Conduct Disorder Screener

The screening score above suggests your child is at high risk for Conduct Disorder.

Conduct Disorder is a psychological disorder that is sometimes called a “disruptive behavior disorder.” It is characterized by repeated, persistent behaviors that violate others’ rights or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules. Conduct Disorder affects up to 1 in 10 children, and is a risk factor for ongoing serious problems with mental health, school performance, and social relationships.

A child with this score shows unusual levels of antisocial or disruptive behaviors that suggests their risk for these outcomes is elevated. They may act in ways that are callous, antisocial, and deceitful, such as manipulating, exploiting, bullying, or harming others.

Your Next Steps

Many parents and caregivers of children with Conduct Disorder struggle to get the resources, support, and information they need. If you are the parent or caregiver of a child with symptoms of Conduct Disorder, please know you are not alone. Our organization is dedicated to helping parents and caregivers like you. We suggest that you take the following steps to help your child and your family.

First, please visit our parent FAQ page. This overview provides answers to common questions parents of children with Conduct Disorder have.

You may wish to join the Parents of Children with Conduct Disorder Facebook group, an online support group run by Psychopathy Is board member Lillyth Quillan. You can read about her experiences and the origins of this group in this Atlantic Monthly article. The parents in the group can be a helpful resource when it comes to finding treatment options, particularly local options.

You may wish to screen your child for callous-unemotional traits (which are also called “limited prosocial emotions”). These are traits that include low empathy; low remorse; and a relatively fearless, dominant personality, that increase a child’s risk of developing serious conduct problems.

You may also wish to screen your child for a reading disorder or low reading skills. Low reading skills can be a risk factor for Conduct Disorder. You can ask your child’s school to conduct a formal reading assessment. You can also use this free online reading screener. 

Planning an appointment with a clinician

A child with Conduct Disorder screening scores in this range should be evaluated by a mental health professional. 

You can ask your child’s doctor, school, or social worker for a referral. You can also review our provider list for clinicians who specialize in treating children with disruptive behavior disorders in your area. 

Please know that many physicians and psychologists do not have training in assessing or treating children with Conduct Disorder. You should plan to provide them with information to help them assess your child.

First, you can complete this worksheet and provide it to your child’s medical provider during your visit. Please specifically ask that your child be evaluated for Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder (with or without Limited Prosocial Emotions). 

You should also review the information we provide about effective treatments for children with disruptive behavior disorders like Conduct Disorder. Do not assume your clinician will be familiar with evidence-based treatments. 

You may need to specifically request that your clinician refer you to a therapist who can provide you with one of the forms of family-based therapy that have been shown to reduce symptoms and improve outcomes in children with disruptive behavior disorders like Conduct Disorder.

Other steps

Many children with Conduct Disorder victimize members of their household, including their parents.  If you are concerned about your child’s behavior in this regard, you can contact a domestic abuse hotline for help. You can also download this useful booklet created by mental health providers in the United Kingdom to help parents who are being victimized by their children. More resources may also be found in this review of the scientific literature on child-to-parent violence.

Please consider joining our mailing list and following us on Twitter to receive occasional updates about new research findings and other important information.

Finally, please consider donating to our organization to help us continue helping families and individuals affected by psychopathy.