To Colette re: SID and OCD

[Guest guest]

Hi Colette,

My 10yo dd has " just right " OCD and the biggest issue by far is

clothing-related: socks, shoes, pants, underwear, shirts, jackets...

When she was little (2,3,4) I figured she was just high maintenance,

picky about her clothes, as so many kids are. But when they are

rolling on the floor, screaming, hyper-ventillating over clothing,

that is definitely not in the " normal " range.

Her school suggested OT, and at the time we had just started seeing

her therapist, an OCD specialist. I asked the therapist her opinion,

and she said to start the OCD therapy first and see if the sensory

stuff improved. She felt it would.

She was right, is able to help her sensory issues by doing

ERP, but it's hard work, and it's up to me to make sure she wears

different shoes, pants, etc every day or she'd wear the same thing

always, then backslide. I hate it, I want her to be able to make her

own decisions on clothing, get her own style, and I feel mean forcing

her to do otherwise. I can't even give her a day that she can wear

pj's all day, or go barefoot. If I do, the next day she has a fit

with her clothes and socks. She needs to put socks on as soon as she

wakes up so she will " get used to them " as she says. But when I get

angry about all that, I remember at her worst she was walking around

naked, sleeping naked, no clothes were " right " .

I have had to make allowances, I usually buy her the same kind of

socks (the almost-no-seam ones from Walmart) and underwear, but her

therapist tells me that as long as I can get them readily it's OK.

Not too long ago her therapist told me that this " just right " thing

with her clothes is very hard to treat, and she will very likely

always have rigid clothing opinions. But at least she lets me switch

things up, within reason (jeans are a big no-no). Not sure how long

she'll let me do that, though!!!

Hope this helps-

nna

NY

Hi ,

> What your saying about your dd sounds very familiar. I am the same

way. My kids also experience this.

> Many people have sensory integration disorder with their OCD. Some

have it and do not have OCD.

> One question, Does her clothing bother her also? Do her socks and

shoes have to be 'just right " ?

> This is usually a big sign of this, but doesn't necessarily have to

occur. Is she very agitated when others are standing around her or

over her? This can also be another anxiety disorder as well as the OCD

> Hugs

> Judy

>

>