kid with OCD?

[atomic sagebrush]

Does anyone have a child with OCD? When did you notice this?

My DS 3 has always been kind of an orderly sort which we encouraged because my older boys are total slobs LOL. But he is really getting off the charts lately.

Yesterday he went into the fridge and there was a tiny drop of something on the door and he freaked out and demanded that I clean it up right away. Now today, he was eating a Hershey's Kiss and the top was broken off. He wouldn't eat it!!! He said it was broken and he wanted a big one.

I don't know if I should keep encouraging him to wash his hands, pick up his toys, and stuff...even though it's good for me, if he has this tendency to begin with, could I be aggravating it???

He is willing to play with clay and in the dirt and stuff, so it's not out of control yet, but it's all very strange considering my adult son wouldn't notice a spot to save his own life!!!

[Sara'sFHC]

Here! AJ is 9 and very OCD. I just watch it and let him know when he is becoming overly obsessive.

[CocoChanel]

Well, Evan was like that at that age. If a cracker was broken or chipped, nope would not eat it. I have SO many pictures of him where I was wanting him to look at the camera and smile but he was too engrossed with scowling at dirt on his hands. He was very particular to WHAT the adults were doing and mimicked (sp?) that behavior to a T. (like the cleaning...I think he felt he was "supposed" to be concerned with messes etc, even though I never really made a huge point out of cleaning anything immediately).
But now he is still VERY concerned with rules (except mine, lol) like the crosswalks, or what the speed limit is, if I am on a line in a parking spot etc and is more intense with his emotions than the other boys. But I don't see him as OCD, I think he is just that type of personality that leans toward that spectrum of behavior (like me!)
I know what you are talking about though, I distinctly remember a time I was called out on a sink full of dirty dishes by a certain little someone. :o

[nuthinbutpink]

The broken/I'm not going to eat it thing I think is just a kid thing...I have 1/4 that doesn't like messes. She's outnumbered and has had to learn to live with it!

[grasshopper]

I worry about my youngest DD...she is only 2 and a half but has always had a few little traits that make me wonder. I think I have the potential to be a bit OCD about things myself and I am more worried about the anxiety issues it can bring.
She has always done the lining up thing, like shoes have to be in line with each other, right way around etc and the grouping/sorting thing.
The letterbox was a big one for a while there...she would check it and find no mail but as she was walking away she would have to run back and check it again...4 or 5 times. That one worried me as I could tell she was torn between coming to me when I was calling her or going back to check the mail...it seemed more like compulsion than curiosity.
I have a nephew with behavioural tics and I have always had a few myself (although I was very good at hiding them) and DD#2 had an eye-blinking one for a few months (I had this one too...still sometimes do but it's never in public or noticeable) so I would say she probably has the same tendancies.
DD#1 shows no signs of any of it.
I think it is good to recognise it but make sure you don't obssess over it yourself....lol. I think these things are normal in a large number of kids and most things seem to get outgrown (or they move on to the next little oddity). I plan to just keep in mind that DD#2 may need coaching through some anxiety issues down the track...I have always internalised anxieties to the point where I don't even know I am anxoius until I am hit with a panic attack.
I notice DD#1 shows her anxieties externally so I always know exactly when she is concerned about something whereas DD#2 is more like me and you wouldn't even know she was worried about anything at first glance (but in the inside is probably having a freak out).

BTW, neither of my DD's worry about getting dirty either but I do notice I never have to tell DD#2 to go wash her hands afterwards.

[atomic sagebrush]

Wow thank you all! He's only 2 1/2 years old so I guess I should just wait and see...he is a kind of intense little character and when things don't happen in a way in which he expects he is prone to freaking out! But, it's like a lot of nice qualities seem to go along with it! I wouldn't trade him, that's for sure.

[Hollie86]

Hi, my oldest boy, he hasnt got OCD, he has OCPD, (the P stands for personality) so where as people with OCD get obsessed with one thing or one type of thing, my son is obsessive about everything. Hes actually in the process of being officially diagnosed with it but we know that is what he is. We dont have a problem with and it never bothered us, but because of the way he is, he also has a tendency to take things far too literally and this caused problems when he started school and his teachers didnt understand even though i had made them well aware of it. Now that they are, its much easier for them as they know to be careful about the way they tell him something or the way they ask him to something. My DH and myself first noticed that there was something going on when he was around 18month old, everything had to be done a certain way, his cars always had to be in a certain order and lined up with equal amounts of space between them, he spent a lot of time making sure those spaces were as accurate as he could get them. But thats just an example, he is obsessive about all aspects of his life, but like i said before, it never bothered Dh and me until it started causing problems at school, that is the only reason we took him to see anyone, it doesnt cause any problems at home at the moment and it is just the way he is as far as we are concerned, but we will keep an eye on it incase it does start to become anything serious and start causing a lot of problems in every part of his life. Like i said before though, now the school are more aware (after several meetings and me having to tell them everytime) and know how to deal with him, it no longer causes problems at all. Im sure your little boy will be fine :)

[Catch!]

My DS has a few quirks like that too, but I read that it's normal at that age, 2 or3, that they are trying to "put order" to things.

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you! Yes, he's also a car-liner-upper guy too.

[ThePack]

I always go with the "think horse not zebra" mentality, so the horse argument would agree that he's hitting a new developmental stage and/or he's going to be cleaner than most kids.

We ended up with a doozy of a zebra, though. Our youngest dd was missing developmental milestones after 2nd b-day. When she was 9 years old, after years of treatment for ADHD, OCD, tics, anxiety, & autism, we found out it was Strep (had to cx her 2nd bday party b/c we were all sick with it). We've been treating it for almost a year now: no more anxiety, no more tics, no more OCD, etc. And she's making huge strides towards her social & academic development.

It's called P.A.N.D.A.S. The book Saving Sammy gives 1 family's story.

[CherryBlossom]

How is your son now AS?
Asking if you think this was an age thing or maybe a copying thing?
Although my sons love making a mess with their toys. My eldest ( also noticing things with my youngest but he's a parrot and copycat lol) does very similar! Even if my partner leaves a plate in the lounge my son picks it up and takes it to the kitchen. Shoes laying around he puts side by side near the wall or in the spare bedroom. I've noticed it a while ago now. No complaints at all of course haha. He will play in dirt but he's very neat about it and once done he doesn't like the dirt on his hands. Painting he will get pain on his hands and gets upset.
I've decided to work with it. Go out get messy with paint. Draw all over the side walk with chalk. Let the boys play with dirt.
He's also the same with his clothes and hair.

My family are extremely OCD. I don't live near then thank goodness. Or theyde be down my throat half the time. My grandmother stayed here. First night it rained. 830 in the morning she was down my throat about dirt from the garden on the sidewalk =/ telling me I should have cleaned it up.
My partners family are the same not like mine. But very very clean and tidy. Mostly from his dads side.
My partner and I. Well the older I'm getting the more organised and cleaner I am. However if there's a few toys out, paperwork on the coffee table. I can leave it for a few hours or even till the next day! My partner is the complete opposite of OCD lol.

[CherryBlossom]

Wow thank you all! He's only 2 1/2 years old so I guess I should just wait and see...he is a kind of intense little character and when things don't happen in a way in which he expects he is prone to freaking out! But, it's like a lot of nice qualities seem to go along with it! I wouldn't trade him, that's for sure.


This again is similar to how he is too. He sees a pediatrician next month

[atomic sagebrush]

Oh sorry I just spotted this - he is still very very orderly and is one of those kids that doesn't like it when things don't go his way (some may remember I have previously called him a combo of Adrian Monk and Joffrey Baratheon from Game of Thrones LOL) but I am following the same strategy that you are, I try to make lots of opportunities for him to get dirty and have lots of experiences while he's still fairly young. I hope that if he learns that he can get dirty and the world doesn't end now while I still have some manner of control, when he's older he may be more flexible than if i was sanitizing him constantly like I did with my first son LOL

Last night he was not happy because we had pizza with square pepperoni but I cajoled him into eating one and he was like "oh this does taste good!" It was like he never realized that things can look different but still be the same. Win for the mama.

[glory]

I think it is an age thing too, just watch it and see how it goes, if something that upset him a couple of weeks ago but he is OK with it now, is a good sign.

My 3 year old has some OCD traits but I don't think it is a problem just yet, this is when they start learning rules and how things are mean't to be. He used to clean a lot, if something messed he would clean it, now he has moved on. He has to have socks on when he goes to bed, otherwise he won't go.

He also has to have 3 pacifiers in the cot, it's OK if there is more than 3 he is fine, but if he doesn't have 3 we hear about it. I think for him it is a phase. I think we all have a bit of OCD in us ;)

He has a lot of little things like this but they tend to be a phase rather than a full on OCD.

[mrs magoo]

Thank you! Yes, he's also a car-liner-upper guy too.

this is my DS big time!

[atomic sagebrush]

Last night he randomly decided to floss his teeth. He saw it on TV and was like hmmm I better be doing that too. :p

[harleyquinn]

I think those traits make them more self-sufficient at a young age which is actually nice to see...esp when you have alot of kids to take care of but your oldest is so nit-picky, he has to get things done "right". :)

[atomic sagebrush]

I hope so! :) My older boys are both slobs so it would be nice LOL

[moof4]

My son is a little ocd and but I am not sure if it is just personality, he only likes certain clothes and certain socks etc. poor little fella I too am not sure when to worry.

[Bimby]

My DS1 who is now 5 is a little OCD - definitely likes to line up cars and always has done. Likes to be clean but has let a lot of that go since starting school Ive noticed. I think some are just a little more like that than others. he definitely takes after me in that regard. The other day my DH went to give him an apple and DS1 said "Did you wash that apple first daddy" lol (Daddy hadnt) totally gross to me but I didnt want to make a big deal out of it as I know what DS1 is like so let it go and DS1 ate it - after getting my nod of approval lol.. Anyway I do think it is just different personality types but if you see it becoming a problem with his behaviour then by all means speak to your ped x