High Anxiety & OCD
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My name is McKenzie and my son is almost 3 yrs old and about to have the ADOS test. It is extremely apparent that whether or not he falls into the spectrum that he does have almost unbearable anxiety (unbearable for him). Everything has to be "just so" or he has major melt downs, and I don't mean tantrums. For example, he wanted a piece of bread the other day and I gave it to him but while he was holding it , a piece of it broke off. He started screaming an awful scream and brought it to me saying "it's broke Mommy! Mommy, fix it! Fix it!". I tried to replace it with a new piece without him seeing it, and that worked until that piece broke. He then brought it to me again, and he was screaming and crying so hard and almost threw up because he was that distraught. This wasn't the first time this happened, and there have been many other different situations that have sent him over the edge. He can't handle it when something is out of it's place, like the extender on the sun visor in our Jeep. It was pulled out and he had the same kind of melt down saying "Mommy's Jeep broke!" and crying like someone was physically torturing him! I want to help him to feel better and more able to handle these "little" things. Does anyone else have a child with similar anxiety? I'm taking him to the doctor, and I would appreciate any information anyone may have about how they dealt with this, whether it be a specific medication, therapy, or a combination. Thank you...McKenzieUsed to be. I took him to a ped psychiatrist who promptly placed him on an SSRI (prozac) to help with obsessing and anxiety. Thank you for your respnse.....How old was your son wwhen he was placed on the prozac, and how effective was it?....thanks again....He has been on it for about a year or maybe a little less...helped him tremendously - he was having a VERY hard time being around groups of kids, focusing instead of obsessing too. Your welcome. This is a great place to check on stuff with some really knowledgeable people - we're all (mostly) parents, but we're all very vast in our professions, educations, experience with our kids too. Welcome to the forum! It's certainly possible that anxiety and/or OCD are separate issues for your child, but the symptoms might also be a result of autism. Kids with autism have a lot of chronic stress, and when they meltdown it's often over something trivial -- but it's really just the straw that broke the camel's back. Life eventually gets easier, as the kids get better at communicating, and the parents get a better handle on how to spot a meltdown before it hits and manage sensory issues. Here are some links that might help you: http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-processin g-disorder-checklist.html http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=17134&am p;KW=meltdown+resources - meltdown resources, including an "inside-view" of meltdowns by one of our members who has autism http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=18152&am p;KW=phobias - an inside view of fear reactions and phobias, by one of our members who has autism. Diagnostic checklists/tests - anxiety and OCD: http://www2.ncneuropsych.com/home/NCN_Patient_Forms/Child/Ch ildhood_Anxiety_Checklist.pdf - childhood anxiety checklist http://www2.ncneuropsych.com/home/NCN_Patient_Forms/Child/So cial_Anxiety_Scale_for_Children_and_Adolscents.pdf - social anxiety scale for children and adolescents http://www2.ncneuropsych.com/home/NCN_Patient_Forms/Child/Ch ild_OCD_Inventory.pdf - child OCD inventory Good luck with everything! MY son who is six also gets upset when his bread falls apart, it is funny tohear someone else with this same problem. My son doesn't cry but you can see him trying to fix it and when he can't he gets so overwelmed with fustration.Are you aware fish oil was found better tha prozac in a university study.High anxiety can also be modulation defeceit related also. Was in Daniel's Praxis test. Daniel has some sensory seeking and sensory defence things. Yes you can both. For this type the best is lot's of prioposeptive activities daily. EX, trampoline time. Hi BraxMom - my daughters were like that at 3.0, but as maturity and language acquisition and gently pushing the envelope of what they found tolerable, it has greatly decreased over the past two years. At 5.1, except for their tendency to become upset if something in their bed isn't right (wrong number or kind of stuffed animals, wrong blanket, etc), and some repetetive play behaviors, I'd say their rididity and need for routine and order is within range of normal. My advice would be to NOT allow him to gain control over you and his environment with his tantruming. He cannot be allowed to believe that he can control the world with his behavior - that can be hard to undo, I'd guess. Keep working on language and the other therapies and make sure he's exposed to a wide variety of typical experiences and don't be afraid to push him out of his comfort zone a bit. That's what worked for us, anyways. Hi mckenzie My daughter used to do that with her grilled cheeses. If they were not cut right she would have a fit. Also with cookies if they broke there was a major melt down. This has all disipated with maturity and finally no tantrums if the bread isnt cut her way. It can drive you crazy, but Iam sure in time with some maturity things should and I hope get better. My daughter has terrible anxiety and ocd, I just try to do my best and work her through things without giving in too much. It depends on the nature of the situation. Good luck to you! Parker is like that too. Sometimes I just have to throw away whatever is broken before he sees it. He really freaks if a book gets wet or ripped. |
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