Re: new member with 6 yr old daughter

Posted March 23, 2008 · March 23, 2008

Hi Terri! First, never worry about going on " too long " here! LOL,

maybe because I can go on & on too - but sometimes there's just a lot

of words to say, whether it's to tell a background, what's going on

now, asking questions, venting on a bad day....

My OCD son is now 19. His OCD began around age 11.5. He also has an

Aspergers diagnosis (on autism spectrum). He had some sensory issues

too when young and eventually got some occupational therapy that did

help, but that wasn't until 6th grade.

Lots of kids, lots with OCD too, seem to have problems with the tags

in clothing, the seams on socks, the tightness of shoes, feel of

certain materials. But I think in that area, whether OCD or not, it

can still be worked in the same way - as if it were OCD; but some

occupational therapy for sensory stuff can certainly help too, glad

my son had it. -- He actually had the OT to help with his pencil

grip, but they worked on all his other " issues " too.

What you said about your daughter's OCD: with our daughter its

mainly worrying that she said something she shouldn't have and

repeating herself over and over - or asking the same question as if

she never asked it - very controling as well

Boy is that familiar to what I've read from other parents. Even my

own son used to ask so many reassurance questions when he was young;

and I didn't know that could be part of OCD. He was worried about

what might give him cancer, or if he had cancer, or how long it'd

take some scratch to heal.... He also used to trace over & over some

letters when he'd write; back then I thought " a little OCD there... "

and would just prompt him to move on if I saw him doing it.

His OCD in 6th grade began with all types of physical compulsions,

rituals, probably some " mental " stuff too. We had ups/downs, some

really calm times. Those first behaviors are long gone! But then up

popped something new, bad thoughts that go along with

the " scrupulosity " type OCD.

I'm glad you found someone to see your daughter. Do you feel the

therapist understands how to treat OCD? Sometimes parents end up

really shopping around for someone who actually does the recommended

therapy (CBT and ERP) and has experience with OCD. Of course, even

if they say they do, it's good to read up on what treatment/therapy

should be like so you'll know if your therapist is following the

right guidelines, providing the right type of therapy.

Well - see how long I can go on, LOL? And I had a lot more I could

have said!

>

> Hi, I'm a new member. I will try to briefly introduce myself and

our

> situation. at 3 yrs old our daughter had a severe alergic reaction

> which we believe triggered her " issues " . after months of allergy

> testing found out she's allergic to all soaps, detergents etc and 2

Posted March 23, 2008 · March 23, 2008

Hi Terri and welcome to this group. You will find a lot of support

here. As says take the time you need to say what you need to.

In the beginning I felt pretty overwhelmed and had difficulty

organizing my thoughts to explain, it can all be very emotional too.

I remember the shock and sadness place, as you describe it. It is so

hard to believe and accept this for our children. In time it becomes

the new " normal " and is easier to a degree, but to be honest I think

the grieving of " normal " life is ongoing. I hope that doesn't sound

pessimistic, I'm generally an optimistic person. But with this

disorder it is, for most, something to learn to manage and live with,

and that does take time, and with that comes acceptance. In short,

it does get easier with time.

It's good that she is receiving CBT, that is the best approach for

this disorder. Your daughter is young and it will probably take some

time for her to make full use of the CBT and to learn how to manage

the ocd. I know it's hard and we want to see them get better faster.

I can relate to the " control " challenge you mention with your

daughter. Just as the ocd tries to control them, they try to control

us. It can all be very tiring and trying can't it?!

Keep posting and sharing your story, you will find many who will

relate and who will have thoughts that will help, or at minimum who

can just sympathize.

BIG HUG to you!!!

Barb

Ontario, Canada

16yr son, ocd, ld

>

> Hi, I'm a new member. I will try to briefly introduce myself and

our

> situation. at 3 yrs old our daughter had a severe alergic reaction

> which we believe triggered her " issues " . after months of allergy

> testing found out she's allergic to all soaps, detergents etc and 2

> chemicals that are in leather, glues, markers inks etc. not long

> after this she developed a heightened sensitivity to everything. to

> make a long story short she was diagnosed with Sensory Processing

> Disorder at 4 yrs old with OCD tendencies. her therapist at the

time

> said most likely she will not develop ocd - it was just her way of

> coping with the sensory issuses.. well here we are at the age of 6

> and she is seeing a therapist who specializes in OCD and cbt and

now

> has the official diagnosis of OCD - I have to say that I am still

in

> the shock and sadness phase - she's been seeing this specialist for

6

> mos' and we've seen some progress but I think I was looking for a

> miracle. for years we thought it was her sensory issues that made

> her " afraid " to get dressed. well now we've learned that now its

> pretty much 90% anxiety/OCD and 10% sensory issues. she is better

> with her cloths and now that we've got that a little under control

we

> are seeing so many other behaviors that were shadowed by

> her " sensory " issues.. I will admitt up until recently I was

ignorant

> when it came to what OCD really ment. I thought it was just people

> who were afraid of germs and people who turned lights on and off -

> with our daughter its mainly worrying that she said something she

> shouldn't have and repeating herself over and over - or asking the

> same question as if she never asked it - very controling as well -

> I've gone on too long - I am so very thankful to be a part of this

> group. I have found the sensory group very helpful. thanks for

> taking the time to read this.

>

> Terri

>

Posted March 23, 2008 · March 23, 2008

Welcome, Terri.

Funny, I thought this was not long at all. I tend to get long winded

at times, so didn't think this was long in the least. lol

And if it ever gets that way,. . .Go for it! We all learn by sharing.

Our son is 16 and still has sensitivity issues along with his OCD. He

absolutely refuses to wear jeans. It's sweats or shorts with elastic

waistband. I still have to cut tags of his shirts and special order

underwear that comes without tags. He's gotten better as he's gotten

older. I remember those days of sock seams and shoes not feeling

right, where he would meltdown for at least a half an hour before we

could get out the door. I literally scheduled time for it, to keep my

own sanity. I had no clue we were dealing with OCD back then.

I agree with Barb. OCD becomes the new normal, and can be a roller

coaster ride as it waxes and wanes. You go through periods of

grieving and periods that almost seem like " other people's " normal.

The one thing that gave me the most hope, was reading, reading, and

reading some more. Learning about OCD gave me hope we could learn to

live with this stuff, instead of just surviving it. Although some

days we fall back into survival mode.

Glad you found us, Terri.

BJ

>

> Hi, I'm a new member. I will try to briefly introduce myself and our

> situation. at 3 yrs old our daughter had a severe alergic reaction

> which we believe triggered her " issues " . after months of allergy

> testing found out she's allergic to all soaps, detergents etc and 2

> chemicals that are in leather, glues, markers inks etc. not long

> after this she developed a heightened sensitivity to everything. to

> make a long story short she was diagnosed with Sensory Processing

> Disorder at 4 yrs old with OCD tendencies. her therapist at the time

> said most likely she will not develop ocd - it was just her way of

> coping with the sensory issuses.. well here we are at the age of 6

> and she is seeing a therapist who specializes in OCD and cbt and now

> has the official diagnosis of OCD - I have to say that I am still in

> the shock and sadness phase - she's been seeing this specialist for 6

> mos' and we've seen some progress but I think I was looking for a

> miracle. for years we thought it was her sensory issues that made

> her " afraid " to get dressed. well now we've learned that now its

> pretty much 90% anxiety/OCD and 10% sensory issues. she is better

> with her cloths and now that we've got that a little under control we

> are seeing so many other behaviors that were shadowed by

> her " sensory " issues.. I will admitt up until recently I was ignorant

> when it came to what OCD really ment. I thought it was just people

> who were afraid of germs and people who turned lights on and off -

> with our daughter its mainly worrying that she said something she

> shouldn't have and repeating herself over and over - or asking the

> same question as if she never asked it - very controling as well -

> I've gone on too long - I am so very thankful to be a part of this

> group. I have found the sensory group very helpful. thanks for

> taking the time to read this.

>

> Terri

>

Posted March 27, 2008 · March 27, 2008

i have a 7 yr old with repeating as well. diagnosed at 5 1/2 mild ocd but

only got really severe 2 months ago

he has no clothes issues it is mainly repeating ,asking 'what' even though

he heard you it is exhausting.

he has gotten better though, he takes 40 mg of Prozac and we do cbt- we are

starting to see some good results and i just hope it keeps getting better

rather than worse

how do you handle the repetitions

i am curious as how others deal with this- we use a rewards type system

let me know if you have a chance, and feel free to post to me anytime you

need to

On Sun, Mar 23, 2008 at 7:11 PM, graciesmother01

wrote: