Responding to OCD in 3-year-old

May 15, 2012

Hi,

I'm new to the list, but unfortunately not new to OCD, as I have had a

history of OCD myself going back to my childhood. I have noticed that my son

(who is 3, almost 4) has what appear to me to be OCD symptoms of his own and

I'm wondering the best way to handle them. I don't think he needs therapy

at this point, but I need to know how to react when OCD situations arise.

His symptoms usually have to do with wanting to repeat something. For

instance, he enjoys watching DVDs and acting out the scenes with his

own toy trains, but if he doesn't do it right or misses something he wants to

rewind the DVD back so he can recreate the scene. The problem is

sometimes it's never right and he ends up beating up the DVD player (so I've

taken

it away because it just made him so angry and upset). Or yesterday we were

driving in the car listening to one of his CDs and he likes to follow

along in the booklet. He got distracted for a second and wanted me to start a

track over so he could make sure he had looked at the booklet (which I know

from the past can just lead to more such requests ending in total meltdown

because it's never exactly what he wants) but I refused to put the track

back, which led to a screaming tantrum that lasted until we got to our

destination and I finally got him distracted onto another activity. The desire

to go back and do something over " right " is not limited to media devices.

Sometimes if he isn't satisfied with how something was done, he wants to go

back to the very beginning of the activity to do it over again and is not

easily distracted from his upset. For instance, he wasn't cooperating

getting dressed one day and I dressed him lying down. Even when we were

already done and downstairs he was still crying to start over with him standing

up. It's so hard to discern the OCD from the normal toddler difficulties,

but sometimes I'm very sure it's OCD.

How do you react to OCD symptoms in a child so young? I have been trying

not to give in to requests to repeat things that I believe are OCD but of

course that makes him very upset. I tell him I understand it feels really

important, but that it's OCD and it's not real. I'm not sure that's the

right way to word it though and appreciate any tips or resources that could

help me react in a helpful way. I am expecting our second child this summer

so I know it is a difficult time for my son.

Thanks for reading!

t

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