Need help--17 yr. old daughter with OCD just given Asperger's diagnosis

[Guest guest]

Dear All:

Our 17 year old daughter, who has been in treatment and on meds for OCD since

she was 8, has spend the summer at the OCDI at McLean Hospital, where we thought

she would finally get a handle on her OCD and be able to deal with going away to

college in a year, and more importantly, to end the years of social isolation

that we were ASSURED by her psychiatrist was all the result of OCD, even though

my daughter herself asked him numerous times if she had Aspergers and I

suspected as much for years but deferred to the " expert " opinion of her

psychiatrist. We had been seeing her psychiatrist since she was in 4th grade.

She had a great relationship with him, we thought he was smart and understood

her well, but he also insisted on doing all her therapy and meds and that we see

him once a week for that. I decided on my own that she needed more intervention

so I found the OCDI and had her apply. After a few weeks there, it became clear

to her social worker and behavior therapist that her inability to participate

appropriately in group therapy, sensory issues (to food textures, sounds,

especially certain voices--something that gets in her way in school with

teachers), and rigidity in certain areas were symptoms of Aspergers. She

definitely has OCD and has made some progress there in dealing with compulsions,

but they feel she should come home this week after almost 6 weeks because she

needs to deal with some of her Asperger's symptoms before she can fully benefit

from OCD treatment. Unfortunately, her local psychiatrist apparently doesn't

agree with this diagnosis, but we think he is just covering for his

misdiagnosing her all these years. Our daughter is very angry. She keeps

saying, " But he always said I didn't have Asperger's because I have friends! " By

the way, she DID have friends until 7th grade, but after that, when puberty

kicked in, she was left behind and lost the ability to socialize in an age

appropriate fashion. That should have been the tip off, but it was always

somehow explained away by OCD and social anxiety. Our daughter was hyper verbal

as a kid, a bookworm, the kid with the book under the desk at all times in

elementary school. As a teen, she is obsessed with certain topics, monopolizes

conversations, etc...you get the picture.

So, she is coming home this week, and we obviously need a new course of

treatment for her. I have contacted ASPEN in NJ for help, but I'm wondering

what the course of treatment should be for her now. I'm really confused about

how to deal with this. We need a new psychiatrist for sure, but we also need to

tackle both her OCD and her Asperger's social deficits and sensory issues at the

same time.

Would love any advice the group can offer.

Thank you.

Edelman

Teaneck, NJ