My son does not have any ritualistic behaviors. He obsesses on something dangerous happening and what he will do to stop it--someone breaking into the house, someone mugging us, etc. He told his psychiatrist that he thinks these things through everyday, playing scenarios in his head and trying to figure out how he would handle the scenarios. When I had PTSD, I would have panic attacks, and I counted things over and over in my head to keep from having an attack.
It's interesting to see how OC plays out in different disorders, huh?
This is the link to the National Autistic Society in GB. It's resources may not be very helpful to you ;) but it has some awesome definitions and is a very user friendly site.
http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=255&a=3337
You could also read here:
They have DSM Criteria and also a PDD questionnaire that you can fill out and print to take to your pdoc. They have information on childhood Autism, Aspergers and PDD-NOS.
My son, too, we believe is PDD. Interestingly enough, the range is so wide, one kid could be over-hyper (considered ADHD), while another could be totally flat (as my boyfriends son, who came to my office with me one day and sat in a chair for 8 hours and didn't speak). I think that's why it makes it so hard to dx.
But my son is very hyper, and we think that's the PDD, not ADHD.
I was told at first that was son was "too social" to have a PDD. It was hard to tell when he was very young. He did not avoid people. Haha. He does have PDD-NOS and, as he gets older, it is clear he is NOT social. The symptoms of PDD's tend to get more glaring as the kids age. Here is the best site of know about for Aspergers, but there are five PDD's.
http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/frame2.html
OlderMom38805.2047453704
I am interested that I'm seeing a lot of talk of Aspergers and autism mentioned when OCD is brought up. Do any of you have any suggestions for reading material or websites to learn more about these? I'd like to learn more in order to better handle my daughter's OCD behaviors. I also wonder if I need to have her diagnosis as only ADHD re-evaluated. Thanks for any help.
My son is 5 and I have been warned that OCD is coming, but it is notI'm not an MD, but OCD tendencies consisting of obsessions, self stimulation, rigidity and sensory issues sounds more like HFA to me. There's a debate in the psychiatric community over whether Aspergers is a type of HFA or just a different part of the autistic spectrum, but it is a spectrum.
My understanding is that not all kids with HFA are unsociable, they can just be internally focused. I think OlderMom will have some great first hand experience for you on this one. Best of luck and welcome.
My son's psychiatrist does not like Asperger's being included in the autism spectrum, at all.My son is like OlderMom's with regards to the Autism spectrum.
He has some OCD-like tendencies as well, but I don't think he is OCD.
For example, his bedtime ritual. 5 hugs (exactly 5), 5 kisses (exactly 5), rub his back for (exactly) 60 seconds (I have to stand there and count to 60, no more, and DEFINATLY no less). He needs lotion on his hands, powder between his legs, Chap Stik on his lips (in that order). Before I leave his room, I 1) place his sneakers in front of his door to hold it fully open 2) mark an X on his calender for the day being over and 3) turn the hall light on (I do it in THAT order, again).
It's a pain. If anything is forgotten, he gets very upset, and starts whining down the stairs for me. Thank goodness I'm in with the routine LOL!
I think it's anxiety, and part of his PDD dx - because he doesn't do this with anything else in his life. Just bedtime.
Not saying your child is or isn't OCD - but I can relate to what the others have said regarding the anxiety and other issues that can contribute to the OCD tendencies.
Why was he diagnosed with OCD? What does he do? My son has strong OCD tendancies, but that's because he is on the autism spectrum and these kids have obsessive interests and thoughts (part of the disorder). Lilian, I had no clue your son was adopted from foster care. Mine came at age two from foster care.
I have a child who has been diagnosed with ADHD and OCD. He was diagnosed with ADHD last June and OCD in the last month. Anyone else have a child diagnosed with ADHD and OCD? How old are they?
My twelve-year-old son is ADHD with PTSD, the latter of which his psychiatrist calls "OC tendencies + trauma" (we adopted our son from foster care four years ago). Having suffered from PTSD myself, I know that OC tendencies go with it, without a doubt, but my son's psychiatrist is the first professional I have met who literally links the two.