A final factor to consider when dealing with a defiant child is whether your child has been exposed to a traumatic experience. It's terrible to think that your child, whom you love very much, may have been exposed to trauma at some point, but it's important not to ignore this topic if you are to help your child grow and develop healthily, because trauma can have lasting impacts on a child's cognitive and emotional functioning. If you are the parent of a child who has been abused, or who has been adopted or in foster care, or who has lived in other homes besides your own, it is especially important to consider this issue.