism, rabies pride, all things considered cringe, etc
Im curious if anyone else here also got this "diagnosis" thrown around at them or similar treatment and phrasing as a child. I personally do not believe this is a legitimate standalone condition and as far as I am aware it has been largely discontinued in the USA thankfully
Posted Sep 21, 2026, 6:12 PM UTC