{"h1":"What is Conduct-Dissocial Disorder?","faq":[{"a":"No. Ordinary mischief, testing limits and difficult phases are a normal part of growing up. Conduct-Dissocial Disorder describes a repetitive, persistent pattern of behaviour — lasting around 12 months — that seriously violates others' rights or major social rules and disrupts daily life across settings. A clinician distinguishes the two carefully.","q":"Is Conduct-Dissocial Disorder the same as a child being naughty or going through a phase?"},{"a":"There is rarely one cause. Behaviour can reflect trauma, family or environmental stress, unmet learning or communication needs, and co-occurring conditions such as ADHD. A good assessment looks behind the behaviour to understand its drivers, which then guide support.","q":"What causes this kind of behaviour in a child?"},{"a":"Yes. Early, compassionate, family-centred support — including behavioural therapy and structured, consistent routines — can make a real difference. The earlier the drivers are understood, the more responsive the plan can be.","q":"Can it be helped?"},{"a":"Through a clinician-administered structured assessment, the AbilityScore®, alongside developmental and behavioural review at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre. Any diagnosis is formed only by a qualified clinician, never from an app or checklist.","q":"How is it assessed at Pinnacle Blooms Network?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-conduct-dissocial-disorder","title":"Conduct-Dissocial Disorder Explained for Parents","entity":{"key":"conduct-dissocial","kind":"condition","name":"Conduct-Dissocial Disorder","slug":"conduct-dissocial-disorder"},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Social","value":"social"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Definition","value":"definition"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Screen","value":"screen"},{"kind":"route","label":"Special-Education","value":"special-education"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Early Clarity","value":"early_clarity"}],"parent":{"key":"conditions","label":"Conditions"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-conduct-dissocial-disorder-affect-a-child-s-daily-life","title":"How Conduct-Dissocial Disorder Affects a Child's Daily Life"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-is-conduct-dissocial-disorder-diagnosed-in-a-child","title":"How Is Conduct-Dissocial Disorder Diagnosed in a Child?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-conduct-dissocial-disorder-affect-a-child-s-adaptive-development","title":"How Conduct-Dissocial Disorder affects a child's adaptive development"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-conduct-dissocial-disorder-and-what-are-its-icd-11-features-in-early-childhood","title":"Conduct-Dissocial Disorder (ICD-11 6C91): Early-Childhood Features"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-conduct-dissocial-disorder-and-what-does-it-look-like-in-early-childhood","title":"What is Conduct-Dissocial Disorder, and what does it look like in early childhood?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-are-the-early-signs-of-conduct-dissocial-disorder","title":"Early Signs of Conduct-Dissocial Disorder"}],"summary":"Conduct-Dissocial Disorder (ICD-11 6C91) is a repetitive, persistent pattern of behaviour that violates others' basic rights or major age-appropriate social rules — recurring aggression, destruction, deceit or serious rule-breaking lasting around 12 months and disrupting daily life. It is recognised in children and adolescents and is distinct from ordinary defiance or a short phase. Behaviour often reflects underlying drivers such as trauma, learning needs or co-occurring conditions, so compassionate, whole-child assessment matters.","answer_md":"*When defiance hardens into a pattern that harms others or breaks the rules that keep a child safe, there is a name — and a path forward.*\n\n## In short\nConduct-Dissocial Disorder (ICD-11 **6C91**) is a repetitive, persistent pattern of behaviour in which the basic rights of others, or major age-appropriate social rules, are violated. This goes well beyond ordinary mischief or a difficult phase — it means recurring aggression, deliberate destruction, deceit or serious rule-breaking that lasts months and disrupts home, school or community life. It is recognised in children and adolescents, and importantly it is understandable and supportable, not a verdict on your child's character.\n\n## What the pattern looks like\nIn ICD-11, the picture includes sustained behaviours such as physical aggression towards people or animals, bullying or intimidation, destroying property, lying or stealing, and serious violation of rules (for example, persistent truancy or running away). For a clinician to consider this label, the behaviours must be **repetitive and persistent over a meaningful period (around 12 months)**, clearly beyond what's expected for the child's age, and causing real difficulty in everyday settings — not a single incident or a short-lived reaction to stress.\n\nContext matters enormously. Many children show these behaviours in response to trauma, instability, unmet learning needs, communication frustration, or co-occurring conditions such as ADHD. A careful assessment looks *behind* the behaviour, not just at it. That is why early, compassionate evaluation matters: the earlier the drivers are understood, the more responsive support can be.\n\n## When to seek support\nReach out for a developmental review if defiant, aggressive or rule-breaking behaviour is frequent, escalating, harming others, or persisting across months and settings. Sudden behaviour change, self-harm, or risk to safety warrants prompt medical attention rather than waiting.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nA clinical [AbilityScore®](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care — never from an app, a checklist or a single conversation. Our approach explores the whole child through [behavioural therapy](/behavioural-therapy) and family-centred support, individualised on the [conduct-dissocial disorder](/conduct-dissocial-disorder) profile so that the *reasons* behind behaviour guide the plan.\n\n## Trusted sources\nWHO ICD-11 (mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders); American Academy of Pediatrics guidance on disruptive behaviour in children; NICE guidance on antisocial behaviour and conduct disorders.\n\n**Next step —** Book a developmental review at your nearest Pinnacle Blooms Network centre to understand what's driving the behaviour and build a calm, structured plan together.\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-is-conduct-dissocial-disorder","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-is-conduct-dissocial-disorder","lang":"en","indexable":true},{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-is-conduct-dissocial-disorder-te","lang":"te","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"conditions","label":"Conditions"}],"meta_title":"Conduct-Dissocial Disorder: ICD-11 6C91 Explained","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Respond to repeated rule-breaking with calm, consistent and predictable routines rather than escalating consequences — and keep a simple note of what happens before and after incidents, as these patterns help a clinician understand the drivers.","published_at":"2026-06-10T10:54:00.24648+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"understand","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-conduct-dissocial-disorder-and-what-does-it-look-like-in-early-childhood","title":"What is Conduct-Dissocial Disorder, and what does it look like in early 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lasting months and occurring across home, school and community, beyond what's expected for the child's age.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://icd.who.int/","code":"6C91","label":"WHO ICD-11: Conduct-Dissocial Disorder"},{"url":"https://www.aap.org/","label":"American Academy of Pediatrics: disruptive behaviour guidance"},{"url":"https://www.nice.org.uk/","label":"NICE: antisocial behaviour and conduct disorders"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T10:54:00.24648+00:00","meta_description":"Conduct-Dissocial Disorder (ICD-11 6C91) is a persistent pattern of behaviour violating others' rights or social rules. 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