Which behavior indicates a positive short-term outcome for a child with conduct disorder?

Which behavior indicates a positive short-term outcome for a child with conduct disorder?

• A. Has no physically aggressive episodes for 3 months
• B. Increasing aggression during school
• C. Escalating fights after a year
• D. Onset of impulsive theft

Answer: (A)

A positive short-term outcome is shown by a sustained period without physically aggressive episodes. When a child with conduct disorder goes three months without acting out aggressively, it indicates a meaningful break in the pattern of harm and rule-breaking, suggesting the current approach—whether therapy, parenting strategies, or support services—is helping them gain better impulse control and behavior management. This kind of period serves as a concrete milestone that clinicians use to gauge progress and adjust treatment as needed. In contrast, increasing aggression at school points to worsening functioning rather than improvement. Escalating fights after a year signals ongoing or worsening conduct problems, and the onset of impulsive theft introduces new antisocial behaviors, implying a broader, not better, trajectory.

A positive short-term outcome is shown by a sustained period without physically aggressive episodes. When a child with conduct disorder goes three months without acting out aggressively, it indicates a meaningful break in the pattern of harm and rule-breaking, suggesting the current approach—whether therapy, parenting strategies, or support services—is helping them gain better impulse control and behavior management. This kind of period serves as a concrete milestone that clinicians use to gauge progress and adjust treatment as needed.

In contrast, increasing aggression at school points to worsening functioning rather than improvement. Escalating fights after a year signals ongoing or worsening conduct problems, and the onset of impulsive theft introduces new antisocial behaviors, implying a broader, not better, trajectory.