Could this be ODD?

Hi all,
I have an 11 year old son who is acting up at school. His behaviour has got steddily worse and over the last year I am having more and more contact from school to say he is misbehaving more often.
He will talk when told not to, blurts out answers without waiting for the question to be finished, he will leave class when he isn't supposed to, he will deliberatly annoy people sitting within close proximity to him, make stupid noises, he has no concentration, doesn't complete work. At home I will ask him to complete a task, such as tidy his room, and he will start to tidy, but then leave the room to go get a drink, then not return. He verbally fights with his younger sister and deliberately annoys her by hiding her toys or taking toys off her. He tends to get easily 'wound up' by her and gets annoyed and will shout and stamp feet and slam doors.
He isn't forgetful as such, more like the thought doesn't even enter his head to check and see if he has completed homework/packed his PE kit/turned off his bedroom light. I ask him if he has been given any homework at school, he says no, then I check his bag and he has!
He is not aggressive or vindictive or spiteful, just vacant at times. I had a phone call off his English teacher last week and I asked my son why he had been misbehaving, what was wrong, he just looked at me blankly. No answer or attempted explanation, it's as if he doesn't care.
I maybe clutching at straws, but can't work out what's going on with him. If this is a phase, it's lasting a long time!!
Any advice greatly apreciated.
Claire

Hi,

Have you ever brought him to your local doctor for advice on what he has and how to proceed with the situation? It is indeed a worrisome time for you - I can clearly sense that - but I can assure you that what you're describing for your son is [probably] more common than you think. To me, it sounds somewhat like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), but something like this - if recognised early - can be used to great advantage. So - yeh - have you brought him to your doctor?; or even talking to other parents in your neighbourhood would be a good idea.

Kevin

Hi!
It sounds more like ADD/ADHD than ODD.
When I was reading your post it was like I am reading the story of my friend. Her brother behaves the same way as you wrote here for your son - and he has ADHD.
Try to look about it.

Yeah maybe ADD or ADHD....Sure he sounds defiant, but I think the real disorder here is one of the two. Just saying, I know a boy with it ( i forget which one! ) and he is VERY rude and disrespectful and defiant...his little sister follows after him sometimes. Sometimes I think hes a little sadistic (saying things that seem like he wants to make his father cry or something.....) he just says awful things to his parents. I dont think hes literally sadistic though. Im not saying being extremely defiant is a symptom of ADD or ADHD, I dont really know actually. I know other people with it that dont act as bad as him. He takes his medicine too-all of the people I know with it take their medicine. I think the other stuff being kind of cold and defiant is just his personality, sadly.