- Home
- Assessments
- ODD (SNAP-IV)
ODD Test for Kids & Teens: the SNAP-IV Explained
Eight items of the SNAP-IV cover the symptom pattern for oppositional defiant disorder: temper, arguing, defiance, blaming, and resentment. Here is what you rate, and how a clinician reads it.
- 8 items
- Ages 6-17
- Parent or teacher report
Available through care
This questionnaire is published by James M. Swanson, PhD, University of California, Irvine, and we don't publish it here. If it is relevant to your child's care, your Emora clinician may use it as part of their assessment.
Find behavioral carePublic version of the questionnaire is available from the publisher.
What a SNAP-IV (ODD items) score can and cannot tell you
These eight items are the oppositional defiant subscale of the SNAP-IV parent rating, for ages 6 to 17.
Clinicians read them with the ADHD items, a teacher form, and a history of how long and where the behavior shows up.
Wherever it is used, a rating scale is a screen, not an assessment. A clinician reads it alongside a history, an interview, and often a second rater such as a teacher or the other parent before drawing any conclusion.
About the SNAP-IV ODD items
The oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) items of the SNAP-IV follow the symptom list in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). You rate each behavior as you have seen it over the past month, and a clinician reads the eight together against the published parent cutoff. They describe the pattern that defines ODD: losing your temper often, arguing, refusing to follow rules, blaming others, and holding on to resentment.
Every child is defiant sometimes, and toddlers and teens especially. ODD is a matter of degree and length. The pattern lasts six months or more, shows up in more than one setting, and causes real friction at home or school. A rating scale is one input. An evaluation is what separates expected behavior from a condition, by looking at how long the pattern has run and where it shows up.
ODD responds well to treatment. Parent management training and family therapy both have strong evidence behind them, and earlier support usually means faster progress. We offer behavioral therapy for children and teens, and therapy for parents, online and in-network with most major insurance plans.
How the ODD questions are scored
The eight oppositional defiant questions are scored as their own group and read against the parent cutoff the SNAP-IV authors publish.
How often the behavior happens is half of what defines oppositional defiant disorder. The other half is how long it has lasted and where it shows up: six months or more, in more than one setting, causing real friction at home or school. A score speaks to the first half only.
A screener is not a diagnosis. Cutoffs are set to catch more than they miss, so a high score is a reason to talk to a clinician, not an answer.
Common questions
No. We do not publish the SNAP-IV on this page; it is available from its publisher. An Emora clinician can administer the scale when it is relevant to your child’s care.
Duration, breadth, and impact. Occasional pushback is developmentally normal; ODD is a pattern of angry, defiant behavior lasting six months or more, showing up across settings, and causing meaningful problems at home, at school, or with peers.
The SNAP-IV parent and teacher forms cover children and teens roughly aged 6 to 17.
Yes, very commonly. A large share of children with ADHD also meet criteria for ODD, which is why the ODD items sit inside an ADHD rating scale in the first place. An evaluation looks at both together.
The strongest evidence is for parent management training and family-based approaches, often alongside individual therapy for the child. Medication is not a first-line treatment for ODD itself but may help when ADHD or anxiety co-occurs.
References
- Swanson, J. M. (1992). School-Based Assessments and Interventions for ADD Students. Irvine, CA: K.C. Publishing. Official source
SNAP-IV Teacher and Parent Rating Scale by James M. Swanson, PhD, University of California, Irvine.
Keep reading
A screener starts the conversation. Care is the next step.
Therapy, medication support, and testing for kids, teens, and parents. Online and covered by most major insurance plans.