Signs Your Child May Be A Sociopath 

Stealing

Sociopaths are motivated by reward, and will steal to get the reward (money, toys, clothes), even if it hurts someone else. Persistent stealing is a key sign of sociopathy in children, especially if it progresses to burglary.

Persistent rule-breaking, with no regards for consequences

If your teenager is constantly breaking curfew and doesn't care about any threats of punishment ("if you stay out late again, you are grounded"), this could be a sign of sociopathy. Sociopaths simply don't care about rules. A capable child who refuses to study and so gets bad grades could also be a sociopath.

I think my child is a sociopath

In order to be diagnosed a sociopath, a child has to show three or more criteria in the past three months, and at least one of the criteria must have been present for six months. The only way a child can be officially diagnosed a sociopath is by a paediatric psychiatrist. Making things more complicated, teens with sociopathic symptoms are likely to be diagnosed as having Conduct Disorder until they reach adulthood.

What can I do?

You should begin by getting your child or teen into therapy. A qualified therapist will begin by performing impulse control therapy, as well as helping your child or teen to develop emotional regulation and empathy.

Try, too, to get your child engaged in a positive activity. A sport, where your child can focus their natural aggressive tendencies may be the ideal place to start. If you know your son enjoys football, get him onto a team and praise him for his effort in the sport. The more you notice his positive skills, the less he'll feel the need to rely on lawbreaking and manipulation to get what he wants.

Find a positive goal you can work on together. Say you have a fence that needs painting. Ask your child to help you for an hour, and offer to show your appreciation (remember, sociopaths work for rewards) by letting them choose a movie to rent (or another reward that they'd appreciate).

Aim to engage in eye-contact. Sociopaths naturally avoid eye-contact (which is essential to the development of empathy), but there is evidence that younger sociopaths who are encouraged to look their parents in the eye are less likely to go off the rails and may even develop a degree of empathy. So ask your child or teen to look you in the eye when they want to talk to you, then thank them for doing so.

Aim to end every interaction positively. If your child is about to storm out of the house yelling, "I hate you", try to look him in the eye and call, "See you later, honey." That reminds your teenager that they are loved and valued. Remember, sociopaths do understand emotion.

Do give consequences for bad behaviour. Sociopaths can learn to accept consequences if you begin at a young age. You must be consistent, and above all calm. You can't threaten to send a child to their room and then give in when they continue the behaviour. And you can't punish a sociopath for a behaviour one week and not punish them the next. Sociopaths are very smart, and they will outflank you given the chance. Consistency is key.

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Above all, do not ignore your child's problems or aim to reclassify them as depression or another mental health disorder that you find more palatable. If your child is sociopathic, they need to be treated appropriately. Avoiding the truth of the disorder will do more harm to your child and make it harder for them to fit into society.

Parenting a sociopathic child is tough. But with consistency and love, it is possible to improve the outcome for sociopathic children, and to raise them to become productive members of society.