When PTSD Looks Like ODD: Understanding Trauma in Children Under Six Through a Culturally-Aware and Decolonized Lens

When a young child has explosive tantrums, shuts down, refuses directions, or becomes

aggressive, adults often interpret it as defiance. In clinical settings, these behaviors are

frequently labeled as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in children under six.

But many of the behaviors we associate with ODD are also core symptoms of Post-

Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—especially in young children who cannot verbalize their

internal world.

Misdiagnosis happens often. And when we add culture, race, colonization, and systemic bias

to the equation, the misunderstanding becomes even more profound.

To truly understand these children—and treat them effectively—our framework must

include trauma, culture, systemic context, and decolonized therapeutic practice.

HOW PTSD SHOWS UP LIKE ODD IN YOUNG CHILDREN

Young children communicate dysregulation through behavior. Trauma affects the way they

think, feel, and react to their environment.

Common trauma responses mistaken for ODD include:

• Irritability & emotional explosions

• Aggression rooted in fear

• Avoidance of triggering people or environments

• Hypervigilance that looks like distractibility

• Shutdown or freeze responses

• Regression in behaviors and development

These behaviors are not signs of “bad behavior.” They are signs of a nervous system

struggling to make sense of the world.

WHY PTSD IS MISDIAGNOSED AS ODD—ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN OF COLOR

Cultural context profoundly shapes how adults interpret children’s behavior.

Key contributors include:

Adultification bias

Black and Brown children are often perceived as older and more responsible for their

behaviors, resulting in harsher interpretations.

Cultural norms around communication

Some cultures value quietness; some value expression. Without understanding this,

clinicians misinterpret coping behaviors.

Intergenerational & historical trauma

Colonization, racism, migration, and displacement affect family systems, and children often

carry this stress somatically.

Systemic inequities

Schools discipline Black and Brown children at disproportionate rates for the same

behaviors seen as “stress” in White children.

Cross-cultural misinterpretation

Parents may describe trauma differently, emphasizing spiritual or cultural meaning instead

of Western symptom labels.

WHAT IS DECOLONIZING THERAPY?

Decolonizing therapy re-centers mental health in culture, community, and collective

identity. It challenges the assumption that Western psychological models are the standard.

Decolonizing therapy includes:

• Recognizing trauma as layered: personal, systemic, historical

• Understanding behavior through context, not pathology

• Challenging compliance-based Western norms in early childhood settings

• Honoring cultural ways of healing: storytelling, ritual, community support, spiritual

grounding

• Acknowledging racism, colonization, and social inequity as trauma sources

A decolonized approach reframes:

The child is overwhelmed.

The child is protecting themselves.

The child is expressing unmet needs.

The child is responding to trauma—personal and systemic.

This reframing restores dignity.

WHERE ODD, PTSD, AND DECOLONIZATION INTERSECT

A young child of color who has experienced trauma may show:

• Outbursts during transitions

• Shutdown during overwhelming tasks

• Aggression when feeling unsafe

• Resistance when autonomy is restricted

In a colonized system, this becomes:

• “Defiant”

• “Oppositional”

• “Disrespectful”

• “Noncompliant”

A decolonized, trauma-informed lens reframes these behaviors as communication and

survival.

A DECOLONIZED APPROACH CHANGES THE OUTCOME

When clinicians and educators integrate trauma-informed, culturally grounded, decolonized

approaches, children receive:

• Fewer misdiagnoses

• Fewer punitive interventions

• More understanding and connection

• Greater emotional safety

• Support that reflects cultural identity and lived experience

Young children deserve to be seen through a lens of empathy, cultural understanding, and

context—not deficit language.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When PTSD is mistaken for ODD, children are misunderstood. When culture is ignored,

misunderstanding deepens. When colonization guides our interpretation, harm becomes

systemic.

These behaviors are not defiance—they are communication, survival, and calls for safety.

It is our responsibility to respond with attunement, humility, and cultural reverence.